91˿Ƶ Launches the Institute for Transforming Healthcare (ITH)
91˿Ƶ has launched the Institute for Transforming Healthcare (ITH) to apply a systems-based approach and advance technology-enabled solutions to drive change in Canadian healthcare.
Canada’s health system is under increasing strain due to limited access to family doctors, surgical backlogs, and overcrowded emergency rooms. The Institute will examine how these challenges can be addressed through collaboration across sectors.
“As one of Canada’s major research universities, 91˿Ƶ has a responsibility to help strengthen the systems that underpin our healthcare,” said Deep Saini, President and Vice-Chancellor of 91˿Ƶ. “Drawing on our expertise in management, medicine and public policy, and building on our strong partnerships across the health sector, we have the capacity to develop sustainable solutions that will have an enduring impact.”
Anchored at 91˿Ƶ’s Desautels Faculty of Management, the ITH will bring together the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and the Max Bell School of Public Policy in the Faculty of Arts, as well as participants from across 91˿Ƶ and beyond, to work directly with healthcare leaders, policymakers and practitioners to improve access to family care, shorten surgery wait times and reduce ER congestion.
“Many of the pressures facing healthcare today are not clinical problems. They are coordination and organizational challenges that require cross-disciplinary cooperation,” said Samer Faraj, inaugural Director of the ITH. “The initiative aims to solve long-standing health sector bottlenecks by pioneering organizational and technological solutions that are based on a university-health sector collaboration and joint engagement.”
In its initial phase, researchers will conduct field investigations and data‑driven analyses of how care is organized in practice. Findings will be shared with sector constituents through policy briefs, workshops, conferences and pilot projects.
“We are grateful to Power Corporation of Canada, Canada Life, and IGM Financial for their generosity and vision in support of this new initiative,” affirmed Yolande Chan, Dean of the Desautels Faculty of Management. “Together, we can help shape a future where healthcare is more accessible, efficient and responsive to the needs of all Canadians.”
ITH Director Samer Faraj elected Membre associé étranger of the Académie Nationale de Médecine of France
We are proud to announce that Samer Faraj has been elected Membre associé étranger (Foreign Associate Member) of the Académie nationale de médecine, France’s foremost prestigious medical institution.
Foreign associate membership is limited to just 60 scholars worldwide and is awarded to researchers whose work has made outstanding international contributions to health and medicine. This distinction recognizes not only scholarly excellence, but also meaningful impact on clinical practice, health systems, and public policy.
Founded in 1820, the Académie nationale de médecine advises the French government on public health matters and advances scientific knowledge in medicine and health sciences. Election to the Academy reflects global recognition by peers across disciplines and countries.
Professor Faraj’s research has significantly advanced our understanding of how expertise, coordination, and decision-making operate in complex healthcare environments. His work bridges management and healthcare, offering insights that strengthen clinical collaboration, improve organizational performance, and support innovation in health systems.
He will be formally inducted at the Academy’s annual ceremony in January 2027.
91˿Ƶ student’s consulting project with INESSS on strategic health innovation
Undergraduate students in the MGPO 485 Emerging Technologies: Organizing and Societal Stakes course completed a semester-long consulting project in collaboration with Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS), working on three forward-looking strategic initiatives. Over the course of the term, student teams developed: (1) a strategic vision for INESSS in 2035, (2) an internal AI strategy to support evidence synthesis, and (3) a novel evaluation framework for AI-based medical devices.
Drawing on interdisciplinary methods and real-world policy considerations, students delivered actionable recommendations tailored to INESSS’s evolving mandate in health and social services.
The semester culminated in formal presentations at the INESSS Montreal office, where students shared their analyses and strategic proposals directly with the organization’s leadership team.
Göktuğ Bender presented at SMASH 2025 on the Implementation of AI in Precision Medicine
Göktuğ Bender presented his research on the implementation of AI in precision medicine at the Symposium on Model Accountability, Sustainability and Healthcare, held on November 4–5, 2025 at Mila – Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute.
His presentation highlighted how successful implementation of AI in precision medicine requires alignment across technical development, clinical integration, governance structures, and stakeholder engagement.
SMASH brought together researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders to explore accountability and sustainability in AI.
IMSF students presented their research on healthcare systems and policy
Students from the Integrated Management Student Fellowship (IMSF) working with the ITH recently presented their research addressing pressing challenges in healthcare systems, policy, and innovation.
Under the supervision of Samer Faraj, the cohort showcased a diverse portfolio of projects reflecting the interdisciplinary scope of ITH’s work. Amanda Leloup (2025 IMSF Intern) examined sustainability in healthcare policy, while Heloise Colas (2025 IMSF Intern) analyzed Quebec health system policy regarding access to family physicians. RonRong (2025 IMSF Intern) explored institutional change in the architectural profession, and Isabel Ines (2025 IMSF Intern) investigated emergency room wait times in Quebec. Edie Pearman (2024 IMSF Intern) presented findings from her primary research on operating room wait times. Lauren Harrison (2023 IMSF Intern) examined the evolving landscape of AI in healthcare within academic publications.
