Health eMatters

10/26/2025

And that’s a wrap!
What an incredible few days at the 5th annual Health eMatters conference in Toronto. As someone perfectly described it, it’s like summer camp for advocates. A place where passion, purpose, and connection come together in the best possible way.

This year, we celebrated powerful voices, shared meaningful stories, and strengthened the bonds that make this community so unique. The ideas and collaborations sparked here remind us how much we can achieve when we work together.

As we wrap up another unforgettable year, thank you to everyone who continues to show up, speak up, and lift others along the way. The Health eMatters community keeps growing stronger, and the impact continues to shine far beyond these few days.

10/03/2025

Sometimes, all it takes is one question to spark change.

At the 2023 Health eMatters Conference, lung cancer advocate Angus Pratt asked a simple yet powerful question to a pharmaceutical industry panel: “What are you doing for EDI in clinical trials?”

He had no idea that question would trigger a ripple effect across the collective.

Two years and three meetings later, that moment has evolved into a tangible initiative: the Phase 0 Project, now well on its way to becoming a real-world pilot in 2026.

This is the power of patient advocacy, cross-functional co-creation, and an unwavering commitment to finding a way, no matter what.

We are proud to present the Phase 0 Workshop Report, which outlines the collaborative design process behind a groundbreaking pre-clinical trial navigation service. This service is designed to help individuals and their healthcare teams reduce barriers to clinical trial participation.

A heartfelt thank you to Alvina Nadeem, ovarian cancer advocate, and to the esteemed committee members for leading and shaping this visionary workshop.

👉 Read the full report here:https://myeloma.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Conference_Report_Phase_0.pdf

And to Angus: stay curious, keep asking bold questions, and don’t stop poking the bear.

08/06/2025

🎥 Meet Clare Li: A Voice for Change in Cancer Advocacy

In this powerful video, Clare shares her story, not just as a cancer survivor, but as an advocate using her voice to spark change. As a member of the Health eMatters community, Clare embodies what it means to turn personal experience into collective impact.

Clare’s journey is a powerful example of how the personal advocate and professional at Air Canada can intersect in advocacy, drawing from lived experience while leveraging her skills, knowledge, and voice to influence meaningful change.

👉 Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdpVtsp20lE
(You’ll want to hear what she has to say.)

Clare is part of a growing network of Canadian advocates who are using platforms like Health eMatters to learn, connect, and amplify their message. Through storytelling, social media, and education, they’re making sure that patient voices are not just heard, but lead the conversation.

05/17/2025

3 days of ideas, skill building, and creative connections

An unforgettable gathering of minds determined to make a difference in the lives of those affected by cancer in Canada.

APPLY NOW to attend the 5th annual Health eMatters conference in Toronto! Visit https://healthematters.ca/ for more information and to apply.

At this pioneering event brought to you by Myeloma Canada, we’ll focus on building a stronger network of myeloma and other cancer advocates and empower you to connect with even more people affected by cancer. Through hands-on workshops and inspiring keynote speaker presentations, this conference will be an opportunity to improve your digital skills, broaden your reach, and strengthen your online voice.

05/01/2025

Now accepting applications for the 5th Annual Health eMatters Conference!

At this pioneering event powered by Myeloma Canada, we focus on building a stronger network of cancer advocates and empower you to connect with even more people affected by cancer. Through hands-on workshops and inspiring keynote speaker presentations, this conference is an opportunity to improve digital skills, broaden reach, and strengthen online voices.

This in-person event will be held in Toronto, this fall, to foster real life connections between cancer advocates.

For more information or to apply visit: https://healthematters.ca

01/28/2025

10/21/2024

Another incredibly inspiring meeting at the 4th annual Health eMatters Conference this past weekend in Toronto. Making deep connections, engaging in meaningful networking and learning new skills through impactful presentations made for a powerful 3 day event. The energy was high, and the engagement was supercharged, we can’t wait to watch what happens next with these powerhouse cancer advocates in the coming year!



Deep gratitude to our sponsors, , , , , , , , , , and for not only supporting the event, but for showing up, and being active participants on this journey.

10/16/2024

We are proud to present the full report from the April 2024 meeting, Health eMatters IMPACT: Promoting Equity Diversity and Inclusion in Clinical Trial Accruals, held in Toronto. Read full report here:https://support.myeloma.ca/site/DocServer/HeM_IMPACT_report_2024_1__1_.pdf

Without zeroing in on one specific community, situation, or disease type, the goals of the meeting were to:
1) take a bird’s eye approach to trial operations;
2) identify one to two process shortcomings that can have a negative impact on trial participation; and
3) workshop change management strategies through a design-thinking approach.

Ultimately, the findings from the meeting are intended to serve as a blueprint for a model project to integrate EDI in all institutions performing clinical trials and sponsors/researchers designing trials. As next steps, a follow up meeting entitled Phase 0 is scheduled to take place in March 2025. The goal of the next meeting will be to bring all key decision-makers to the table to workshop/design a clinical trial model in consideration of the Health eMatters IMPACT outcomes.

We would like to thank J&J Innovative Medicines, AbbVie, Pfizer and Bristol Myers Squibb for supporting this initiative and for their foresight and enthusiasm in exploring new ways to collaborate with patient advocates and multi-disciplinary partners to improve clinical trial practices in Canada, and beyond.

Thank you also to the esteemed speakers for providing fantastic perspectives and background information, the Health eMatters IMPACT steering committee (Yelak Biru, Alvina Nadeem, Judy Needham, and Dawn Richards), for helping to shape an impactful agenda, and to Alvina Nadeem for leading a successful HCD workshop with tangible outcomes.

Enjoy the read and looking forward to connecting with you on future collaborations!

06/03/2024

APPLY NOW! Now accepting applications for the 4th annual Health eMatters conference! Details at www.healthematters.ca .
Deadline to apply is June 30, 2024.