OROT launches new space to turn promising ideas into practical healthcare solutions

Collaboration facilitated between healthcare professionals and private entrepreneurs

Great ideas that can be transformed into practical healthcare solutions have a new place to call home at the JGH.

The bright, airy and fully renovated space on the second floor of Pavilion A was recently inaugurated as the nerve centre of OROT, the Connected Health Innovation Hub of CIUSSS West-Central Montreal.

Dr. Lawrence Rosenberg, President and CEO of CIUSSS West-Central Montreal, addresses the audience at the launch of OROT’s new premises in Pavilion A. (Click any photo to enlarge it.)

This is where strategies are developed to make health care and social services function more quickly, more effectively and more efficiently, with an emphasis on meeting the needs of users and their families.

The new space will serve as what Dr. Lawrence Rosenberg, the CIUSSS’s President and CEO, described as a unique hybrid of a laboratory, a hothouse and an artist’s studio. “This is where ideas will come to life,” he announced at the March 27 launch.

So crucial is the role of OROT that it is designated as one of the pillars of Care Everywhere, the CIUSSS’s user-based approach to care, which strives to achieve the right outcomes by providing the right care at the right time in the location that is the safest, most appropriate and most convenient for users.

Why do OROT’s activities matter so much? “Because the quest for improvement and innovation is vital to the well-being of any major organization,” Dr. Rosenberg told the audience.

Erin Cook, Interim Director of OROT, describes the considerable potential of the Connected Health Innovation Hub to continue making improvements to the quality of care.

“The moment we stop asking, ‘How can we do this faster, more easily and more effectively?’ is the moment we open the door to complacency and indifference.”

The new facility, in the former premises of the Health Sciences Library, is known as a “co-creation space”, since creative collaboration takes place among a broad range of experts, including healthcare professionals, data scientists and private entrepreneurs in technology and industry.

As has been the case since OROT’s launch in 2021, team members are contacted by clinical and non-clinical CIUSSS staff who identify situations where the quality of care can be improved, whether in the delivery of care or in other areas that have an impact on care.

In some instances, these CIUSSS employees also try to get the ball rolling by suggesting the type of solution that might be implemented to achieve the upgrade in the quality of care.

Ms. Cook, who is the CIUSSS’s Director of Quality, Transformation, Evaluation, Value, Clinical and Organizational Ethics, and Virtual Care, added that OROT “empowers our teams to envision the future of health care by co-creating it here.”

Danina Kapetanovic (standing), former Director of OROT, moderates a panel on innovation in health care.

The advantage of this cooperative approach is that private entrepreneurs are not left to work in a vacuum, Ms. Cook explained. With OROT’s support, the developers maintain regular contact with healthcare experts throughout the co-creation process to ensure that the projects are relevant to the practical, everyday needs of users and staff.

That’s the route that led to the development of the award-winning Braver app, which has enhanced communication between staff and the parents of 170 students at the Philip E. Layton and Mackay Centre Schools.

In a panel discussion, Emily Lecker, Manager of Rehabilitation in Specialized Schools at the Lethbridge-Layton-Mackay Rehabilitation Centre, said that after she and her colleagues initially identified certain communication difficulties, they “weren’t sure where to begin” in trying to rectify them.

Ms. Kapetanovic, who left the CIUSSS earlier this year to pursue new opportunities elsewhere, returned to participate in the grand opening.

“Founding OROT was born out of a belief that innovation in health care should be bold, human-centred and grounded in real collaboration,” she said. “To see this lab—now the crown jewel of OROT—come to life is incredibly meaningful. It’s more than a space; it’s a signal that our mission is alive, growing and making an impact.”

For Joanna Baraniewska, OROT’s Operations Manager, the new facilities are “the perfect environment to explore, invite people in, encourage them to express themselves, and make things happen.

“To meet the changing needs of our users, we have to think differently about health care, and this is the ideal place to do it. This is where we take the time to really think problems through and work our way toward the best possible solutions.”

The new faces at OROT

These are the experts at OROT who are helping to improve the quality of care throughout CIUSSS West-Central Montreal. In a collaborative environment, they identify areas where improvement is needed and then support the development of practical solutions that benefit users and their families.

Vanessa Fhima, Legal Advisor

Ms. Fhima is a seasoned attorney with a diverse legal career spanning more than two decades.

Called to the bar in 1999, she began her practice in criminal law before making the transition to family law and, later, commercial litigation.

She then served as in-house counsel for an e-commerce company, followed by roles in the non-profit sector—first, with a community organization and, later, with a non-profit organization focused on political engagement.

Currently, Ms. Fhima works as a legal consultant, specializing in health, privacy and innovation law.

Joanna Baraniewska, Operations Manager—Healthcare Leadership | Operations Management | Strategic Innovation

Ms. Baraniewska combines dental expertise and management skills from the private and public sectors. She holds a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree from the University of Montreal and ran her own clinic for five years.

Ms. Baraniewska then joined the Montreal Regional Public Health Department, overseeing infection control and emergency health response. She is currently studying business administration at HEC Montréal.

Antoine Beauchesne, Co-creation Lead—UX/UI (User Experience, User Interface) Design | Co-Creation | Human-Centered Innovation

Mr. Beauchesne blends design, technology and collaboration to drive innovation in health care. With a background in multimedia and the development of virtual reality, he applies his expertise to tackle system challenges at OROT.

A passionate learner and facilitator, he ensures that every voice is valued in the co-design process. Rooted in empathy and creativity, Mr. Beauchesne transforms complexity into meaningful solutions.

Lorena García Girón, Senior UX (User Experience) Designer—Creative Strategy | Storytelling | Inclusive Innovation

Passionate about participatory design and storytelling, Ms. García Girón thrives at the intersection of design, strategy and social impact.

With more than 18 years in UX, branding and facilitation, she creates inclusive spaces where collaboration blossoms into innovation.

Active in creative communities in Montreal and internationally, she speaks four languages and bridges disciplines and cultures to bring ideas to life and simplify complexity.

François Cormier, UX (User Experience) Designer—UX Design | Healthcare Innovation | User Experience

Mr. Cormier combines industrial design and UX to create simpler, more intuitive experiences for users.

With a background in aviation and custom packaging, he has made a transition into health care UX, blending strategic thinking with technological innovation.

Always curious about AI applications in health care, he designs human-centred solutions.