I'm Pharmacy Podcast Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

The internet is full of examples of failed innovations... The Segway, The PalmPilot, MySpace... tech that started revolutions, but failed to scale. This phenomenon is not specific to Silicon Valley. In fact, it is very present in healthcare.

On this episode of the I'm Pharmacy Podcast, we chat diffusion and implementation. What can innovators learn from failed innovatrions to better navigate the healthcare market? Chatting with industry experts, we will explore in the world of developing interventions, and the emerging excitement of artificial intelligence in healthcare.

Featured guests:

Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw
Senior Scientist at The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute,
Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Ottawa

Dr. Muhammad Mamdani
Vice President of Data Science and Advanced Analytics at Unity Health Toronto
Director, U of T's Centre for Artificial Intelligence, Education and Research and Medicine
Professor (status), Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

So you have a good idea... no, a great idea. The science is solid. The tech is exciting. People are interested. Your innovation and its success seems certain. And yet, you fail to make the jump from an exciting idea to scaling up and being successful.

As we explore the art of prototyping, and early launches, we'll explore how these foundational ideas are assessed for market fit. Join us as we explore the intricate dance of innovation and practicality for each prototype. Together, we'll uncover how these early models are pivotal and paving the way for innovation to really take flight.

Featuring:

Dr. Keith Pardee
Associate Professor, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy
Canada Research Chair in Synthetic Biology and Human Health

Mike Sullivan
CEO and Co-founder, Cubic Health

Here we go on the path of innovation. On this episode, we build on the pathway of innovation to better understand how change occurs, how the spark of a novel discovery can really kick start this journey. We do believe that all good innovation should be grounded in strong science. But how and where does it start? Where does the initial spark come from? How does the scientist see a discovery and select this path? Do they know this from the onset? Has it shaped the questions they ask? Or is it a mere process that occurs as part of good science.

Featured Guests:
Dr. Molly Shoichet
University Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Toronto

Dr. Tim Corson,
Professor
Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto

Historically, academia has been breeding ground for groundbreaking discoveries. But often these findings remained confined within Academic Journals lacking the pathway to real world applications. However, as technology transfer offices popped up around universities around the world, entrepreneurial programs, catalysts, collaborative initiatives, universities are more and more recognizing the value of translating their research into products and therapies that can benefit society.

As communities around the world grapple with complex health challenges, there's a growing pressure to deliver innovative solutions in a timely manner. This has driven academia to actively engage in commercialization and look at it as a means to fund science students and really just keep the lights on in many labs. So, that's what we'll explore this episode. Why does commercialization take place? Why should academics even bother? And is it a driving force for innovation? We'll learn from some real efforts that have been occurring here at the University of Toronto, and those that have been involved in them.

Featured Guests

Dr. Paul Santerre
Professor & Baxter Chair in Health Technology & Commercialization at University of Toronto's Institute of Biomedical Engineering and University Health Networks
Director, Health Innovation Hub

Dr. Christine Allen
Professor, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto
Co-founder and CEO, Intrepid Labs

Welcome to Season Four.

Join us in kicking-off a new season of the I'm Pharmacy Podcast as we explore the heart and soul of the academic endeavour, innovation.

Now, before you roll your eyes about another podcast focusing on innovation, this season goes beyond a re-telling of success, and gets to the bottom of where innovation comes from. We dive deep into where ideas come from, what failures led to success, and the difficulties of taking an innovation from idea to intervention.

In our first episode, we chat eureka moments with Dr. Quynh Pham, the Scientific Director and Principal Investigator, Centre for Digital Therapeutics, University Health Network, as well as Dr, Michael LaFlamme, Senior Scientist at the McEwen Stem Cell Institute, University Health Network.

In the final episode of season three, we're turning our spotlight to the ones who will be the forefront of tomorrow's pharmacy landscape, our pharmacy students.

Featuring:
Theodora Udounwa, fourth year PharmD student, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy
Al-Amin Ahamed, fourth year PharmD student, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy
Madelynn Hannah, pharmacist and MScPhm trainee, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy