Ashley Girgis (Digital Health Program Manager, Terry Fox Research Institute) and Vinod Subramanian (Chief Operating & AI Officer, MedAdvisor Solutions) join host Patricia Thaine to explore the complex journey of healthcare data from research to real-world patient care.
Ashley shares insights from building Canada's $49M Digital Health and Discovery Platform, designed to break down data silos between hospitals, research institutions, and industry. Vinod brings 30 years of experience in healthcare, including pharmacy-driven patient engagement, discussing how platforms are transforming medication adherence and patient outcomes.
Together, they tackle critical questions: How do we ensure data represents diverse populations? What does "Privacy by Design" look like in practice? Why is patient consent the foundation of everything? And how can we bridge the gap between cutting-edge research and the pharmacy counter?
From OMOP data standards and FAIR principles to AI scribes and federated learning, they explore the technical infrastructure reshaping healthcare. But technology is just part of the story – they emphasize that trust, intentionality, and keeping patients at the center determine whether innovations succeed or fail.
Key topics:
Building pan-Canadian data sharing infrastructure
Privacy-first approaches in pharmaceutical technology
The platform revolution in healthcare
Bridging academic research and industry innovation
Why healthcare lags in digital transformation compared to other industries
Creating trust in AI-powered clinical tools
The future of connected healthcare ecosystems
Whether you're building healthcare products, working with clinical data, or navigating regulatory frameworks, this conversation offers practical insights into the challenges and opportunities at the frontier of healthcare data.
*- About the Guests -*
Vinod Subramanian is the Chief Operating & AI Officer at MedAdvisor Solutions, leading AI strategy, operations, and innovation to elevate pharmacy-driven patient engagement. With prior leadership roles at Syapse and McKesson, he brings deep expertise in data, product, and cloud platforms. Vinod is passionate about using analytics, machine learning, and automation to simplify the medication journey and improve access to care. He blends technical depth with operational insight, focusing on solutions that empower pharmacies, enrich patient experience, and deliver meaningful health outcomes. LinkedIn handle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinod-subramanian X handle: @vindna
Ashley Girgis is a health informatics professional with a Master of Health Informatics from the University of Toronto. At Terry Fox Research Institute (DHDP.ca initiative) she is leading the development and execution of the $25M Digital Health Innovation Fund. Previously, Ashley evaluated LLM models, troubleshot data pipelines with engineering teams and supported EPIC EHR integration training and resource planning. She bridges technical and non-technical teams while keeping quality methodology and evaluation at the centre of her work (Visit her portfolio: https://girgisas.github.io/).