New APEC Digital Hub reflects Canada’s Innovation Agenda; world-leading partnership right here at home
OTTAWA, June 14, 2016—The Mood Disorders Society of Canada (MDSC), on behalf of the University of British Columbia, the University of Alberta and the APEC Digital Hub, welcomes today’s announcement from Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains, Science Minister Kirsty Duncan and Small Business Minister Bardish Chagger on making Canada a world leader on innovation.
Ministers announced that the government will focus on six key areas: promoting an entrepreneurial and creative society, supporting global science excellence, building world-leading clusters and partnerships, growing companies and accelerating clean growth, competing in a digital world, and improving ease of doing business. This aligns with the recent announcement from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum which chose Canada—through MDSC, UBC and U of A—to become a global centre of excellence in mental healthcare innovation.
Canada will host a new international digital hub to coordinate and promote advanced research from some of the world’s leading universities and health institutes involved in the diagnosis, treatment and public awareness of mental disorders. The Digital Hub will serve as an incubator of new ideas and practices, a platform for scale-up, and the focal point in APEC’s inter-governmental work in mental health.
“Not only does this digital hub put Canada on the centre stage as a leader in innovation for mental health, it will, most importantly, help equip the one in five Canadians suffering from mental health problems with the treatment they need, as well as patients worldwide,” says MDSC national executive director Phil Upshall.
Projects like the APEC digital hub, which will utilize the latest technology and research to address one of Canada’s leading healthcare challenges, showcases the kind of “bold action” and global leadership the Minister pushed for today.
Digital hub partners will meet in Vancouver later this year and world leaders will take note of digital hub efforts at the next meeting of APEC leaders in Peru later this year.
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About the APEC Digital Hub
mdsc.ca/apec-digital-hub-leading-the-way
apec.mentalhealth@ubc.ca
For more information
Phil Upshall, Director of Finance for the Digital Hub, phil@mooddisorderscanada.ca
Dr. Ray Lam, Executive Director to the Digital Hub, r.lam@ubc.ca
Dr. Andy Greenhsaw, Scientific Director of the Digital Hub, andy.greenshaw@ualberta.ca
Jacquie LaRocque, Compass Rose Group, 613-614-6339, jlarocque@compassrosegroup.org
Watch the video and learn how MDSC is involved in a project that demonstrates how Canada is leading the way in Mental Healthcare Innovation.
