TORONTO – BUSINESS – MCI Onehealth Technologies Inc. (“MCI”) (TSX: DRDR), a clinician-led healthcare technology company focused on increasing access to and quality of healthcare, has appointed Saleema Khimji as Chief Innovation Officer.
“Saleema’s appointment is the latest achievement in MCI’s aggressive track record of tangible innovation. Since the launch of MCI’s IPO in January 2021, Saleema has worked with MCI to define and shape its innovation strategy and help build the MCI ecosystem. I am thrilled that she has agreed to come onboard as our Chief Innovation Officer and to be part of our leadership team,” said Dr. Alexander Dobranowski, MD and CEO of MCI.
To date, MCI has acquired or partnered with: North America’s most advanced rare and specialty disease clinical intelligence platform; a Canadian-leading personalized and regenerative health provider with a genetics laboratory and executive health service; a leading edge genomic data and stem cell technology company who’s services are now available in MCI’s clinics; and a precision medicine company that is transforming genetic and clinical data into new insights for diagnosis and advanced therapeutics. Additionally, MCI has created novel service offerings for its more than 400 corporate clients; pioneered virtual connection to patients’ doctors through MCI Connect, MCI’s online patient experience platform; and, most recently, qualified for a federal innovation grant to fund initiatives in artificial intelligence (“AI”).
“MCI Onehealth exists to provide better patient outcomes through applied innovation – in processes, care pathways, health technology, clinical discoveries and in the mindset of the integrated care team that includes the patient at its center. With the seasoned and purpose-driven champion of innovation that we have in Saleema, disciplined, creative, meaningful innovation across all MCI business units and external collaborations will be amplified. Saleema’s proven expertise and experience in leading large-scale, complex and innovative projects around the globe will bring MCI to the forefront of cutting-edge innovation within the industry and undoubtedly influence the MCI Onehealth brand in the market, helping draw diverse, creative talent and partners to support our mission,” said Dobranowski.
Khimji brings a multidisciplinary range of skills, experience, and education to the MCI table, having studied at Dalhousie University, University of Windsor, University of Warwick and Cambridge University with a global career spanning multiple continents and disciplines. She has learned first-hand that the best innovations come from the cross-pollination of information and insights from diverse industries and people. Her ability to understand synergies across various cultures, verticals and geographies has made her a thought leader in the innovation space, allowing her to nurture and create unique partnerships and platforms for collaboration with ease. Khimji has “walked the walk” when it comes to patenting and nurturing technologies through the development life cycle, including as a co-inventor of sensor technology for counterfeit drug detection with the University of Oxford.
With her deep experience working with academic institutions and governments at all levels across the globe in advancing science and technology initiatives, her background in fundraising and partnerships in both the public and private sectors, as well as her legal background and IP expertise, Khimji will continue to build and expand MCI’s relationships with centers of academic and research excellence and will lead MCI’s research and development initiatives under the MCI Onehealth Labs umbrella. MCI Onehealth Labs is a business unit tasked with building a reliable and long-term pipeline of intellectual property and contributions to the growing body of clinical evidence that benefits MCI patients, advances medical research and can improve health systems in Canada and around the world. In direct support to MCI’s CEO, Khimji will help accelerate clinical, research and business opportunities with MCI’s current partners and subsidiaries, as well as pharmaceutical, medical device and life sciences companies, and medical technologies backed by AI.
“With the recent acceleration of digital and technological advancements in the healthcare sector overall, it is a critical time to ensure that innovation is translated in the right way so that it drives the development and delivery of quality, value-based care with tangible results for patients. Central to this “innovation translation” are the primary care doctors working on the ground, in the community, delivering care to their patients every day. MCI is building an ecosystem to enable just that: to strategically enhance its ecosystem of health services with a focus on putting patient-centered care and improved patient outcomes at the forefront, and to bring cutting-edge research developments and technologies into the clinic to directly impact patients at the primary point of care. Clinician-led innovation and research will not only be essential in shaping the future of healthcare delivery, but will be critical in generating real-world evidence and actionable insights that meaningfully contribute to the advancement of precision medicine. I’m honored and thrilled to be leading the charge in innovation for MCI and look forward to bringing my experience to the leadership team and the entire MCI ecosystem,” said Khimji.
While providing access to high-quality, accountable care to nearly one million patients each year, MCI continues to identify, prioritize, develop, and launch new products, services and business models that create positive health impact and investor value. Khimji’s appointment enables MCI to accelerate execution on its comprehensive precision health and technology roadmap, while supporting its long-term vision of building a data-driven, technology-enabled health services platform.
About MCI:
MCI is a healthcare technology company focused on empowering patients and doctors with advanced technologies to increase access, improve quality, and reduce healthcare costs. As part of the healthcare community for over 30 years, MCI operates one of Canada’s leading primary care networks with 25 clinics, serves over 850,000 patients annually and had over 200,000 telehealth visits last year. MCI additionally offers an expanding suite of occupational health service offerings that support a growing list of over 400 corporate customers. Led by a proven management team of doctors and experienced executives, MCI remains focused on executing a strategy centered around acquiring technology and health services that complement the company’s current roadmap.
