Edmonton Metropolitan Region (Sept 23rd, 2025)— PainChek®, an Australian health technology company specializing in artificial intelligence (AI) assisted pain assessment solutions, has officially established its Canadian headquarters in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, marking the company’s entry into the North American market.
PainChek® developed the world’s first regulatory-cleared medical device that uses AI-driven facial recognition and smart automation to assess and score pain levels, particularly for non-verbal patients, like those living with dementia. This tool improves the quality of care, strengthens clinical decision-making, and supports caregivers in monitoring patients whose ability to self-report fluctuates over time.
With growing global demand and proven success in markets such as Australia and the United Kingdom, as well as more than 1,000 licenses already in place across Canada, PainChek® selected the Edmonton region as its base for North American expansion. Canadian clients are already using PainChek® seamlessly alongside existing clinical systems, including PointClickCare.
Edmonton-based clients include St. Michael’s Health Group and Sherwood Care, which have been using PainChek® to assess and manage pain in long-term care residents since 2023.
Tatsiana Haidukevich, Director, Resident Care at St. Michael’s Health Group, commented: “PainChek® represents best practice, something we pride ourselves on at St. Michael’s. We’re committed to giving the best quality of care to our residents, and tools like PainChek® help us to do this. Our nurses now feel better equipped, more empowered, and more thorough when conducting pain assessments.”
Kathy Fortunat, CEO at Sherwood Care, also shared: “PainChek® has transformed care in our home. It not only enhances the quality of life for residents living with dementia or who are non-verbal, but it also improves the work experience for our staff. The app makes assessments quick, accurate, and simple—moving us away from paper-based systems to a tool that’s both efficient and easy to use.”
In addition, the recent expansion of the programs at Bethany Seniors and Perley Health have successfully demonstrated the value of PainChek®. These programs highlighted improvements in clinical outcomes and ease of integration into existing workflows.
The region’s reputation as a hub for health innovation, along with its strengths in artificial intelligence, technology, and life sciences, made Edmonton the ideal location to anchor growth.
From its new headquarters, PainChek® will establish partnerships across healthcare and research sectors, while scaling its operations to meet rising demand across North America—further reinforcing the Edmonton region’s position as a leader in digital health innovation.
Quotes:
“Welcoming PainChek® to Edmonton is about more than investment — it is about people. Their technology will give a stronger voice to those who cannot always express their pain, improving care and dignity for patients and supporting the caregivers who work so hard every day. Edmonton is proud to be the place where this important work will grow and make a difference across North America.”
– Mayor Amarjeet Sohi
“This investment enhances our reputation as a place where business, research, and healthcare come together to make a global impact. The region is excited to see the impact this announcement brings.”
– Edmonton Global Shareholder Chair and Mayor of Morinville, Simon Boersma.
“Establishing our North American headquarters in Edmonton represents a significant step in PainChek’s global growth strategy. With more than 1,000 licenses already deployed in Canada, we are well positioned to expand our presence in this important market. Edmonton’s strengths in health innovation and technology provide the ideal environment for scaling our innovative pain assessment solution and building partnerships that will drive long-term impact across the care sector.”
– Philip Daffas, CEO & Managing Director, PainChek®
“Our expansion into Edmonton marks an exciting step forward in our mission to give a voice to those who cannot verbalise their pain. From this new headquarters, we’ll collaborate closely with key partners across North America to ensure more residents, patients and healthcare providers benefit from the accuracy, consistency and improved outcomes that PainChek® delivers. We look forward to building on our early success in Canada to scale our impact even further.”
– David Allsopp, Head of Business Development, North America, PainChek®
“PainChek’s decision to establish its Canadian headquarters in the Edmonton Metropolitan Region underscores the global strength of our innovation ecosystem. With expertise in artificial intelligence, life sciences, and healthcare delivery, the region is the ideal launchpad for North American growth. This investment will create highly skilled jobs and spark new collaborations between business, research, and healthcare providers, driving both economic and social impact across our communities.”
– Malcolm Bruce, CEO of Edmonton Global.
About PainChek
PainChek® is the world’s first regulatory-cleared medical device for the assessment of pain, enabling best-practice pain management for people living with pain in any environment – whether they can self-report, cannot, or fluctuate between the two. With over 12 million assessments conducted across 1,900+ facilities, PainChek® is trusted worldwide to support better care. Learn more at www.painchek.com
About Edmonton Global
The purpose of Edmonton Global is to radically transform and grow the economy of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region. We are a not-for-profit corporation founded by 14 municipalities that make up the Edmonton Metropolitan Region. Our focus is attracting foreign investment, helping regional businesses export to the world, enhancing our region’s global competitiveness, and bringing our region together with a unified voice to attract the attention and interest of investors the world over.