NEWS RELEASE
$2 million investment in digital innovations brings rehabilitation care closer to home for Albertans
EDMONTON, ALBERTA – February, 3, 2026 – Imagine using virtual reality to recover from stroke, and AI to help analyze athletic and orthopaedic injuries. These are the types of projects being accelerated by a $2 million investment by Alberta Innovates and the Glenrose Hospital Foundation through their Creating the Future of Rehabilitation Care program.
Phase 1 of the program sees four projects receiving up to $200,000 each, bringing new technology and treatment options to help Albertans in rural and remote communities with physical and cognitive disabilities live more independent, connected lives.
Each year, an estimated 10,000 Albertans travel from rural or remote communities to a major urban centre for specialized rehabilitation services. Accelerating development of these innovative digital and virtual technologies will transform both how rehabilitation care is delivered and how Albertans access it. The goal is to make high-quality, specialized care available closer to home, no matter where you live in Alberta.
Each project will advance and evaluate innovative care models over two years, helping bring rehabilitation care closer to home for Albertans while addressing key challenges such as long wait times and care fragmentation.
“These projects show how collaboration and specialized expertise can bring rehabilitation closer to every Albertan. By using technology to connect patients with the right care teams, we’re extending the Glenrose’s reach beyond its walls — delivering the same quality of rehabilitation to people in every corner of the province, helping them recover and rebuild their lives right where they live.” – Mark Korthuis, President and CEO, Glenrose Hospital Foundation
“All Albertans deserve access to the rehabilitative care they need to recover. The funding for this project will help reimagine what rehabilitation can look like for rural Albertans. Together with our partners, we’re advancing digital health solutions that improve care for Albertans and position our province as a leader in health technology innovation.” – Mike Mahon, Chief Executive Officer, Alberta Innovates
Projects include:
Reaching the Unreached
Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital and Tenzr
Leveraging Tenzr, a smartphone-based rehabilitation platform, to help stroke survivors complete therapy at home through movement sensors, biofeedback, and real-time clinician monitoring.
Redesigning Post-Stroke Spasticity Care
Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital and University of Alberta Rehabilitation Robotics Lab
Enabling remote assessment and management of post-stroke spasticity through virtual tools that enhance continuity of care and reduce the need for in-person visits.
STRIVE: Stroke Recovery with Virtual Reality
Foothills Medical Centre and Red Iron Labs
Applying immersive virtual reality and AI-guided therapy to bring stroke rehabilitation into patients’ homes, including new speech-language tools to increase therapy access.
Advancing Virtual Rehabilitation in Rural Clinics
University of Alberta Rehabilitation Robotics Lab, ZerOne Athleticare, and Kinetisense
Utilizing AI-powered motion capture technology to provide remote movement assessments for patients in rural communities.
“Support from Alberta Innovates and the Glenrose Hospital Foundation is helping us accelerate advancements in precision rehabilitation. Working alongside ZerOne Athleticare and Kinetisense Inc, we’re combining AI-based image analysis with our expertise in rehabilitation robotics and technology to create tools that will help make rehabilitation accessible to all Albertans, including those in rural and remote communities.” – Martin Ferguson-Pell, Ph.D., Director, Rehabilitation Robotics Laboratory, Professor, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta.
“Thanks to collaboration with Alberta Innovates and the Glenrose Hospital Foundation, we are able to bring stroke rehabilitation directly into patients’ homes through virtual reality and AI-guided therapy. Our aim is to ensure that every Albertan recovering from stroke can access expert care where it matters – in their homes” – Dr. Sean Dukelow, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Cumming School of Medicine, Calgary Stroke Program
“In partnership with Alberta Innovates and the Glenrose Hospital Foundation, we’re advancing digital innovation to better connect patients and specialists across Alberta. By applying a hub-and-spoke model for assessment and management, this work is expanding access to rehabilitation care and improving quality of life for people across the province.” – Lalith Satkunam, Professor, Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Alberta, Medical Lead, Spasticity Program for Adults, Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital
“Support from Alberta Innovates and the Glenrose Hospital Foundation is helping Tenzr advance digital rehabilitation technology that keeps clinicians connected with their patients across Alberta and enables safe, effective recovery for people in their own homes. This work is expanding access to rehabilitation care and improving quality of life for people across the province.” – Gautam Sadarangani, Co-Founder, President & COO at Tenzr Health
The Creating the Future of Rehabilitation Care program is a joint initiative between Alberta Innovates and the Glenrose Hospital Foundation through the Digital4Health Program. It provides funding and infrastructure for partners to test, evaluate, and scale digital rehabilitation technologies that improve access to care across the province.
These projects are redefining what rehabilitation looks like in Alberta. By combining clinical expertise with home-based and virtual care models, the Glenrose Hospital Foundation and Alberta Innovates are supporting solutions that make care more accessible and patient-centred for all Albertans.
About Alberta Innovates
Alberta Innovates is the province’s most comprehensive research and innovation agency. From funding to commercialization, we are Alberta’s innovation engine. We foster and accelerate research and innovation to benefit citizens and drive economic growth. Alberta Innovates works across sectors to fund, partner and enable entrepreneurship throughout the province. The corporation operates in 11 locations with more than one million square feet of industrial testing and lab facilities and 600 acres of farmland. Alberta Innovates employs 589 highly skilled scientists, business and technical professionals and has an annual operating budget of over $250 million. Learn more at albertainnovates.ca.
About the Glenrose Hospital Foundation
The Glenrose Hospital Foundation supports research, technology, equipment, and services that help patients at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital recover, relearn life skills, and rediscover their full potential. Through fundraising and collaboration, the Foundation drives innovations that improve care for families across Alberta and beyond.
Media Contacts
Priyanka Kunyk
Senior Manager, Communications & Engagement
Glenrose Hospital Foundation
[email protected]
Trevor Lynn
Senior Manager, Communications
Alberta Innovates
[email protected]
