Vancouver, BC (January 20, 2026) – The Terry Fox Research Institute (TFRI) is delighted to announce the appointment of the national director for the Digital Health & Discovery Platform (DHDP) effective Monday, January 19. An innovative entrepreneur and business and strategic leader, Josip Maras brings over 15 years’ experience within the health technology, wellness, and business development sectors in Canada to this new role.
“In joining TFRI as DHDP national director Josip steps in at a particularly exciting and defining time in the development of this uniquely Canadian data-sharing Platform that is being built for users by users to accelerate development of precision medicine for patients through big data and AI,” noted Dr. Jim Woodgett, TFRI’s president and scientific director. “Josip’s experience, knowledge and charismatic enthusiasm will help us now and going forward in our work to plan, build, collaborate and sustain the Platform’s operation into the future.”
“I’m thrilled to join TFRI, first because of the legacy of Terry Fox and everything he stands for to Canadians, in particular patients and their families,” says Maras. “Secondly, this DHDP initiative is, by far, one of the most promising data-sharing and AI initiatives under way in Canada today. It is wonderful to have the opportunity to contribute to the development of Canada’s knowledge economy and also help to shape and transform the future of health care for patients by accelerating precision medicine.”
Maras was founder and CEO of KōCH Platform Technologies and director of business development and product at Myant, both located in Toronto. (Myant is currently a DHDP technology partner.) His familiarity with agile methodologies and user-centric UI/UX design, and skills in med-tech product design, regulatory integration and launch are ideal for introducing and socializing the DHDP within the healthcare and AI data-sharing digital health ecosystem in Canadian precision medicine research.
He has a strong track record of building and scaling ventures, leading cross-functional teams, and executing complex initiatives that drive sustainable growth and innovation. He is committed to improving health outcomes through collaborative leadership, evidence-based solutions, and long-term value creation.
Maras holds a Bachelor of Human Kinetics from Trinity Western University, completed his undergraduate studies in economics in the US and has been actively involved in community health initiatives as a former board member at North York General Hospital in Toronto.
Maras joins the DHDP at an exciting time in Platform development; this last year saw unprecedented growth with the release of two full versions into sandbox user testing. The project team is currently onboarding project teams from the Digital Health Innovation Fund RFA, where around 89 partners including small- to medium-sized enterprises and healthcare and academic institutes from across Canada join in collaboration on data discovery, preparation and analysis through the data sharing platform. The funding awardees will be announced in late February and Maras will play a pivotal leadership and entrepreneurial role as these projects and new partnerships evolve and transform in the coming year and beyond. He’ll be based in Vancouver initially and then Toronto.
All of these efforts will be focused on the establishment of a high-quality, first- class product that provides Platform users and contributors with a data-sharing access and use experience that advances precision medicine in Canada and contributes to the improvement of patient survival and quality of life.
About TFRI: Terry Fox Research Institute (TFRI), established in 2007, invests in world-class, collaborative cancer research teams and partnerships. Together with its research and funding partners, TFRI is working to inspire the transformation of cancer research in Canada by bringing together leading cancer research and treatment organizations from coast to coast and empowering them under the framework of the Marathon of Hope Cancer Centres Network.
About DHDP: The Digital Health & Discovery Platform (DHDP) is a pan-Canadian initiative led by the Terry Fox Research Institute, with a funding allocation of $49 million through the Government of Canada's Innovation, Science, Economic, and Development fund. Please visit the following link for more details on the DHDP and our Digital Health Innovation Fund. Focused on improving health outcomes for Canadians by bringing together health researchers, AI and data scientists and industry partners to advance precision medicine—the Digital Health Innovation Fund supports collaboration in secure health data sharing to accelerate research in precision medicine.
For more information, please contact:
Amanda Maxwell
Communications Specialist, DHDP
Terry Fox Research Institute
(778) 652-2590
amaxwell@tfri.ca