Forensic nurses Nadia Weese and Gina Hovencamp (standing).Left to right: Drs. Glenio Mizubuti, Gregory Klar, Tracy Cupido.Photos via UHKF.

Discovery Den, an initiative by University Hospitals Kingston Foundation (UHKF), has awarded a total of $60,000 to two innovative projects that are designed to transform patient care and strengthen health services across southeastern Ontario.

The second annual Discovery Den took place on Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025, and saw groups of Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) health-care professionals pitch their ideas to a panel of five judges and a live audience at the University Club on Stuart Street, in an evening similar to the popular TV show Dragons’ Den, but with innovative health-care ideas instead of business proposals, according to a release from UHKF.

According to the release, the panel of judges featured Ryan (Sideshow) Lemmon, Greg Brown, Alicia Gordon, Tommy Hunter, and last-minute substitute, Keagan Davis-Burns. These judges were reportedly selected due to their passion for supporting health care and their various professional backgrounds, providing a realistic perspective on the proposed projects from the perspective of a Kingston community member.

“There were some amazing pitches tonight that were very innovative,” Lemmon said of the ingenuity happening inside Kingston’s hospitals.

“We talked about everything from alternate light technology to artificial intelligence. The work that these people at our hospitals are doing is absolutely amazing.”

This year’s two successful pitches—which were ultimately selected out of a field of 10 initial funding applications—focused on advancing forensic nursing through Alternate Light Source (ALS) technology and reducing barriers to chronic back-pain treatment through a groundbreaking bone-enhanced ultrasound system, according to the release.

The first funded project pitched by KHSC forensic nurses Nadia Weese and Gina Hovencamp will bring ALS technology to KHSC’s Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence program, UHKF detailed. ALS uses filtered light to reveal subtle bruising, patterned injuries, and biological fluids that cannot be seen with the naked eye. The technology is non-invasive, allowing for a more compassionate exam while also supporting survivors who delay reporting—since ALS can detect healing or faint injuries.

UHKF said that for survivors, the impact is twofold: having patients feel validated by providing evidence to prove their assault accusation, and stronger forensic evidence that will help lawyers and police better prosecute the perpetrator.

“We help turn victims into survivors,” said Weese.

“They come to us with a trauma. We help them rebuild their lives and put them on a journey towards healing as well as towards being able to fight whoever did this to them. So, we just feel really blessed to get this funding because we know we are able to do more for them.”

The second winning proposal aims to change how chronic low-back pain is treated, according to the release. Developed by anesthesiologists Dr. Tracy Cupido, Dr. Glenio Mizubuti, and Dr. Gregory Klar (in partnership with Dr. Tamas Ungi, Dr. Andras Lasso and Chris Yeung from the Perk Lab at the Queen’s University School of Computing), the bone-enhanced ultrasound (BEUS) system uses artificial intelligence to create real-time 3D spinal images.

UHKF detailed that this technology could one day replace fluoroscopy—an X-ray-based technique currently required for spinal injections—making procedures safer, faster and more accessible. BEUS would reportedly eliminate radiation exposure, reduce costs, and allow more providers (including those in rural and remote areas) to perform spine procedures.

“I’m grateful to have a supportive community who can come together and allow us to present in this really fun, exciting way and to connect with donors and help make this project happen,” said Dr. Cupido.

For Dr. Mizubuti, the long-term potential of BEUS extends far beyond Kingston.

“Once we get this product patented as a commercialized type of product, we believe that it could spread to literally the whole world. Not only in Kingston and across Canada.”

The team will now begin a human-trial phase involving patients at the Hotel Dieu Hospital site, comparing BEUS guidance to traditional fluoroscopy, UHKF stated.

The event was emceed by Emma Fitzgerald (YGK Healthcare Champions Executive Committee member) and Dr. Lawrence Hookey (Chair for the Division of Gastroenterology and the Medical Director of the Endoscopy Units at KHSC).

More details on the Discovery Den event are available on the UHKF website.