News release
Privacy Commissioner of Canada presents global Privacy and Human Rights Award to Canadian health research lab
July 20, 2026 – Ottawa, Ontario
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.
Quotes
“The Electronic Health Information Laboratory at the CHEO Research Institute embodies Canadian leadership in privacy innovation. Privacy-enhancing technologies in healthcare help to drive trust in the use of artificial intelligence in this space and ensure that personal information is handled in a way that respects individuals’ fundamental right to privacy and the security of their data. EHIL’s work is an exceptional example of what happens when an organization innovates for privacy to support trust and enable research for the public good. Just as data can be used to fuel innovation, innovation can also be used to protect data. I encourage all organizations to seek to innovate for privacy today to build a trusted tomorrow.”
Philippe Dufresne
Privacy Commissioner of Canada and Chair of the Global Privacy Assembly
“As governments, researchers, and institutions increasingly rely on data to address global challenges, protecting privacy has never been more important. The Electronic Health Information Laboratory’s work demonstrates that privacy is not an obstacle to innovation, but rather a foundation for public trust, accountability, and protecting fundamental human rights. We are proud to recognize a team whose pioneering work is helping shape a future where technology serves people without compromising their fundamental human rights.”
Alejandro Mayoral Baños
Executive Director, Access Now
“My team and I are deeply honoured to receive this award. Data has enormous value in helping address serious societal challenges, particularly in healthcare. For more than 20 years, our lab has been developing practical ways to enable research, care and innovation through responsible, ethical and privacy-protective data use, so that people do not need to choose between the right to privacy and the right to health. We are grateful that this award recognizes the scientific work behind that effort, its contribution to privacy and human rights, and its practical impact through the methods, tools as well as spin-off technologies and companies that help organizations put responsible data use into practice globally.”
Dr. Khaled El Emam
Director of EHIL and Senior Scientist at the CHEO Research Institute and Canada Research Chair in Medical AI at the University of Ottawa
Related links
- Remarks by the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at the presentation of the 2026 Privacy and Human Rights Award
- Global Privacy Assembly and Access Now joint news release
- CHEO news release
- Electronic Health Information Laboratory (EHIL)
Media contacts
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
communications@priv.gc.ca
CHEO Research Institute and EHIL
communicationscheori@cheo.on.ca
Access Now
Press@accessnow.org
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