Graham Seed Fund at University of Waterloo Bolsters Collaborations with Regional Hospitals and Healthcare Providers

The University of Waterloo’s Health Initiatives team designed the Graham Seed Fund (GSF) for researchers to submit their proposals for innovative health-care solutions that address the world’s most pressing challenges.

The GSF seeks to leverage and build health system partnerships that extend beyond academia. Empowering interdisciplinary teams of Waterloo researchers to collaborate directly with a full range of health providers and clinicians to develop transformative health technologies that are made for real-world impact.

“Waterloo researchers continuously deliver innovative health-care solutions for real-world impact. There has never been a more important time to look at how technology can improve how we deliver health care. Collaborating with the local hospitals and Ontario Health Team shows our commitment to our community and making a difference right here where we live,” says Dr. Catherine Burns, associate vice-president of Health Initiatives.

Waterloo’s Health Initiatives task force was created as part of the University’s commitment to leading globally and nationally at the interface of society, health and technology. Aligned with the Global Futures, Waterloo researchers are tackling Canadian and Global health challenges by working in collaboration with local hospitals and provincial health-care providers, industry partners, international universities and organizations.

This round of the GSF centers on strengthening Waterloo’s position in the community by emphasizing partnerships with the Grand River Hospital, St. Mary’s Hospital and the KW4 Ontario Health Team (KW4OHT). Our deep connection and commitment to our local region and community traces back to the University’s founding.

Here are the eight recipient projects and their team lead:

Good data housekeeping: Building data strategies to make Canadian hospitals AI-ready 

• Sirisha Rambhatla (Researcher)
• Grand River Hospital (Partner)

Newcomer app for health and social service navigation: A field study 

• Edith Law (Researcher)
• KW4OHT (Partner)

Improving door-to-needle time in acute stroke at Grand River Hospital 

• Fatma Gzara (Researcher)
• Grand River Hospital (Partner)

Optimal operating room scheduling at the Cambridge Memorial Hospital 

• Houra Mahmoudzadeh (Researcher)
• Cambridge Memorial Hospital (Partner)

Multisensory perception and control for robotic biohazardous material handling 

• Soo Jeon (Researcher)
• Cambridge Memorial Hospital (Partner)

Pre-surgical appointment scheduling 

• Saeed Ghadimi (Researcher)
• St. Mary’s General Hospital (Partner)

Enhancing senior care with social robots: A remote health monitoring initiative 

• Yue Hu (Researcher)
• KW4OHT (Partner)

Quantifying skin thickness across populations to improve delineation of the skin during radiation treatment planning of breast and head & neck cancers 

• Adil Al-Mayah (Researcher)
• Grand River Hospital (Partner)