Kunal Parikh

Activist

Kunal Parikh is a transformative leader whose journey from physician to digital health strategist reflects his commitment to improving the healthcare landscape. After practicing medicine in India for three years, he realized digital health could amplify his impact beyond individual patient care. This realization fueled his transition into healthcare technology, where he now drives systemic improvements in patient safety, caregiver support, and digital innovation. Over the past six years, Kunal has led aging and caregiving initiatives that have transformed healthcare delivery. As the first employee at a startup, he helped scale the company from a Minimum Viable Product to a commercial platform with 40 employees, reaching 12,000 unpaid caregivers across North America. He managed over 70 clients, integrating digital health solutions into aging programs, reducing caregiver burnout by 12%, and improving skills and confidence by 20%. His efforts elevated client retention to 95% and contributed to measurable reductions in hospital visits. Kunal’s scoping review on virtual caregiver training programs revealed a critical insight—most caregivers do not recognize themselves as such. This gap led him to develop a framework for senior-serving organizations to enhance caregiver recognition, representation, and inclusion. His expertise culminated in a TEDx talk, “Did You Know You Are A Caregiver?”, where he advocated for systemic change in supporting caregivers. His dedication to advancing aging and caregiving research was recognized during his Master’s program in Aging and Health at Queen’s University, where he received the Award of Excellence for his outstanding contributions. Building on this, Kunal designed “The Anatomy of an Ideal Caregiver Intervention”, a workshop for age-tech companies to develop sustainable and impactful caregiver programs. The workshop is based on four essential domains: Wellness, Psychoeducation, Health Promotion, and Community, ensuring interventions address both practical skills and holistic well-being. Kunal co-authored the white paper, “The Digitally Empowered Patient”, as part of a Community of Action under Digital Health Canada. The paper investigates barriers and enablers in patient access to digital health, providing key insights to guide healthcare transformation and policy discussions. As a Professor and mentor at Algonquin College, Kunal teaches courses such as Health Data Standards, Digital Health Project Management, and Systems Analysis and Design. His industry expertise ensures students gain practical knowledge and critical skills to thrive in digital health innovation. Kunal has contributed to caregiver support initiatives as a volunteer with the Ontario Caregiver Organization, where he developed an evaluation plan for the “90Second Caregiver” program, projected to reduce caregiver time-to-value by 15%. Currently, as a Senior Systems Analyst at The Ottawa Hospital, he collaborates with the Patient and Family Advisory Council to align digital transformation with patient and caregiver needs. He resides in a Naturally Occurring Retirement Community, further reflecting his deep commitment to understanding and enhancing the lives of older adults. Kunal aims to drive systemic change in caregiving, digital health, and policy by advocating for inclusive, technology-driven solutions. Kunal is committed to shifting the focus of healthcare from being solely patient-centered to one that fully integrates and supports caregivers.

age-tech, caregiving, program design, program evaluation, project management, social justice, systems design and analysis