ICU Innovation
Dr. Sabira Valiani started shaking when she heard her name called as the successful grant recipient at the September 2025 Women Leading Philanthropy (WLP) meeting.
“It was incredible. It was one of the most incredible things that’s happened to me,” says Dr. Valiani a critical care physician at RUH.
Dr. Valiani’s project, Connect-ICU — Using Human-Centred Design to Transform Patient and Family-Centred Care in the ICU, aims to improve communication between health-care teams and patients and their families.
Receiving the $100,000 grant strengthened her resolve to make lasting changes for families and ICU staff alike.
“Our goal is to make everything easier,” says Dr. Valiani. She plans to complete the first phase of the project in year one — developing the evidence-based, locally customized communication toolkit — and move to testing its sustainability and impact in year two.
The project is a testament to what becomes possible when donors invest in innovation. WLP members are showing the power of philanthropy to drive real improvements in care, and for researchers like Dr. Valiani, that support means everything.
