Hacking Health is designed to improve healthcare by inviting technology creators and healthcare professionals to collaborate on realistic, human-centric solutions to front-line problems. Cafés are informal meetups to discuss and debate digital health in your city, where people and ideas mingle.



We’re back with more healthcare and tech connections!



Daniel Penn is president and co-founder of Toronto's Shift Health. As a teenager, he was a competitive athlete representing Canada in ski racing. A series of injuries, operations and a significant concussion led him to experience the challenges of patient-provider communication. He has now founded a startup to address that problem.



Shift Health, an award winning startup working with their clients like Boston Children’s Hospital and CAMH, among others, to improve the patient experience and reduce barriers to effective clinical decision making with their flagship product TickiT. It improves outcomes by providing valuable insights into what patients think, and why they behave the way they do. Moving beyond the Quantified Self of patient-generated data from wearables, Shift Health’s unique data collection capabilities empower organizations to act upon the Qualified Self based on patient-reported data. With patients are partners, re-admission rates lower and clinical outcomes improve.



Sarah Drew from Every1Games will show how autistic children can improve their health by creating video games. Sarah graduated from Brock University in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts in digital humanities. She has been working with the autism community for more than 10 years and has collaborated with multiple game studios, assisting with production and business development.



Every1Games helps participants explore the inside of the video game industry in a low-anxiety and collaborative learning environment. The program builds valuable life skills through individual and team-based game development, social learning activities and networking guidance. Autism is experienced differently by everyone, and Every1Games empowers each participant to define what their diagnosis means to them and what they want to achieve. Upon completing the program, learners are equipped to accomplish what they most desire: meaningful employment and independence. Every1Games also works with game developers to facilitate low-anxiety beta testing for video games.



Take5 is about giving yourself the 5 minutes a day you deserve for your overall mental health. By just popping in your headphones and pressing play, Take5 allows users to turn any busy restaurant or crowed go bus into their own personal meditation oasis. Studies show that mindfulness meditation improves your work performance, and decreases your stress levels.



The app features a 30-day challenge that allows the user to ease into the practice of guided meditation. The user will start off with 5-minute meditation sessions and progress to longer session as they complete each challenge. The user will be able to schedule meditation sessions, receive reminders, and track their progress.



The app is beginning it's beta stage testing with students in and around McMaster University.



Join us! If you’re a healthcare practitioner, researcher, or a tech person in health, this is where you need to be.