Interview with Heather Chalmers, President and Chief Executive Officer for GE Canada

You are the President and CEO, GE Canada; President, GE Healthcare Canada. Could you give us a little glimpse of your background before becoming the President and CEO?

First, it is my pleasure and honour to be part of the discussion today. Nuclear medicine is critical to the efficacy of our healthcare systems in Canada and this will help raise the awareness of its value in improving the lives of patients. For those who may not be aware, GE in Canada is focused on the Energy Transition, Precision Healthcare, and the Future of Flight. A Chemical engineer by training, I’ve had the privilege of working for GE for over 26 years in our former Plastics business, Healthcare, and now as CEO of GE. Our goal is to invent technologies and solutions that help transform lives. It’s a pretty special company

What have been the three most important changes that you have seen in the field of Nuclear Medicine over the last five years?

Normally we talk about technology first, but Covid has exposed the fragility of our incredible health human resources. With that in mind, I’m going to start on the changes that help make their lives easier.

1- Greater focus on Operator Workflow. Nuclear Medicine has long depended on its operators to deliver quality care to patients. But as healthcare systems ask more of them, our equipment must also take some of the work off their plate. Especially important within Nuclear Medicine where we have hybrid scanners, incorporating SPECT or PET functional imaging with CT anatomical imaging in one system, and one exam. The technology incorporated in the systems today make it possible for clinical teams to image more patients, more effectively, and provide a more comfortable, patient focused environment.

2- Digital Detector Technology in PET and SPECT. The advancement in Digital Detector Technology with today’s PET/CT and SPECT/CT systems are being widely adopted in Canada. Analog equipment is more vulnerable to noise, and in Nuclear Medicine imaging, noise typically requires more time or more dose to ensure good image Today’s digital based scanners are reducing exam times for higher throughput and departmental productivity. This helps to reduce wait times and increases access to critical diagnostic procedures to more patients. Today’s scanners can also increase diagnostic confidence and help enable physicians to see disease earlier and more accurately.

3- Artificial Intelligence – Our customers are some of the most talented clinicians in the world, but everyone benefits from a helping hand. AI is being incorporated into almost every step of the imaging process. AI based tools help ensure optimized and consistent protocoling and patient positioning for faster procedures and more consistent They improve the quality and diagnostic accuracy of the image data. Complex processing and time- consuming data analysis can now be done in moments, significantly expanding the scope of what’s possible with “routine” imaging.

How and in what extent has GE been involved in this evolution of Nuclear Medicine

We are proud to share that GE has been an innovator in many of the advances that clinicians have demanded in Nuclear Medicine for many years, and that continues today.

• Introduced Hybrid Imaging over 20 years ago by adding CT to our functional imaging scanners (SPECT/CT and PET/CT). Hybrid imaging helps increase diagnostic confidence with accurate anatomical localization of the functional data from SPECT and PET.
• First to bring Digital CZT (Cadmium Zinc Telluride) detector technology to general purpose Nuclear Medicine systems, enabling exceptional resolution, which is an important factor in helping physicians detect diseases at an earlier stage.
• GE is taking a comprehensive, wing to wing approach in supporting Molecular Medicine. The relationship between radiochemistry (imaging agents) and Nuclear Medicine technology is As new agents are developed, technology needs to evolve to support their full potential.
• GE Healthcare contributes to every aspect of the Molecular Imaging pathway. This allows us to recognize and invest in key areas for innovation much earlier and throughout the entire chain.

How do you see the field of Nuclear Medicine evolving during the next five years and what could be the contribution of GE? 

• The initial phase of leveraging innovation is typically focused on doing what we’ve done before, but better and We’re excited to see the transition beginning to the next phase, where people are exploring new frontiers on not only detecting disease but treating it more effectively.
• Theranostics, the use of Nuclear Medicine to diagnose, monitor, and treat disease, will be an exciting place to be for years to come and we look forward to collaborating with innovative clinicians to help advance patient care in this and other
• GE is involved in many areas that help bring the promise of Theranostics to routine clinical practice– Hardware and software development, AI and Deep Learning based innovations, in every aspect of Radiopharmaceutical development and production, imaging technologies, and advanced data analytics.

As President and CEO, what is your greatest wish for the specialty of Nuclear Medicine?

• Advancements in Nuclear Medicine are driven by the latest radiopharmaceutical innovations in combination with the technology advancements discussed earlier. Unfortunately, many of the radiopharmaceutical innovations do not make it past the research applications to routine commercialization or patient access, mainly due to a challenging reimbursement landscape.
• GE Healthcare has a rich pipeline in molecular However, there is a risk that access will be delayed if the reimbursement models do not account for the investments in innovations.
• DaTscanTM ([123I]ioflupane) is one of our most recent examples. A radiopharmaceutical product which demonstrates its value in helping neurologists better differentiate between Parkinsonian Syndrome and essential tremor across a subset of patients with complex or unclear clinical presentations. There are inequalities to accessing this exam across the provinces and territories in Canada, with some regions making the exam available and then those that limit or do not offer the exam at all, despite clinical demand from the referring community.
• My wish for the nuclear medicine community is to have unhindered access to approved radiopharmaceuticals, as it not only offers a clear pathway to early diagnosis and patient management, but also the significant potential to further elevate the value of nuclear medicine across the medical field.
• And finally, circling back to my first point about human healthcare resources, we need the best and brightest minds going into Nuclear Medicine. Anything we can do to raise awareness and encourage new students to enter this field will have a direct impact on the lives of patients in Canada.

Heather Chalmers is the President and Chief Executive Officer for GE Canada, and President for GE Healthcare Canada. The world’s foremost Digital Industrial company, GE Canada has produced industrial solutions for over 129 years and employs thousands of Canadians across multiple sectors.

Heather Chalmers is passionately committed to leading businesses that consistently deliver Canadian innovation and outcomes to customers in Canada and globally.

As of 2018, Heather leads GE Canada as they work to serve customer needs in the Aviation, Healthcare, Power and Renewable Energy Sectors. She heads GE businesses that partner with business and government leaders to reposition the Canadian economy for the future with a focus on climate change, digital, AI and Additive Manufacturing.

Throughout her extensive 25-year career with GE, Heather has consistently developed and led high performing teams that are industry leaders in bringing innovative technology and digital solutions to solve complex challenges in both Canadian and global markets.

Heather first joined GE Plastics where she took on multiple commercial roles. In 2007 she took a leadership role at GE Healthcare and was promoted to President of the Healthcare business in 2014.

She holds a Chemical Engineering degree from Queens University, an MBA from the Rotman School of Business and is a director on the C.D. Howe Institute Board, Business Council of Canada Board, Ontario Brain Institute Board and St. Elizabeth Health Foundation Board. She is also member of the Rotman School of Management’s Healthcare and Life Sciences Advisory Council and is part of the GTA United Way Cabinet and former Director of the Medtech Canada Board.