Monday, June 15 | 8:00 – 9:45 a.m. ADT | Halifax Convention Centre – Convention Hall Level
Opening Ceremonies
Kick-start your e-Health26 experience here! Meet up with old friends or find yourself sitting beside someone new and make a connection. The Opening Ceremonies set the tone for two days of learning, positive energy, networking, and commitment to digital health.
Monday Opening Plenary: When Humans and AI Thrive Together – Redefining Care with Empathy and Innovation
In a period of rapid technological change, how will our historically fragmented systems adapt to create connection, compassion, and innovation? Amid an ongoing health human resource crisis, there is an urgent need for holistic, integrated approaches that put patients first while supporting those who care for them.
The e-Health26 Monday Opening Plenary session explores how humans and AI can thrive together, with AI serving as an enabler, that augments human capacity, improves coordination across the continuum of care, and fosters better outcomes for both patients and providers. By combining technological intelligence with human empathy, we can reimagine service delivery, optimize capacity, and cultivate a more resilient and fulfilled healthcare workforce.
Drawing on national and global expertise, the panel will share insights, opinions and lessons learned to help shape a more connected, innovative, and compassionate future of care.
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Opening Ceremonies and Opening Plenary Sponsored Accenture
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Conference Emcee
Rachel Gillespie, Senior Consultant and Strategic Advisor, Mariner Innovations
Rachel Gillespie is a Senior Consultant and Strategic Advisor with Mariner Innovations, working at the intersection of digital health and complex transformation. She has led major initiatives across provincial health systems, post-secondary modernization, and national corporate organizations, advancing accessibility and broader public sector reform. Her work centres on organizational readiness, human-centred design, and the creation of the conditions for sustainable change.
Rachel holds a Master of Arts in Strategic Communications and Leadership, grounding her approach in clear communication, thoughtful engagement, and a strong commitment to the human experience within complex systems. She is also a public speaker and writer with a particular interest in how proximity, empathy, and design shape better outcomes.
Based in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Rachel brings clarity, warmth, and strategic curiosity to her role as Emcee for e-Health26, guiding audiences through the conversations shaping the future of digital health and connecting each dialogue back to what matters most: people, purpose, and better care through better systems.
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Guest Speaker
Honourable Michelle Thompson, Minister of Health and Wellness, Nova Scotia House of Assembly, Government of Nova Scotia
The Honourable Michelle Thompson was first elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly as MLA for Antigonish in 2021, and was appointed Minister of Health and Wellness. She is the Minister responsible for the office of Healthcare Professionals Recruitment and Healthcare Redevelopment.
Michelle has been a Registered Nurse for 34 years, working both on the frontlines as a care provider and in leadership roles. Prior to becoming MLA, Michelle was CEO at RK MacDonald Nursing Home in Antigonish, was President of the Continuing Care Association of Nova Scotia, taught nursing part-time at St Francis Xavier University, and has served as a part-time therapist for a non-profit organization. Michelle extensively engages with her community through her previous involvement as a board member of the Antigonish Celtics Soccer Club, the PHAST swim team, L’Arche, and Arts Health Antigonish.
A female leader, community volunteer, and mother of three, Michelle and her husband Darren have called Antigonish home for over 25 years.
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Moderator
Jimmy Yang, Managing Director-Canada Health Industry and Portfolio Lead, Accenture
Jimmy Yang is a Managing Director at Accenture and the firm’s Canadian Health Industry Leader. He serves on Accenture’s Global Health Strategy Council and Global Health Leadership Council.
Jimmy leads Accenture’s Canada health practice, overseeing strategy, technology, data and AI, and design across a national team. His work spans hospitals, governments, life sciences, and private health organizations, focusing on digital health transformation, new models of care, and AI-enabled modernization.
A trusted advisor and thought leader, Jimmy works closely with healthcare executives across Canada and regularly speaks at major forums such as HIMSS and e-Health. He has authored national thought leadership on digitally enabled care and future health system models.
Jimmy is an Adjunct Professor at the Schulich School of Business, serves on the Advisory Board of the Krembil Centre for Health Management and Leadership, and was named Digital Health Canada’s 2024 Digital Health Executive of the Year.
