Symposium
INSPIRE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
Integrating Pathogens Surveillance Networks
MaRCH
27, 2026
Alumni Auditorium – CAW Center, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada
A day to showcase INSPIRE’s research and discuss safeguarding Canada’s supply chain resiliency and pathogen surveillance capacity at the Canada-U.S. border. Our keynote lecture, titled “Advancing Innovation using Hospital Data” will be presented by Dr. Fahad Razak at 5:00 PM
Register for the Research Symposium by Monday, March 2, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.
Register for the Keynote Lecture with Dr. Fahad Razak by Wednesday, March 25, at 11:59 p.m.
Keynote Lecture
Dr. Fahad Razak
Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Data and Analytics at the University of Toronto; Internist at St Michael’s Hospital (Unity Health Toronto)
Advancing Innovation Using Hospital Data
Rapid digitization of the health system over the past decade means that routine patient encounters now generate hundreds of thousands to millions of data points. Harnessing this data at scale will drive a range of innovations from artificial intelligence to large pragmatic trials, and be critical for the health system respond to health crises and environmental pressures. The global ecosystem for innovation around health data is rapidly evolving, and it is essential that Canada remains competitive. This lecture will consider Canada’s opportunity for global leadership in health data innovation, and discuss why that is an imperative for the healthcare system, the economy, and for sovereignty.
Workshop Topics
- Cross-Border Trade & Policy
- Hospital Supply Chains
- Pathogen Surveillance
- Detection Technologies
Agenda at a Glace
Friday, March 27
- INSPIRE Training Network Focused Morning
- 8:30 a.m. Registration & Light Breakfast
- 9:30 a.m. Mentor/Mentee in-person meetings and breakfast
- 10:30 a.m. Communication and Psychological Safety in the Workplace through an EDI Lens
- Dr. Kendall Soucie, Mahshid Soleimani and Makayla Quinn
- Research Symposium
- 11:30 a.m. Networking Lunch
- 12:30 p.m. Welcome by INSPIRE Directors
- 12:45 p.m. Flash Talks by INSPIRE Trainees
- 1:45 p.m. Break
- 2:00 p.m. INSPIRE Work Group Overviews
- 3:50 p.m. Break
- 4:00 p.m. Poster Session
- 4:50 p.m. Break
- 5:00 p.m. Keynote Lecture: Advancing Innovation Using Hospital Data
- Dr. Fahad Razak
Suggested Accommodations
- Caesars Windsor
- 377 Riverside Drive East, Windsor, Ontario, N9A 7H7
Host Organizations
GLIER
For over 40 years, the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (GLIER) has stood at the forefront of academic research addressing the Great Lakes and their watersheds. GLIER has played a pivotal role in shaping the management, restoration, and protection of the Great Lakes by addressing environmental factors exacerbated by human influence and climate change to Safeguard Healthy Great Lakes.
INSPIRE
A multidisciplinary initiative led by GLIER that addresses critical vulnerabilities exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our goal is to establish a resilient and proactive biothreat surveillance network targeting critical border regions between Canada and the United States. The network will be enhanced through the development of technology that allows faster and more accurate pathogen detection from environmental samples. The work will inform cross-border trade and mobility policies, ensuring preparedness for future pandemics and emerging health threats.
WE-SPARK Health Institute
WE-SPARK Health Institute is an innovative partnership between Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, St. Clair College, University of Windsor, Windsor Regional Hospital, and Erie Shores HealthCare that brings together health research strengths, expertise, and infrastructure from across the Windsor-Essex region. We are establishing research pipelines to address pressing health issues, advancing discovery, innovation and technology, training and promoting excellence among our health professionals and engaging our community.