1. Linking Foresight to Action: A Health Case Study
Leah Soroka - Health Canada
Lois Macklin – Alberta Innovates Technology Futures

2. Health Foresight Initiative Rationale
Our Objective:
How Can S&T Improve the Health of Canadians in One Generation?
Our Opportunities:
Health Accord ending 2014
Economic crisis
Aging population and an increase in bad habits
Our Challenges:
Needed more than a good idea…need action
Reluctance to thinking and ideas generated in non-traditional ways
Increasing complexity and uncertainty
Short term nature and focus of politics
There is an understanding that the world is changing, but less understanding on how institutions may need to change

3. Structure of the Health Foresight Initiative
Partners:
Health Canada – federal government department
Alberta Innovates Technology Futures – provincially owned research institution
Health Foresight Initiative Workshops: (7 events, 250 people, various locations)
Trends and Drivers
Scenario Creation
Contradiction Oriented Problem Solving (TRIZ)
Jasper Innovation Forum
Exploration of how technology may be utilized to improve the health of Canadians
Development of a new framework for enhanced health outcomes
McGill University World Platform on Health Conference

4. Design Characteristics - Linking Foresight to Action
Project Leadership – Complex Adaptive Management
Design of the Process – Foresight in the context of Action
Open based focal question
Engagement and innovation foresight methodologies and event
Workshop and facilitation selected for strategic outputs
Budget and logistic constrain the objective function
Selection of participants need to be remarkable people appropriate to engagement and innovation
Design for the uptake of communications – mental framework, language, resonance, multi-media

5. Foresight Methodologies
Use of various tools to derive insights
Trends and Drivers
Appreciative Inquiry
Environmental Scanning
Cross-impact Analysis
Challenge Dialogue
Scenarios
System Mapping
Causal Layer Analysis
Delphi
Solution Based Problem Solving Algorithms
Contradiction Oriented Innovation
Morphological Analysis

6. Trends and Drivers Economic Capacity Research, Development &
Tech. Investments
Government &
Public Policy
Medical Tech.
Advances
Geopolitics
Information &
Communication
Tech.
Power of
Stakeholders
Human
Enhancement
Technology
Social Values
& Ethics
Globalization
of Disease
Healthcare System
Environmental
Quality
Demographic
Diversity
Social
Determinants
of Health

7. Scenarios Collective Societal Values High Low Economic Capacity
Individual
Societal
Values

8. Emergent S&T The Body The Environment Networks Enabling Environment
Food & Food Policy
Reform Regulatory Process
Health Impact assessment in Federal policy making
Solution Based Open Innovation
Leveraging existing technology for healthy active aging
Standards for Medical Information
Transparency and Detailing Costs of Health Transactions
Measuring the Subjective
Replacement Parts
Epigenetic Imprints
Automated Nourishment
Programming Immunity
Diagnosing the Pre-sick
Biological Previews
The
Environment
Networks
Electronic Bank/ Health Card
Offsite Preventative and
Therapeutic Applications of S&T
Adaptive Encouragement
Contagion Health
Ubiquitous sensing
Integrated Population-Based
Information and Surveillance
Systems
Crowd-Sourced Research
Augmented Environments
Anticipatory Quarantines

9. Convergence and Insights
The Body
Networks
The
Environment
Enabling Environment

10. Health Conveyor Won't Would Will Enhancing The Health of Canadians
Community
Supported
Would
Information
& Tools
Will
S&T mobilizes
intermediaries,
communities, social
entrepreneurs and
caregivers
S&T mobilizes
The individual

11. Changing Assumptions – The Way We View the World
Views
Approach to Health
S&T
Traditional
More linear
Reductionist
Problem approach
Hierarchical
Dr. is expert
Limited Options
One of a kind
In institutions
Assist the masses
Evolving
World
Views
Approach to Health
S&T
Complex
Holistic
System approach
Individual role
Health literacy
Many options
Widespread
Quickly evolving
Personalized

12. Changing Assumption – The Way We View Capitalism
Traditional
Evolving
Public Science/Policy
Public Science/Policy
Corporate Social Responsibility
Private Science/ Policy
Private Science/ Policy

13. Changing Assumptions – The Way We View Public and Private
Collective
Collective
Traditional
Evolving
New
S&T
Ubiquitous sensing
Personalized and precise medicine
Win/Lose
Win/Win
Individual
Individual

14. Changing Assumptions – The Way We View The System
Expanded Public Sector Enabled Health System
The system is enabled through policy, regulations, shared science and best practices.
Publicly funded
Evolving
Primary Care
Acute Care
Traditional
Acute Care
Enter Health System
Health Facilitation
Primary Care
Wellness
Prevention and issue management are key
Public Private Partnerships (PPP) Innovative Charities, NGOs & Patient Groups
Management

15. Impact to Improving the Health of Canadians
S&T is a fundamental game changer by enabling:
Individual, community and informal care by mobilizing participation in prevention, treatment, management and wellness
Integration of other services for enhanced access to information, decision making and delivery at all agents/levels
Feedback mechanisms to support behavioural change.

16. Next Steps and Expectations
Evolved conversation on the challenges and opportunities to improve the health of Canadians
Evolved path forward for action including:
Expanded definition of science (system, cognitive, ICT, wellness)
Enhance the communications of science for results
Ubiquitous sensing – infrastructure, standards, etc
New corporate models
Adopting frameworks inclusive of dialectics
Lifestyle management approach
Enabling the movement from Health to Wellness through S&T
Interim results are positive through the creation of artefacts and embedding in departmental strategic direction setting and planning systems
Long term uptake …needs to be seen

17. Thank You
Questions?