In 1975, Digital Health Canada was founded. In that same year, Microsoft was created, the first portable video camera hit the market, and the Altair 8800—often credited as the spark that ignited the personal computer revolution—was turning heads with its flashing lights and 256 bytes of memory.
There were no smartphones, no internet, and a “cloud” was just something in the sky. In hospitals and clinics across Canada, health records were stored in filing cabinets, and faxes were still years away from being a standard tool. Imagine trying to explain AI or EHRs to someone while they were lining up to see Jaws in theatres or listening to “Bohemian Rhapsody” on vinyl.
It’s in that world—pre-digital, pre-connected, and very pre-cloud—that Digital Health Canada was born.
And now, 50 years later, we’ve grown into a vibrant national community of 7,800+ members leading the digital transformation of health in Canada.
As we mark this milestone, we’re launching a year-long celebration around the theme: Celebrate today. Create tomorrow.
This is more than an anniversary—it’s a chance to reflect on how far we’ve come and to rally around what’s possible in the next 50 years.
A Year of #DHC50 Activities
It will be a year-round celebration and we want you to be a big part of it! Here’s what you can look forward to:
🔹 e-Health 2025 Conference (June 1-3) will be the cornerstone of our celebrations, featuring:
- A tribute to our Past Presidents
- A timeline (including photos) of 50 years of digital health milestones
- Opportunities to share your favourite stories, old photos, thoughts for the future
- A 50th anniversary photo booth!
Visit the e-Health website here >
🔹 Our Digital Health in Canada podcast is launching a special anniversary season with the same great format you love and some new ‘bonus’ podcasts thrown in.
🔹 Canadian Healthcare Technology Magazine will carry a special anniversary series throughout the year, spotlighting key moments and voices in our history.
Visit Canadian Healthcare Technology here >
Join the Celebration — Get Involved!
We want this celebration to be shaped by you — the people who’ve built, advanced, and championed digital health in Canada:
- 📸 Share your memories — Dig up those old conference photos, post a story from your early days in digital health, and tag us using #DigitalHealthCanada50 or #DHC50
- 🎥 Record a short video, alone or with your team wishing us a happy 50th — whether it’s heartfelt, humorous, or visionary, we’ll share them on our channels
- 📩 Use our digital celebration items — including banners and email signatures — to mark the occasion in your networks (LINK)
Throughout 2025, we’ll continue to celebrate our members, volunteers, and leaders who have helped us go from filing cabinets to cloud-based care, from floppy disks to FHIR, and from paper forms to predictive AI.
This milestone is not just a look back—it’s a launching pad for the next wave of transformation.
Thank you for being part of our story. Let’s make 2025 a year to remember.
Let’s celebrate today. And let’s create tomorrow.
Happy 50th, Digital Health Canada!
Sincerely,
Shelagh Maloney
CHIEF Executive Officer,
Digital Health Canada