With over two decades of private, public and pan-Canadian experience, and a Master of Arts in Economics, Elena Lungu is an expert in drug data systems, analytics and pharmaceutical policy in Canada. She recently joined Canada’s Drug Agency as the Director of Data Systems and Analytics where she spearheads initiatives to enhance data collection, analytics capacity, and collaborative partnerships to improve the pharmaceutical data ecosystem for better patient and health system outcomes. In her previous leadership roles, Elena has supported the guideline modernization efforts for the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board, and she has built the NPDUIS initiative into a recognized and respected powerhouse of data analytics in support of policy decisions for the federal, provincial and territorial governments. Since the start of her career in private consulting with Brogan Inc., Elena has fostered stakeholder engagement and has developed lasting relationships with domestic and international stakeholders.
Day 1: Dec 5, 2023
8:45 am
OPENING COMMENTS FROM YOUR HOST
Gain insight into today’s sessions so you can get the most out of your conference experience.
10:30 am
OPENING PANEL: AI 2.0 IN HEALTHCARE
From Pilots to Practice: Implementing AI in Everyday Clinical Workflows
The first wave of AI in healthcare was defined by experimentation and proof-of-concept pilots. Today, we’re entering a new era — AI 2.0 — where the focus is shifting from isolated innovation to sustainable, integrated clinical tools that enhance outcomes, reduce burden, and scale impact. Source practical tips to:
- Transition from pilot projects to enterprise-scale implementation.
- Align AI development with clinical governance, safety, and usability standards.
- Integrate AI tools into EHRs and care pathways to reduce friction and enhance adoption.
- Overcome pilot fatigue, ensure clinical buy-in, and achieve measurable improvements.
Improve patient care by positioning AI 2.0 not as a future vision, but as a practical engine for change today.
12:15 pm
FIRESIDE CHAT: REGIONAL & PROVINCIAL COLLABORATION
Twelve Systems, One Challenge: Building Provincial and Regional Data Strategies for a Fragmented Health Landscape
Canada doesn’t have a single health system — it has twelve. Each province and territory governs its own healthcare delivery, creating structural fragmentation that challenges national coordination, interoperability, and innovation. Now is the time to invest in provincial and regional data strategies that respect jurisdictional autonomy while enabling pan- Canadian insight, performance measurement, and AI readiness. Master the success factors to:
- Develop decentralized governance that enables localized data strategies.
- Align data priorities across ministries, health authorities, and care providers.
- Enable interoperability and federated data models without centralization.
- Implement data leadership strategies that drive national digital health and AI initiatives.
- Ebed robust privacy safeguards from design to deployment.
Advance patient outcomes with a strategy that bridges Canada’s health data divide.
4:30 pm
PANEL: INNOVATION
Scaling Innovation in the Wider Healthcare Sector: Accelerate while Ensuring Value for Money and Fit with Public Interest
Healthcare organizations often face slow adoption curves for technologies that have sound overall business cases, and that creates a significant opportunity cost to society. Key stakeholders need to collaborate to deliver better outcomes for citizens. Adopt best practices to:
- Support the technology industry in engaging government on new technologies and the change management processes required to execute effectively (including the ongoing debate that, in healthcare, AI may challenge established norms for scaling innovation).
- Enable pharmaceutical and MedTech sectors, which operate in highly regulated environments, to implement key approaches that accelerate innovation.
- Leverage market research firms and pollsters to help governments understand public concerns and monitor change.
- Model the international health systems where there have been notable successes in large-scale modernization efforts, including the Netherlands, the UK, and Australia.
Impact the outcomes of your health system by aligning with international successes and Canadian best practices.
Day 2: Dec 6, 2023
