Connected Health Cluster Advisory Board welcomes new members Janek Kapper and Ain Aaviksoo

The Advisory Board of the Connected Health Cluster underwent minor changes with Janek Kapper and Ain Aaviksoo joining the board. Janek will be representing the views of patients and Ain will represent businesses. The outgoing members of the Advisory Board are Priit Kruus and Siim Nahkur.

Janek Kapper’s role on the Advisory Board is to represent the interests of patients. Janek is a member of the Management Board of the Estonian Inflammatory Bowel Disease Association and also represents the Estonian Chamber of Disabled People in various working groups.

“I’ve often come to the realisation that the “voice” of patients is often not at all sufficiently and clearly represented,” said Janek of his reasons for joining the Advisory Board. “This is particularly true today with e-health, because at some point we are all patients, and most of the time it’s the patient’s information that is then used for research, innovation and commercial purposes. We can no longer afford the attitude of letting the doctor, pharmaceutical company or state agency speak for the patient, thinking they “know” what is best for the patient. To break this mentality, we must let patients have a say at the start of every project. Therefore, as a patient and a representative of a patient organisation, I would like to contribute more actively to these issues.”

Janek represents the Estonian Chamber of Disabled People in the following working groups: upTIS, the engagement process of health technologies and services, the eHealth governance framework project steering group, the working group for developing policies on medicinal products, EHDEN Ethics Advisory Board (EPF), European Patients Forum digital health work group, European Patients Forum Congress 2021 Programme Committee Member & Speaker at Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare.​

Ain Aaviksoo, co-founder and head of development of the HeBA clinic, will represent the perspective of businesses on the Advisory Board. Ain also advises Guardtime as Head of Health. His previous positions include the deputy secretary general on e-services and innovation at the Ministry of Social Affairs, head of Praxis think tank and consultant on international health innovation. His entrepreneurial experience includes founding Estonia’s first health portal inimene.ee and the medical magazine Lege Artis.

“Having contributed to the creation of the cluster as a state representative, I’d now like to actively contribute to the work of the cluster on the field, so to speak,” said Ain. “My daily work in building the HeBA clinic and its digital startup project HeBA.One, which helps everyone achieve good mental health, I increasingly understand the value of the cluster as a tool to enable the growth of start-ups and develop an environment for facilitating digital innovation in Estonia. I want to play my part in making the Connected Health Cluster the most attractive environment for new companies and ideas and the most influential partner for Estonian state agencies. Internationally, the cluster could also function as a primary gateway to Estonia’s health innovation ecosystem, whether for investors looking for new billion-dollar companies, for large corporations scouting out ideas or talent, or for similar networks who want to team up with Estonian companies.”

The Advisory Boards also includes Margus Jäger (Quretec), Triin Perkson (Estonian Association of General Practitioners), Peeter Ross (TalTech), Kalle Killar (Ministry of Social Affairs) and Kati Korm (Tartu University Hospital).