About Us
- Royal Columbian Hospital is a large tertiary care hospital located in one of Canada’s largest health authorities.
- Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation (RCHF) is a non-profit organization that supports RCH through public donations.
- RCHF is the largest external funder of research and innovation at RCH, and the Advancing Innovation in Medicine (AIM) Institute is its research and innovation division.
Our Vision
By assembling a skilled multidisciplinary research team and resourcing it well, the Advancing Innovation in Medicine (AIM) Institute will drive clinical solutions through the advancement of innovative medical technologies, academic research, and quality improvement initiatives, thereby accelerating significant improvements in patient care while increasing the productivity of healthcare systems.
Organizational Structure
Academic Research
The Academic Research Pillar serves as a “concierge” that connects academic research and clinical researchers, fostering collaboration and innovation. We specialize in assisting researchers in designing effective methodologies and protocols for their studies, thereby optimizing the quality and integrity of their research outcomes. Our goal is to foster research and develop our research community by supporting researchers at every level of training and knowledge. By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and knowledge exchange, we aim to drive cutting-edge research and medical innovation that transcends institutional boundaries.
Quality Improvement
The Quality Improvement Pillar is dedicated to building a robust quality improvement capacity within Royal Columbian Hospital. Specifically, the AIM Institute’s quality pillar focuses on “positive disruption” in how we deliver quality improvement by advocating for and implementing new structural changes to allow Quality Improvement to thrive. We strive to foster a culture of continuous improvement, where every staff member is empowered to contribute to enhancing patient care and outcomes. Supporting frontline teams is a key priority for us. We understand that frontline healthcare providers are at the forefront of patient care and possess invaluable insights. We offer resources, guidance, and collaboration opportunities to empower these teams to identify and implement quality improvement initiatives that directly impact patient outcomes. We aim to create a culture where frontline staff are actively engaged in driving positive change.
Commercial Innovation
The Commercial Innovation Pillar seeks to partner with medical device start-ups, inventors and clinicians with novel innovative devices or solutions. AIM will furnish its partners with a suite of valuable resources such as expert medical and business start-up advice, product trialling and, in some cases, investing. The benefits include obviating the need for substantial equity raise, increasing the likelihood of success by conducting a professional product trial and expediting the pathway to commercialization. AIM researchers will conduct patient trials to validate product value propositions. AIM will provide advice on enhancing the product based on its experience conducting the trial. Any profits derived from AIM investments and partnerships with an Innovation Company will be used to further the Foundation’s charitable goals.
Learn More
AIM Commercial Innovation Services
- Advice – Company guidance, especially in start-up mode, and clinical advice within a medical setting
- Trialing – Value Proposition validation through clinical trials resulting in high-quality proof
- Regulatory Approvals – Assistance in obtaining approvals leveraging our expertise and knowledge
- Patents – Utilize our experience and connections to protect Intellectual Property (IP)
- Minimum Viable Product (MVP) – Provide support to attain manufacturing capability, organization growth and customer acquisition
- 1st Customer Use – Provide best efforts so that RCH is the first customer due to its deep understanding of the product
- Scaling – Help with the commercialization of the product and adoption in the Healthcare System
AIM Commercial Partnership Criteria
- Focus – We wish to speak to opportunities in all medical related fields except pharmaceuticals. Our evaluation criteria are Expected Impacts on patient care and healthcare system productivity!
- Duration & Dollars – We target opportunities that (i) will be at the MVP stage within 4 years or less and (ii) need less than $3M in investment to achieve MVP status
- Trial Expectations – Based on research done by the Company to date, we expect that a product trial will have a positive validation of the Value Proposition
- People – We seek to partner with innovators who are passionate about their product, especially enhancing patient care as its purpose!
Meet the Team
Dr. Steve Reynolds, Executive Lead & Commercial Innovation Lead
Dr. Elizabeth Rohrs, Academic Research Lead
Dr. John Hwang, Quality Improvement Lead
Jeff Norris, RCHF President & CEO
Evita Mora Perea, RCHF Project Officer
Contact Us
We encourage visionaries, innovators, strategic partners and medical professionals to join the AIM Institute’s network and be part of a supportive community focused on medical innovation.
To learn more, please email us at info@rchfoundation.com.