Event

Unlocking Health Data for Public Good

Virtual invitation-only member event

November 13, 2025, 1:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. + Google + Apple + Outlook + Yahoo

Virtual - Zoom

On Thursday, November 13, 2025 at 1:00 pm ET, join the Public Policy Forum (PPF) for a virtual discussion on how health data should be viewed by policymakers as Canada’s above-ground critical mineral. Unlocking this data could have huge benefits: delivering efficiencies in our health systems, maximizing the effectiveness of our clinical trials, speeding up our drug discovery processes and allowing our life sciences sector to fully harness AI. We’ll be joined by the report’s author Chris Hobson, PPF Director of Policy, and Inez Jabalpurwala, PPF President & CEO and co-Chair of the Life Sciences Forum.

A new report from PPF, Mining Canada’s health data: A road map to the ultimate nation-building project, outlines three mail goals:

Gain the licence to share data and break down data-sharing barriers
Create a comprehensive health data legal framework
Develop world-leading approaches to storage, collection, curation and governance of health data

We outline how these goals can be accomplished within an aggressive, two-year timeline:

Within 12 months:

Create a comprehensive legal framework governing how health data is shared and used
Initiate Canada’s own Data Saves Lives movement

Within 18 months:

Designate an independent arm’s length organization to oversee a transformation in how health data is collected, stored, curated and shared

Within 2 years:

Use the mandate of the Major Projects Office to build the infrastructure to create a sovereign health data cloud.

Speakers

Inez Jabalpurwala

President & CEO, Public Policy Forum

Inez Jabalpurwala is a distinguished leader in public policy and non-profit management.

Before joining PPF, Inez was the Global Director of VINEx, a brain health research organization. Inez built VINEx during the pandemic to explore how SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses impact brain health, including Long COVID. After co-leading the development of a pan-Canadian action plan to address Long COVID, Inez broadened VINEx’s focus to better understand how the environment impacts our health. She is also co-leader of the Brain Health Nexus, a multidisciplinary effort to unleash science and technology to optimize brain health and prevent brain disease.

Prior to these roles, Inez was Founding President and CEO of the Brain Canada Foundation from 2001 to 2020, building a globally recognized health charity that brought together fragmented research and policy communities, and accelerated Canada’s excellent research on the brain. Under her leadership, Brain Canada raised more than $130 million, initiated and executed more than 100 partnerships across sectors and disbursed more than $250 million in grants.

Inez has been named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network on three occasions — in 2007, 2016 and again in 2022 for “women in STEM roles who are challenging the status quo for knowledge and female empowerment.”

She holds a BA and MA in English literature and an MBA from McGill University and has completed the Master of Management program for voluntary sector.
Chris Hobson

Director, Policy, Public Policy Forum

Chris Hobson built his career working in public policy across the private and non-profit sectors in the U.K.
Before joining PPF, he led the policy and external affairs teams within the East Midlands Chamber, the U.K.’s largest Chamber of Commerce, working with the private sector and government on policy areas including productivity, AI, infrastructure investment and energy transition.

Prior to that, he served as lead for the East Midlands region of the U.K.’s Regional Housing Federation, managed a financial inclusion membership body — working with financial institutions and government on product accessibility and financial literacy programs — and co-organized the first and only independent review into the operation of the U.K.’s asylum system.

Chris is also a trustee at the Randal Charitable Foundation, a founder-led trust that supports international projects on issues that include food and nutrition, violence against women and girls, medical emergencies and education of vulnerable populations.

He holds a master’s degree in refugee studies from the University of East London and a bachelor’s degree in geography from Loughborough University.
Sue Paish

Chief Executive Officer, DIGITAL

As the CEO of DIGITAL, Sue leads an innovation portfolio that has leveraged $255 million to deliver $630 million in total investments in Canadian-led innovation. This includes the development of over 630 Canadian IP assets, more than $1.2 billion in follow-on investments in Canadian companies, and over 11,000 talent development placements. DIGITAL is driving transformation across health, natural resources, and skilling through AI-infused technologies, supporting the growth and success of Canadian companies.

Before joining DIGITAL Sue was the CEO of LifeLabs and has also been the CEO of Pharmasave and the first woman Managing Partner at Fasken. She has consistently been ‘ahead of the curve’ in driving innovation and spearheading courageous public policy.

Sue sits on various corporate and community boards and has received recognitions, including the Order of British Columbia, King’s Counsel, an Honorary Doctorate of Technology, and the Peter Lougheed Award for Public Policy. Sue’s greatest joy is spending time outdoors with her husband, daughters, and granddaughters.
Dr. Anderson Chuck

President & CEO, Canadian Institute for Health Information

Dr. Chuck has more than 20 years of experience leading large-scale initiatives that leverage data to develop actionable strategies and improve health systems. He is currently the President and CEO of the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), where he is spearheading a bold transformation to modernize how CIHI delivers on its mandate. Under his leadership, the organization is evolving to better meet the needs of today’s complex and fast-changing health care system –becoming more agile, more accessible, and more impactful in the way it supports decision-makers across the country.

Before joining CIHI, Dr. Chuck served as chief health economist at Alberta Health Services (AHS), where he worked closely with the Ministry of Health, health delivery leaders, clinicians and other system stakeholders in shaping strategy for health system transformation, sustainability, financial performance and value. He also led the introduction of value-based decision-making to guide AHS’s resource allocation priorities.

Dr. Chuck has a Master of Public Health and a Doctor of Philosophy from the School of Public Health at the University of Alberta. A champion of evidence-informed decision-making and value-based health care, he has spent his career partnering with stakeholders and building coalitions to create real and measurable benefits in population health, patient outcomes, patient experience, value and system sustainability. He is a firm believer that the future of health care—and the key to a high-performing, sustainable system—is not a race to the bottom in costs but a race to the top in value.

Moderator

Riaz Kara

Vice-President, Policy, Public Policy Forum

Riaz Kara’s career in federal and provincial government has spanned areas of strategic policy, regulatory management, business transformation, organizational effectiveness, stakeholder engagement, issues management, data analytics and change leadership.

Before joining PPF, Riaz was Director General, Housing Policy & Partnerships at Housing, Infrastructure & Communities Canada where he led housing policy integration across the federal government, including linkages with immigration, health and industrial strategy as well as the department’s work with provinces and territories. Prior, he was Vice-President of Social Policy and Equity at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, where he led major policy initiatives to support increased supply across the housing continuum – from non-market to market-based housing.

This is a virtual invitation-only member event. If you are interested in learning more about membership, please contact the Business Development Team at membership@ppforum.ca.

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