Brain Capital Perspectives: Tom Mikkelsen

What will it take for Canadians to thrive in an AI-enabled economy? To explore this question, the Public Policy Forum convened a diverse group of leaders from across Canada working at the intersection of talent, education, workforce development, technology, health and inclusion. They share their perspectives on strengthening brain health, building future-ready skills and creating the conditions for more Canadians to contribute, succeed and flourish. (Read the full series of Q&A’s.)

Q: What is the most pressing talent challenge Canada needs to address?

A: Canada does not have a shortage of talented people. Every year, we graduate world-class neuroscientists, engineers and data scientists. The greater challenge is helping that talent translate research into commercial products, health system innovation and real-world impact.

Too much talent remains siloed. Researchers often have limited exposure to commercialization, regulatory pathways and business practices, while companies and healthcare systems can struggle to adopt and scale new discoveries. At Ontario Brain Institute, we see firsthand how difficult it can be to move promising innovations from the lab into practical tools that improve care.

For employers and health providers, this slows the adoption of potentially life-changing technologies. For the one in three Canadians affected by a brain disorder, it can mean longer waits for effective treatments and interventions. Canada’s challenge is not producing talent. It is creating the conditions that allow talent to move ideas into action.

Q: What two or three actions or policy shifts would help address this challenge?

A: First, Canada should expand paid experiential learning and cross-sector fellowship programs. Models such as OBI’s internship program and NERVE commercialization program help researchers build business and commercialization skills while working directly with industry, healthcare organizations and non-profits. These opportunities help talented people understand how their expertise can create impact beyond academia.

Second, we need sustained investment in shared neuro-data infrastructure and advanced analytics training. Platforms such as OBI’s Brain-CODE and the NeuroFL Federated Learning Network lower barriers to collaboration and innovation while helping researchers and entrepreneurs access sophisticated data tools.

Third, Canada needs legislative frameworks that enable standards-based, privacy-protected sharing of health data across institutions. The data generated through our healthcare system is a strategic asset for research and innovation, but its potential will remain under-realized without policies that support responsible data sharing and R&D.

Q: How is AI changing the talent needs in your field, and what opportunities or risks does it create?

A: AI is increasing demand for people with interdisciplinary skills that combine neuroscience, clinical expertise, computational literacy and data governance. Technical expertise alone is not enough. We need professionals who can apply AI to meaningful scientific and clinical questions, interpret results critically and understand the technology’s limitations.

The opportunities are significant. At OBI, we are using AI to unlock more value from multimodal clinical data collected through our research programs and made accessible through Brain-CODE and our Centre for Analytics. By connecting clinical, genomic, imaging and digital biomarker data, researchers can identify earlier disease markers, uncover shared mechanisms across brain disorders and move toward more precise interventions.

At the same time, there are important risks. Overreliance on AI can weaken critical thinking, while biased datasets can reinforce health inequities. Maintaining human expertise, judgment and oversight will remain essential as these technologies become more widely adopted.