Health Futures

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

Pushing the pharmacy profession forward

by Milana Madzarac, School of Pharmacy

For people who have been taking multiple medications for years, or those taking medication which can cause withdrawal or rebound symptoms, the notion of deprescribing can be scary, even if it may improve their health and well-being.

Nasal-administered naloxone is cost-effective and could help reduce the number of opioid-related fatalities compared to the current publicly funded intramuscular version, a new study has found.

Since 2016, Canada's opioid crisis has worsened, with over 40,000 opioid-related deaths, or about 22 deaths per day. Most of these accidental deaths (88 per cent) occur in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.

Friday, April 5, 2024

Velocity Pitch Competition unveils top innovators

by Jordan Flemming, University Relations

The Winter 2024 Velocity Pitch Competition saw a big turnout, attracting more than 100 student applications from campus. Narrowing down from a competitive initial pool, 26 teams emerged to compete in the semi-finals, leading to the final showdown of eight standout finalists.

Thursday, April 4, 2024

Waterloo receives landmark $10 million donation to build prosperous future cities

by Darren McAlmont, University Relations

Thanks to a transformational $10 million donation from Caivan Group (Caivan), one of Canada’s leading real estate developers, co-founded by Waterloo alumni Frank Cairo (BES ’05) and Troy van Haastrecht (BASc ’93), the University has embarked on a bold new mission to create healthier, more prosperous cities with the launch of the Future Cities Institute founded by CAIVAN (FCI).  

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Leading minds join forces to future-proof cities

by University Relations

The University of Waterloo and Ontario land development and homebuilding company The Caivan Group (Caivan) are launching the Future Cities Institute (FCI) thanks to a transformational $10-million commitment from Caivan. The Institute will bring together some of the top minds in the country and provide the resources they need to tackle the greatest challenges facing urban spaces now, and in the future.

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Q and A with the experts: How to safely view an eclipse

by Media Relations

A total solar eclipse is a rare and special event. While the eclipse won’t be quite total in Waterloo Region, the deep partial eclipse will still be fascinating – and potentially damaging. Dr. Ralph Chou, professor emeritus in Optometry & Vision Science, is one of the world’s foremost experts on eclipse eye safety.

Why is the April 8 solar eclipse special for North America?

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

A decade of winning ideas

by Val Maloney, Faculty of Engineering

Twelve senior student teams from the Faculty of Engineering competed in this year’s Norman Esch Entrepreneurship Awards for Capstone Design, pitching their startup ideas to a panel of judges who distributed more than $110,000 in investment funding for the projects.

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Global health solution wins top prize at 31st Social Impact Showcase

by Angelica Marie Sanchez, University Relations

“GreenHouse, now in its 11th year of operation, has provided social innovation and entrepreneurship education to thousands of students, and has supported, through the Social Impact Fund, the development of 120 student-run social ventures — that’s a lot of positive impact, both for the students and for society as a whole,” said Richard Myers, principal at United College, during his opening remarks on March 27 at the GreenHouse 31st Social Impact Showcase.  

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Ontario government awards Waterloo researchers nearly $8M

by Media Relations

Four University of Waterloo researchers were awarded funding earlier this month from the Ontario government for innovative research that ranges from cleaning up arsenic-laden mine waste, treating potential virus outbreaks, and using artificial intelligence to protect valuable financial data.