News release: Privacy Commissioner of Canada presents global Privacy and Human Rights Award to Canadian health research lab

Privacy Commissioner of Canada presents global Privacy and Human Rights Award to Canadian health research lab

Privacy Commissioner of Canada Philippe Dufresne today presented the 2026 Privacy and Human Rights Award to a Canadian lab recognized around the world for its innovative work in prioritizing privacy in support of health research.

This year’s winner of the international award is the Electronic Health Information Laboratory (EHIL) at the CHEO Research Institute, a leading pediatric health research institute in Ottawa. EHIL is a world leader in privacy-enhancing technologies to support health research.

The Privacy and Human Rights Award recognizes outstanding leadership in privacy or data protection as well as other fundamental rights. It is 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.

Commissioner Dufresne presented the award in his role as Chair of the Global Privacy Assembly, joining Access Now Executive Director Alejandro Mayoral Baños for a ceremony held at CHEO.

Dr. Khaled El Emam, founder and Director of EHIL and Senior Scientist at the CHEO Research Institute, accepted the award on behalf of the laboratory. He and his team are internationally renowned for pioneering the development of privacy-enhancing technologies that support health data sharing for purposes such as research and public health surveillance and analysis, and responsible AI development – without compromising privacy.

Left to right: Patricia Kosseim, Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario; Philippe Dufresne, Privacy Commissioner of Canada and Chair of the Global Privacy Assembly; Dr. Khaled El Emam, founder and Director of EHIL and Senior Scientist at the CHEO Research Institute; and Access Now Executive Director Alejandro Mayoral Baños.