Across St. Joseph’s Health System, innovation is how we move ideas into action. It lives in all of our clinicians, researchers, staff, learners and patients. What makes it unstoppable is the support behind it – the St. Joe’s Innovation team enables our people from the earliest stages of ideation through to adoption, helping turn great discoveries into real-world solutions that improve care, operations, and outcomes.
We enable our teams to create, test, and spread new ways to care across the continuum. Whether it’s a new tool, a better process, or a bold idea, we’re here to help our community bring it to life. We’ve built pathways to guide ideas, challenges and opportunities into the right channels, connecting people with the supports they need to move innovation forward.
Our legacy of innovation began in 1852, when the Sisters of St. Joseph arrived in Hamilton to respond to a devastating cholera outbreak. Their compassion and ingenuity laid the foundation for what would become one of Canada’s most innovative healthcare institutions. From launching nursing education to pioneering respiratory devices and robotic-assisted surgeries, we’ve been shaping the future of care for generations.
Today, we continue to build on that legacy, investing in people, partnerships, and platforms that make innovation possible. At St. Joe’s, innovation is unstoppable because it’s part of who we are, and where we’re going.
Our Strategy: INNOVATE TOGETHER
We want to hear from our System community. Your ideas matter, and we’re here to help make them happen.
Reach out to innovation@stjoes.ca or visit our website to learn more: stjoes.ca/innovation.
Innovation is our Legacy
1852
The Sisters of St. Joseph arrive in Hamilton, responding to a devastating cholera outbreak. Their work plants the seeds for what will become one of Canada's most innovative healthcare institutions.
1911
A formal nursing school begins operation at the hospital, advancing education in care delivery.
1965
St. Joe's becomes the first hospital in Hamilton to affiliate with McMaster's new medical school, strengthening its role in research, innovation and education.
1978
The Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health (FIRH) – a clinical and research centre – is established at St. Joe's. By the early 80s, Firestone scientists develop the AeroChamber, improving effectiveness of inhaled medication delivery and becoming a globally adopted device.
2003
St. Joe's participates in a pioneering cross-hospital robotic-assisted surgery, connecting surgeons across vast distances.
2017
St. Joe's becomes the first academic health sciences centre in Canada to fully onboard the Epic EMR system, revolutionizing patient information management.
2020
St. Joe's first robotic-assisted knee replacement in orthopaedics and the first robotic lung resection position our Hospital as a leader in minimally invasive precision surgery.
