Health Tech Frontiers: From Discovery to Real-World Impact

NOTE: Register at: https://luma.com/eyx559im

## About this Event

Join us at the Toronto AI Practitioners Network for a special event exploring AI's transformative impact on biomedical science. We've invited three leading experts from both industry and academia to showcase cutting-edge applications of AI in healthcare, drug discovery, and medical research. Don't miss this unique opportunity to learn about the latest developments in AI-powered biomedicine and expand your network in Toronto's thriving AI community!

## Speakers

Yusuf Bismilla is the VP of Product at BenchSci, a neurosymbolic AI platform used by some of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies to unravel disease biology. He leads the full product suite, overseeing Product Management, Design, User Research, and Marketing. Prior to BenchSci, he was the Head of Product at Ocado on their cutting-edge robotics platform, with earlier product experience at Veeva and as a systems engineer at Synaptive Medical. Yusuf holds a BASc in Nanotechnology Engineering from the University of Waterloo and is currently based in Toronto. In his free time, he enjoys cooking, camping, and cycling.
Dr. James Hong is the Founder and CEO of Verismo Health and Verismo AI, organizations at the forefront of healthcare operations and artificial intelligence integration across Canada. He oversees a network of over 50 medical clinics across Ontario and leads the development of AI-driven platforms that optimize physician onboarding, patient flow, and EMR automation. In parallel with his entrepreneurial work, James serves as a Scientist at the University Health Network (UHN) and a Lecturer at the University of Toronto, where his research and teaching focus on neuroscience, regenerative medicine, and the intersection of AI and biomedical science. His academic work explores neuroregeneration, single-cell analytics, and translational applications of machine learning in clinical research. James’s multidisciplinary background spans healthcare management, artificial intelligence, and academic science—anchored by a mission to bridge technology and patient care. He is based in Toronto and remains passionate about scalable healthcare innovation, data ethics, and the future of human-AI collaboration in medicine.
Sanjana Basu is a Partner at Radical Ventures, the world's leading multi-stage AI-focused venture capital firm, currently investing out of a $550 million early-stage fund and an $800 million growth fund. In her role, she leads investments and portfolio coverage across cutting-edge AI companies, with board director positions at Ribbon AI, PocketHealth, and Ubenwa, and board observer roles at Latent Labs, Orbital Materials, Nabla Bio, and Attuned Intelligence. Her portfolio includes some of the most innovative AI companies globally, such as Cohere, Waabi, Hebbia, Writer, World Labs, and You.com. Prior to joining Radical Ventures in 2019, Sanjana earned her MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, where she founded GradStory, a digital media venture, and won the Tata Business Leader Award.
Denys Linkov is the Head of ML at Wisedocs, UofT lecturer and LinkedIn Learning Course Instructor. He's worked across the AI product stack, being hands-on building ML systems, managing product delivery teams, and working directly with customers on best practices. He's worked with 50+ enterprises in their conversational AI and Health tech journeys with perspective on how to go from prototype to production. At UofT he's taught both theoretical and hands-on courses, most recently creating a ML Engineering course for undergrads. His passion for teaching extends online as well, authoring 14 courses on LinkedInLearning including advanced courses on evaluations and the Financial side of AI. He's a stronger believer in mentorship and is excited to be joining the panel today.
Agenda

• 5:30 – 6:00 PM Networking as guests arrive
• 6:00 – 6:15 PM Welcome remarks, sponsor shout-outs, attendee intros
• 6:15 – 6:35 PM Speaker 1 talk (10–15 min) + Q&A (5 min)
• 6:35 – 6:55 PM Speaker 2 talk (10–15 min) + Q&A (5 min)
• 6:55 – 7:05 PM Short break and refreshments
• 7:05 – 7:10 PM Brief TAPNET introduction, Audience Engagement
• 7:10 – 7:30 PM Speaker 3 talk (10–15 min) + Q&A (5 min)
• 7:30 – 7:50 PM Speaker 4 talk (10–15 min) + Q&A (5 min)
• 7:50 – 8:30 PM Open networking

Who Should Attend?
AI Practitioners who are:

• Technologists
• Researchers
• Product leaders
• Founders
• Investors

## Sponsors

RBC Borealis (https://www.borealisai.com/)
Osler (https://www.osler.com/)

## About US

Toronto AI Practitioners Network (TAPNET) is founded in 2024. We are created to provide high-quality content and networking opportunities for AI practitioners located in Toronto.
Currently we have a couple hundreds of active members and have successfully hosted three in-person events in the last year.
​​​Follow us on: LinkedIn , Meetup or Luma.
Past Events Photo