We are thrilled to share the success of our 2025 Health Innovation Challenge. This year’s challenge brought together 40 talented students from 19 different programs from six faculties across Humber and Guelph-Humber as Humber Health Innovators, to create concepts for community-based, culturally sensitive, and family-focused programs to enhance the positive mental well-being of immigrant and refugee families in Peel Region. 

This year, our student teams gained real world experience by working with mentors from five different community organizations, and we extend a heartfelt thank you to our mentors from Peel Newcomer Strategy Group, COSTI Immigrant Services, Roots Community Services, Punjabi Community Health Services, and Family Services of Peel, for guiding the Humber Health Innovator teams through this project. Many thanks as well to Dr. Blanca Bolea-Almanac, Psychiatrist and Scientist, Women's College Hospital for providing her time and insights to the teams as they developed their program concepts.

We heard from our inspiring keynote speaker, Aamna Ashraf, Senior Manager of Health Equity at CAMH, whose insights set a motivating tone for the day, and our community partner Dr. Cilia Mejia-Lancheros, Institute for Better Health - Trillium Health Partners, whose expertise and guidance was instrumental in shaping the students' projects. Dr. Mejia-Lancheros shared the performance of a Colombian Cumbia Traditional Dance, adding a vibrant touch to the event and showcasing the rich diversity within our community and our connection to the land. 

The highlight of the day was the live pitches by the student teams, where they presented their program concepts to the audience. Their hard work and dedication were evident as their presentations generated strong engagement from the audience.

This year’s Health Innovation Challenge not only provided a platform for Humber students to showcase their innovative ideas but also emphasized the importance of cross faculty and inter- disciplinary work in solving complex problems such as accessibility of mental health supports for newcomers in an inclusive way. Through this innovative project and many such more, CIHW is creating a healthier tomorrow for all!

Do you have an innovative idea or know of an industry partner who wants ot engage in applied research in health and innovation? Connect and email us at vanita.varma@humber.ca.