Equity, innovation, sustainability: thinking differently about healthcare
On May 28, the 3rd edition of DEI Day was held, organized by TransMedTech Institute and Polytechnique Montréal in collaboration with Université de Montréal, PME MTL and Montréal InVivo.
At the heart of our discussions was a strong conviction. To meet the health challenges of today and tomorrow, innovation can no longer be thought of without equity, without inclusion, and without real consideration of our impact on the planet.
Sustainable health: what is it all about?
Sustainable health is an approach that goes beyond individual care to integrate the social, environmental and economic determinants of health.
It’s about recognizing that social inequalities, the climate crisis and unequal access to technologies all weigh heavily on people’s health – here and elsewhere.
It also means thinking ethically and responsibly about innovation, so that it truly serves the common good.
An inspiring and committed programming
Right from the start, Dr Claudel Pétrin-Desrosiers set the tone with a powerful talk on the climate emergency as a public health issue. Her message was clear: protecting our environment means protecting our health.
Two panels then explored the issues from different angles.
Panel 1 on “Ecoresponsibility”
With Prof. Samira Keivanpour from Polytechnique Montréal, Dr Stephan Williams from CHUM and Dr Claudel Pétrin-Desrosiers, moderated by Alain Bakayoko, Director of Innovation at PME Montréal Centre-East. This panel explored ways to reduce the environmental footprint of the healthcare system, from supply chains to clinical practices.
Nicknamed the doctor who wants to heal the climate, Dr. Williams is an anesthesiologist and medical co-manager, Carbon neutrality and sustainability, a team mandated by the CHUM to reduce the CHUM’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 55% by 2030. A colossal mission when you consider that the carbon footprint of the Canadian healthcare system represents 5-10% of the country’s total GHG emissions.
Prof. Keivanpour, for her part, talked about circularity and sustainable, inclusive design.
All of this dovetails nicely with the planetary health approach, a transdisciplinary scientific approach in which our health is inextricably linked to that of ecosystems and the living world, advocated by Dr Claudel Pétrin-Desrosiers in her latest book entitled « santé planétaire, prescriptions médicales pour une environnement sain ».
“One of the feelings I’ve learned to hate the most, as a doctor, is knowing that I can’t offer the patient in front of me what would really make a difference to them: a healthy environment.” Dr Claudel Pétrin-Desrosiers
Panel 2 on “Social inequalities and sustainability”
Dr Marie-France Raynault, Mai Duong, founder of Swab The World, Neil Armand, co-founder of Société d’Habitation des Communautés Noires (SHCN) and Carole Brunet,, research professional at Polytechnique Montréal, moderated by Lorène Cristini, Director of the Women’s Health Centre, reminded us that health inequalities remain glaring, and that any innovation must be thought out for, but also with, the populations concerned.
Mai Duong, founder of the Swab The World Foundation, shared her poignant testimony as a leukemia survivor and the terrifying lack of stem donors from diverse communities.
Dr. Marie-France Raynault, who began her career as a doctor in an underprivileged Montreal neighborhood, has been researching and advocating in the fight against poverty for many years. She showed us how the intersection of social determinants of health and vulnerability influences the impact of climate change on health.
In the course of her research, Carole Brunet has explored the social inequalities associated with the energy transition, highlighting the challenges of fuel poverty, particularly in rural, indigenous and disadvantaged environments. She calls for a transition that is fair, inclusive and adapted to local contexts, to avoid reproducing existing socio-economic inequalities.
Finally, Neil Armand introduced us to the SHCM project for equitable access to affordable housing and sustainable community development. Committed to social justice, he pilots innovative projects combining
economic empowerment, environmental responsibility and systemic transformation. His work reflects a vision of inclusion and urban resilience, where all communities can flourish.
This section highlighted the urgent need to rethink our approaches to health, energy and housing through the prism of equity, asserting that a sustainable society cannot exist without social justice, rooted in listening, co-construction and recognition of plural experiences.
Projects in the spotlight
The afternoon also featured three innovative initiatives:
– Numana‘s empathetic neighborhoods, with Anaïs Detolle
– Totum Tech, , and its Libero technology, presented by CEO Maria Julia Guimaraes
– Solaria Sense, which offers a simpler, more reliable, faster and above all more accessible solution for lung cancer screening, with co-founder Kathel Dongnang
And let’s not forget the next generation, with a dynamic student presentation by Gaëlle Patricia Talotsing, of her doctoral thesis on “A stacked ensemble machine learning model for emergency call forecasting”.
A mobilized community
Thank you to everyone who attended, to the panellists, moderators, participants and organizing committee.
We’ll be leaving with a wealth of ideas and avenues for action, and with the conviction that transforming the healthcare system requires more collaboration, more listening and more courage.
See you next year for more food for thought, and more importantly, action!
Source :
Géraldine Dumesnil
Communication Services, TransMedTech Institute
geraldine.dumesnil@polymtl.ca
“Innovation and equity: building a sustainable future in healthcare” – A retrospective in pictures
