Two Calgary youth have won an award for their efforts to provide reliable health information for those that could be relying on sources of misinformation.<\/p>\n
Kamran Shukoor, a youth changemaker and last year\u2019s mayor for a day, won the youth innovation award Friday for a health literacy project he created with co-founder Ibrahim Tariq.<\/p>\n
The MediUnite Journal aims to boost health literacy by publishing articles written by local authors, often medical professionals or people who have experienced a medical issue first-hand. Articles are then edited and peer-reviewed by a team of medical professionals and distributed locally.<\/p>\n
The journal has been distributed in 13 countries, and has more than 300 volunteers globally since it was founded in 2020.<\/p>\n
Shukoor and Tariq\u2019s journal is a regional winner in the Entrepreneurship and Technology category for the Ingenious+ awards, presented Friday at the University of Calgary, which celebrate young Canadian innovators and provide them with tools to further develop their projects.<\/p>\n
Regional winners are awarded $1,000, as well as an opportunity for mentorship through the Rideau Hall Foundation. A national finalist is chosen from each region, receiving an additional $1,000. National winners in each of five categories, to be announced next month, are awarded $10,000.<\/p>\n
Shukoor said the win came with a \u201cmix of emotions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile I\u2019m honoured, it\u2019s definitely a reminder that there\u2019s more work to be done,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are people who are willing to put money behind it. There are people who are willing to support it, support youth. It\u2019s more of a testament to the fact that this journey is about all of us, and that there\u2019s a real need for this type of project.\u201d<\/p>\n
The project was born out of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Shukoor noticed a lack of information \u2014 and notable misinformation \u2014 being spread.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn 2020, I read this report \u2014 it was called Saving Lives, Spending Less, and it\u2019s by the WHO,\u201d he said. \u201cThey basically say that for every $1 that you give to preventing premature death by disease, you save about $7 in treatment. So, as the name suggests, you can save more lives and spend less, just by restructuring your approach to health care.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another catalyst for the project, he said, was the death of his grandmother, which he attributed to medical negligence.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer death was very preventable had there been some basic medical literacy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The journal has grown considerably, particularly in the past year, and Shukoor said the prize money will help continue that growth.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of our operations are just volunteer-based, and so that doesn\u2019t require much cost. The main factor that we\u2019ve spent money on is printing and distribution,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Though the project has seen great success in other countries, he and Tariq plan to focus the next phase of expansion within Canada, particularly in rural communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cI read that one in five Canadians don\u2019t have access to a family doctor,\u201d he said. \u201cI think because they don\u2019t have that access to medical information that they might need, and it\u2019s not always accessible, then they turn to social media, the internet, AI.\u201d<\/p>\n
With access to misinformation on the rise, he said, there\u2019s an increasing need for accessible and reliable information.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of questions surrounding AI, its dependence, its accuracy in health care, what role it plays in health care, et cetera,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile we may have more access to medical information, better access to health care, we still see that need.\u201d<\/p>\n