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Panelist
Dr. Tej Shah, Managing Director, Accenture
Tej Shah currently serves as Global Medical Lead and Managing Director for Accenture, where he delivers clinical operations and health administrative services for major North American health insurers and health systems. In this role, he oversees utilization management, prior authorization, appeals and care management operations, with a focus on reducing administrative burden while improving outcomes, member experience, and clinician well‑being.
Tej’s career spans frontline emergency medicine, global strategy consulting, corporate strategy, venture investing, and operating leadership. He began his career as an emergency physician before joining McKinsey & Company, where he advised health insurers, biopharma, and leading private equity clients. At Merck, he helped shape corporate portfolio strategy, including a multi ‑line emergency medicine, global strategy consulting, corporate strategy, venture investing, and operating leadership. He began his career as an emergency physician before joining McKinsey & Company, where he advised health insurers, biopharma, and leading private equity clients. At Merck, he helped shape corporate portfolio strategy, including a multibillion-dollar divestiture of noncore assets and early investments in ‑core assets and early investments in immunooncology‑oncology and digital health.
In the technology and innovation space, Tej led digital health strategy for Samsung, developing a healthcare investment thesis for a multi billion ‑dollar corporate venture fund and later, co‑founding an AI‑enabled care management platform focused on patient engagement and adherence. He has negotiated and managed partnerships across health systems, payers, pharmaceutical companies, retail pharmacy chains, and technology firms, and has worked extensively at the intersection of workforce resilience, health equity, population health, and technology enabled‑enabled care delivery.
Tej is a frequent advisor and speaker to boards, C-s‑suites, and policymakers on topics including workforce health and well‑being, value-based care, healthcare AI, and the future of integrated care across ambulatory, virtual, and ‑based care, healthcare AI, and the future of integrated care across ambulatory, virtual, and at home‑home settings. He holds a medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and studied economics and biochemistry at Boston University.
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Panelist
Karen Oldfield, Interim President & CEO, Nova Scotia Health
Since September 2021, Karen Oldfield has served as Interim President and CEO of Nova Scotia Health. Her tenure has been marked by action and measurable results, including the creation of the West Bedford Transitional Health Centre — a first-of-its-kind facility in Atlantic Canada designed to help patients transition from hospital to home while freeing up acute care beds through an innovative partnership with Shannex Inc. Opening in December 2024, West Bedford has saved 14,000 patient days from acute care units (as of July 1, 2025).
More recently, Nova Scotia Health reported significant improvements in surgical wait times, with the Canadian Institute for Health Information recognizing the province for leading progress nationally. These results reflect the success of a re-focused provincial strategy and collaborative system redesign under Karen’s leadership.
Her vision for the future of healthcare in Nova Scotia is data-driven, prioritizing innovation, efficiency, sustainability, and long-term system resilience.
Prior to joining Nova Scotia Health, Karen served for 18 years as President and CEO of the Halifax Port Authority, where she led record growth in trade, infrastructure investment, and economic impact.
In recognition of her leadership and contributions to business and public service, Karen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Commerce from Saint Mary’s University in May 2022. She credits her accomplishments to a strong sense of purpose — and the unwavering support of her daughter, Laura — who reminds her every day why it matters to “get things done.”
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Panelist
Dr. Andy Smith, President and CEO, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Since 2017, Dr. Andy Smith has served as President and CEO of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, where he leads more than 12,000 staff, physicians, researchers, and learners, and oversees an annual budget exceeding $1.7 billion. Prior to this role, Dr. Smith served as Sunnybrook’s Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Executive.
With a long-established career as a surgeon and recognized leader in the management of colorectal cancer, Dr. Smith is deeply committed to improving healthcare delivery. He has been actively involved in quality improvement initiatives across Ontario and has a strong interest in healthcare leadership, innovation, and the evolution of Canada’s healthcare system.
Dr. Smith serves on the Board of Directors for ORNGE, Public Health Ontario, HealthCareCAN, and Toronto Innovation Acceleration Partners. He is also an active member and past chair of the Toronto Academic Health Sciences Network.
