On October 17th, Accelerate Okanagan will be hosting the inaugural Hacking Health event. This one-day hackathon will be facilitated by Rocky Ozaki and his team at NoW of Work Inc. A local group of out-of-the-box thinkers who are motivated to build the future of health will be introduced to a problem statement provided by BC Cancer and from there will form groups and get hacking. 

The NoW of Work has developed an extremely powerful methodology for generating ideas and prototypes that can come alive in a matter of hours using a process called design thinking. This experience is all about learning to create an innovative mindset. The hacking process looks something like this:

This inaugural Hacking Health event would not be possible without the support of community partners like OKGNtech all-star QHR technologies and thought leaders like Okanagan College. 

 QHR Technologies started with the idea that healthcare could be better, and that technology was the key. Their mission, to unite Canadian healthcare, is powered by technology solutions that work to do more. It’s about better communication pathways that bring patients and healthcare professionals closer together. 

It’s also about technology that creates more efficient interactions and changes the fundamental nature of how we provide and receive healthcare. But most importantly, it’s about people and technology working together to make healthcare, and the quality of life that comes with it, better for Canadians.  

Okanagan College encourages open collaboration and the discovery of unique solutions through the application and critical analysis of new ideas. Their goal is to develop global citizenship in their community—becoming a leader in economic, cultural and intellectual growth. Okanagan College looks to collaborate with all our partners to anticipate and meet the needs of that growing community.

Accelerate Okanagan and Okanagan College have a joint Innovation Fund designed to build innovation capacity and connect Students, faculty and staff with the booming technology sector here in the OKanagan. Projects supported through this fund are not about one day or one business but about a rippling community impact and continued connection. We believe this inaugural Hacking Health event will accomplish just that!  

This day-long, bootcamp style experience will teach participants the basics of human-centered design thinking and challenge them to build in real-time. The day will wrap up with a healthy dose of happy hour, and a chance to watch the hackers pitch, and cheer on the panel of judges whose impossible task it will be to choose a winner. Winner takes all… the glory. 

Hacking Health is part of a larger event series called The Future of Health, a forum focused on cancer care we’re hosting in partnership with BC Cancer, Interior Health, and UBC Okanagan.

Want to get involved? 

Watch the pitched live and join us for a healthy dose of happy hour >> 

Save a seat and learn more about innovation in cancer care at The Future of Health >>