U of T President Melanie A. Woodin invites you to join fellow U of T alumni founders, investors and operators for an evening celebrating U of T's leadership at the intersection of health and AI innovation.  

Across U of T, new ventures in health and AI are accelerating discoveries, transforming care and redefining what’s possible. But who are the bold thinkers behind these breakthroughs and what are they building next? 

Join us for a dynamic evening of startup spotlights, fast-pitch demos and idea exchange with the entrepreneurs, researchers and investors pushing the boundaries of AI today. 

A networking mixer will follow. Reserve your spot now to hear the insights and frontline perspectives you won’t find anywhere else. 

Event Highlights

Be the change: Creating a healthier world through innovation and entrepreneurship

Join us for a keynote by U of T alumnus Dr. Kamran Khan (MD 1996), founder and CEO of BlueDot – a globally recognized infectious disease intelligence provider. Dr. Khan will discuss: 

• Emerging health system demands, economic constraints and technological opportunities 
• His personal experience launching and running BlueDot 
• Unlocking Canadian potential to scale impact through innovation and entrepreneurship 

Dr. Kamran Khan (MD 1996)

Professor, Temerty Medicine | BlueDot Founder & CEO | Physician-Scientist, Unity Health Toronto

Dr. Kamran Khan is an infectious disease physician and scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital and a Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Motivated by his experiences during the 2003 Toronto SARS epidemic, Dr. Khan has been conducting research on global epidemics for over two decades, publishing landmark studies in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Lancet, Science and Nature.

To translate and disseminate scientific knowledge into timely action during public health emergencies, Dr. Khan founded BlueDot, a global infectious disease intelligence company that helps governments and multinational enterprises strengthen their readiness and resilience to emerging biological threats. BlueDot’s work has been featured in global forums from CNN to BBC World and has been featured twice on CBS’ 60 Minutes, most recently in their April 2025 segment on H5N1. Dr. Khan received a Governor General’s Award for his work transcending clinical medicine, public health, big data, and artificial intelligence and was recently elected as a Fellow to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. In 2021 he was appointed as an inaugural Temerty Health Nexus Chair in Innovation and Technology at the University of Toronto.

Pitches by three of U of T’s hottest startups

Jon French, Director, U of T Entrepreneurship, leads with an overview of U of T's vibrant health innovation ecosystem, followed by pitches from three dynamic, scaling U of T ventures that are harnessing the power of AI to create innovative solutions. Founders of all companies will be available during the networking mixer.

ProteinQure is a clinical-stage biotech company pioneering the design of novel peptide therapeutics using artificial intelligence and atomic-level simulations. Our proprietary platform, ProteinStudio™, enables tissue-specific drug delivery using peptides and has been validated with several top pharmaceutical companies. Their lead program, PQ203, is an AI-designed peptide-drug conjugate currently in Phase I clinical trials for advanced solid tumors in the U.S. and Canada.

MedEssist transforms local pharmacies into technology-enabled medical clinics. The platform enables patients to access diagnostics, clinical assessments, and prescriptions in under 15 minutes without requiring pharmacies to hire additional staff.

With 90% of Americans living within five miles of a pharmacy, the opportunity to expand access to affordable care is enormous. They have recently launched in the U.S., empowering pharmacists to treat conditions such as UTIs, cold sores, pink eye, and more for the first time ever. In Canada, more than 700 pharmacies nationwide use their technology and AI platform to treat over 50 medical conditions.

16 Bit develops AI software medical devices that turn existing medical images into new opportunities for preventive care. Its flagship product, Rho™, is the world’s first regulatory-approved opportunistic screening system for osteoporosis from routine X-rays, licensed in Canada, the United States (FDA De Novo), Australia, and Singapore.

Networking Mixer

Stay for a reception with fellow alumni, entrepreneurs, startups, business leaders, investors and community partners. Food and drinks will be provided!

Don't miss out on the chance to connect with these five additional startups at the networking mixer!