A reflection on biotech after attending Canada’s Gairdner Gala (trends, core questions & insights) — In October 2022, I had the privilege of attending the Canada Gairdner Award lectures and exclusive gala. The Gairdner foundation honours biomedical research from around the world. This year’s winners included the inventors of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. One-quarter of the winners eventually earn a Nobel Prize. …

How Dehydration, Hypothermia and Lightning Changed my Life — I held my water bottle filled with bleach with one of my hands. I was attempting to keep my raincoat over my head with the other. But it was all pointless anyway; I was wet to a new extreme. Even after hours of hunching in a kinda-squat position, the storm…

Actions to take to become happier, more productive and kind. — How you train is how you perform. I love this quote. If you snooze your alarm every morning, you’re not going to become better at waking up without an alarm. If you’re unkind to the people around you, you won’t become kinder. If you’re always late to hand in assignments, you’re not going to become better at…

My friend and I tried walking really far to develop empathy for people who need to walk far distances for life necessities, healthcare or safety. — I’m working on emm.health, so the issue of maternal health care has been top-of-mind. The other day my friend and I wanted to walk really far. It was to try to develop empathy for women in rural Sub-Saharan Africa who walk hours roundtrip to receive care for their pregnancies. It…

This summer I found myself in the unlikely city of Bujumbura, Burundi. I was 19-years-old, solo travelling, and totally lost as to where to go and what to do. So, if in the future, nomadic, curious people stumble into this vibrant young African city, you can use this as your…

Clinic in a box, ice cream truck and tech-first health operations — I just spent the day in an Ugandan emergency room. It was a scary amount of ambiguity. A frustrating experience, but all the more reminder on why I want to elevate the human health experience. I’ve been crafting a way of organising health innovations; basically, thought-experiments to aid the design…

20-something’s career thoughts inspired by Love it or List it — When I was 6 I was anti-cartoons. You could not sit me down to watch anything on Nickelodeon. I would immediately dial channel 27, W-network, where I’d sit and watch Love it or List It. I was always on team Love it (team Hilary), aka, renovating houses. Nothing was more…

A list of very specific anecdotes that bring peace, excitement or rhythm to my life. Dishes, immediately, silently In the last 2 years I have made it a point to not do quick chores with music or tv. It’s my time to put in my presentness reps. Also, following the advice of “How…

To be happier and healthier — What you say influences more than what other people think of you. It influences what you think of yourself (including your mindset and motivations). These are your habits of mouth. ‘Linguistic reprogramming’ can be as simple as taking a negative statement and converting it to a positive one. Without changing…