Brief description of the organization
Waterloo Regional Health Network (WRHN) is a newly integrated health system serving the Waterloo Region. WRHN is focused on advancing high-quality, accessible, and sustainable care through system integration, innovation, and the adoption of emerging technologies including artificial intelligence.
Problem area
WRHN is advancing enterprise AI adoption but currently lacks a standardized, scalable intake and governance process for AI initiatives. AI-related opportunities are emerging across clinical, operational, digital, and vendor channels without a consistent mechanism for intake, prioritization, and lifecycle oversight.
Students will explore how to design a practical, health-system-appropriate intake and governance model that enables disciplined decision-making while supporting timely innovation.
Main objectives
- Design a structured AI intake process for a large health system
- Define required inputs for decision-making (clinical, data, financial, operational)
- Develop a governance workflow from intake through lifecycle oversight
- Map how AI governance integrates with existing hospital governance structures
- Ensure the model is practical, scalable, and usable in real-world conditions
Scope of work
- Conduct literature review on AI governance in healthcare and comparable sectors
- Benchmark leading organizations and governance models
- Map current-state workflows at WRHN (informal and formal)
- Co-design intake templates and governance workflows
- Develop a visual governance flow and decision pathway
- Test the model using real or simulated AI initiatives
- Refine based on feedback from stakeholders
Deliverables
- Report
- Presentation
- New protocols/processes
- Resources
Team meeting frequency
Weekly.
Skills and training required
- Research and analytical skills
- Systems thinking and process design
- Stakeholder engagement
- Health systems knowledge (preferred but not required)
- Data literacy
Resources required
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Access to stakeholders for interviews
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Standard productivity tools
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Optional: Miro, Figma, or process mapping tools
NDA or a commercialization agreement for this project?
Yes