WiDS @ University of Calgary

The Centre for Health Informatics, the Schulich School of Engineering and the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Calgary are proud to host the Women in Data Science (WiDS) 2021 Conference.

WiDS aims to inspire and educate data scientists, regardless of gender, by showcasing work done by women in the field. All genders are encouraged to attend! This event is free and virtual! This year, you can choose between 2 streams of content:

• Health Data Science
• Engineering/Computer Data Science

Our local event will be held concurrently with the Stanford WiDS Livestream on March 8th.

• Local and streamed Keynote Speakers
• Interactive Poster Presentations*
• Networking Event
• Free access to stream from WiDS Stanford (https://www.widsconference.org/)

Scroll down to see our detailed agenda!

*Female-identifying data scientists of all levels are encouraged to submit an abstract by March 3, 2021 (email us at [email protected]), you will get a chance to present at our interactive poster session and win prizes! (you can participate as a gender-mixed team if your presenter identifies as a female)

8:45-9 am OPENING REMARKS, Dr. Cathy Eastwood, Operations Manager, Centre for Health Informatics

Health Data Science Stream (Morning)

9 -10 am, Nicole Janssen, Co-CEO, Alta ML, Rapid Development: How Applied Artificial Intelligence is Transforming Business

10 -10:45 am, Tara Whitten, Data Scientist, Alberta Health Services, A neuroscientist explores data

11-12 pm, Caitrin Armstrong, CTO, Aifred Health, AI in Healthcare - Deep Learning for Precision Psychiatry

Engineering and Computer Science Stream (Morning)

9-10 am, Svetlana Yanushkevich, Professor, Dept of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Calgary, Chair of the Biometric Taskforce in the IEEE Computational Intelligence Society, How was your summer (research)?

10-10:45 am, Denise Man, Chief Technology Officer at ATB Financial, Leadership roles in the Digital Revolution Era

Common Session, 12 - 1 pm, Interactive Poster Session, wonder.me

Health Data Science Stream (Afternoon)

1-1:30 pm, Laura Gutierrez Funderburk, Data Scientist, Cybera, The Unfair Dice Problem: using data science to teach kids the impact of social disadvantages

1:30 - 2 pm, Panel: Laura Gutierrez Funderburk, Data Scientist, Cybera; Preethi Kumar, Developer, Cybera; Tatiana Melshko, Data Scientist, Cybera; Moderator: Meagan Hampel, Vice-President, External Relations, Cybera, Fostering a workspace that encourages women data scientists

3-4 pm, Danielle Southern, Senior Researcher, Centre for Health Informatics and Christine Friedenreich, Division Head, Dept of Oncology, University of Calgary, Informing Decision Makers’ COVID-19 Pandemic Response with Data Science

Engineering and Computer Science Stream (Afternoon)

1-1:45 pm, Emma Towlson, Computer Sciences, University of Calgary, Network Neuroscience: How Graph theory and Network Science help us understand brain structure and function

2-2:45 pm, Taraneh Khazaei, National AI Lead at Microsoft, Responsible AI: What, Why, and How

2:45-3:30 pm, Ann Barcomb, Assistant Professor, Dept of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Calgary, Developing effective software by understanding diversity in users

Common Session, 4-4:45 pm, Interactive Mentoring and Networking Session, wonder.me

Closing Remarks and Prizes, 4:45 pm - 5 pm

Event Venue

Online