Ottawa, Ontario — Monday July 20, 2026
The Electronic Health Information Laboratory (EHIL) at the CHEO Research Institute has received the 2026 Privacy and Human Rights Award, an international honour recognizing outstanding leadership in advancing privacy, data protection and fundamental human rights.
Presented through a collaboration between the Global Privacy Assembly, the leading forum bringing together international data protection and privacy authorities, and the global human rights group Access Now.
EHIL, founded and led by Dr. Khaled El Emam, Senior Scientist at the CHEO Research Institute, Canada Research Chair in Medical AI at the University of Ottawa, and Director of the Ottawa Medical Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (OMARI), is internationally recognized for developing privacy-enhancing technologies that enable the responsible use of health data for research, public health and artificial intelligence while protecting the privacy of individuals and communities.
The award was presented by Privacy Commissioner of Canada Philippe Dufresne in his role as Chair of the Global Privacy Assembly, alongside Dr. Alejandro Mayoral Baños, Co-Executive Director of Access Now, during a ceremony held at CHEO in Ottawa on July 20, 2026.
For more than two decades, EHIL has researched and developed technology to facilitate health data sharing, including synthetic data generation methods, de-identification methods and secure computation methods that support health data sharing for research, public health surveillance and analysis, and responsible AI development – without compromising privacy.
EHIL was nominated by the Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner Patricia Kosseim for the prestigious award, and representatives from Better Outcomes Registry Network (BORN) and the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) were at the ceremony to share the impact of EHIL’s research and technology on their organization’s work.
Quotes:
“My team and I are deeply honoured to receive this award. Data has enormous value in helping address serious societal challenges, particularly in healthcare. For more than 20 years, our lab has been developing practical ways to enable research, care and innovation through responsible, ethical and privacy-protective data use, so that people do not need to choose between the right to privacy and the right to health. We are grateful that this award recognizes the scientific work behind that effort, its contribution to privacy and human rights, and its practical impact through the methods, tools as well as spin-off technologies and companies that help organizations put responsible data use into practice globally.”
Dr. Khaled El Emam
Director, Electronic Health Information Laboratory (EHIL); Senior Scientist, CHEO Research Institute; Canada Research Chair in Medical AI, University of Ottawa; Director, Ottawa Medical Artificial Intelligence Research Institute (OMARI)
“We are proud to see the Electronic Health Information Laboratory recognized for its leadership in privacy-preserving health research. Their work demonstrates how innovation, public trust and responsible data use can come together to support research that improves health outcomes. This recognition is a testament to the team’s long-standing commitment to advancing discovery while protecting privacy and fundamental rights, ultimately helping to improve care and outcomes for children, youth and families.”
Dr. Jason Berman
CEO and Scientific Director of the CHEO Research Institute and Vice-President of Research at CHEO
“The Electronic Health Information Laboratory embodies Canadian leadership in privacy innovation. Privacy-enhancing technologies in healthcare help to drive trust in the use of artificial intelligence in this space and ensure that personal information is handled in a way that respects individuals’ fundamental right to privacy and the security of their data. EHIL’s work is an exceptional example of what happens when an organization innovates for privacy to support trust and enable research for the public good. Just as data can be used to fuel innovation, innovation can also be used to protect data. I encourage all organizations to seek to innovate for privacy today to build a trusted tomorrow.”
Philippe Dufresne
Privacy Commissioner of Canada
“As governments, researchers, and institutions increasingly rely on data to address global challenges, protecting privacy has never been more important. The Electronic Health Information Laboratory’s work demonstrates that privacy is not an obstacle to innovation, but rather a foundation for public trust, accountability, and protecting fundamental human rights. We are proud to recognize a team whose pioneering work is helping shape a future where technology serves people without compromising their fundamental human rights.”
Dr. Alejandro Mayoral Baños
Co-Executive Director, Access Now
About the CHEO Research Institute
The CHEO Research Institute is a global centre of excellence in pediatric research that connects talent and technology in pursuit of life-changing research for every child, youth, and family in the CHEO community and beyond. The CHEO Research Institute coordinates the research activities of CHEO and is affiliated with the University of Ottawa. At the CHEO Research Institute, discoveries inspire the best life for every child and youth. For more information, visit cheoresearch.ca.
This Announcement was originally published by the CHEO Research Institute: www.cheoresearch.ca/about-us/media/news/cheo-research-institutes-electronic-health-information-laboratory-receives-international-privacy-and-human-rights-award/
