“chest pain for 3 days…”“shortness of breath……”“history of asthma…”“started 2 weeks ago…”“worse with exertion…”“swelling in ankles…”“no prior episodes…”“taking metformin…”“back pain at night…”“vision blurry lately…”“fatigue lately…”“lost 10 lbs…”“headache for 2 days…”“no known allergies…”“blood pressure high…”“stomach ache after eating…”“knee pain on the stairs…”“trouble sleeping…”“occasional dizziness…”“ankle swelling…”“stress at work…”“rash on left arm…”“ringing in the ears…”“no fever…”“joint stiffness…”“tingling fingers…”“dry cough…”“feeling anxious…”

Our Company

Building the intelligence layer for healthcare.

We believe every healthcare interaction should generate structured, actionable intelligence — not more documentation. FirstHx transforms patient conversations into clinically meaningful data that helps organizations deliver better care, faster.

How it works

At FirstHx, our mission is to redefine the landscape of digital health.

We believe that efficient and accurate patient data collection is the cornerstone of modern, person-centered healthcare.

With this vision in mind, we are committed to revolutionizing the way healthcare providers gather and utilize patient information.

Leadership

Built by clinicians, for clinicians.

Dr. James East

Chief Executive Officer

Internal Medicine and Critical Care Physician, Mackenzie Health | Co-founder, EmergentC.ca

Leading FirstHx’s vision, strategy, and product innovation since joining the company in 2021, James has driven the evolution of the solution, helping expand its impact across patient engagement, clinical workflows, AI-powered documentation, and healthcare analytics. Specializing in electronic health record optimization, James brings expertise in healthcare technology, biomedical ethics, and medical law. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he co-founded EmergentC.ca, a global resource for emerging clinical evidence. He is passionate about leveraging technology to improve healthcare efficiency, patient experiences, and clinical outcomes.

Dr. Mark Benaroia

Board Chairman & Co-Founder

Physician Co-founder, Ontario Renal Network | Former Chair of Nephrology, Ontario Medical Association | Former President, Ontario Association of Nephrologists | Director of Home Hemodialysis and Staff Nephrologist, Grand River Hospital | Adjunct Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, McMaster University

Mark co-founded FirstHx in 2015, bringing a rich background in system design and leadership. With roles like Physician Co-founder at Ontario Renal Network, Chair of Nephrology at Ontario Medical Association, and President of Ontario Association of Nephrologists, Mark's impact on healthcare is profound. His extensive experience and passion for patient care continue to shape FirstHx's journey towards innovative healthcare solutions.

Dr. Roman Elinson

Chief Medical Officer & Co-Founder

Interventional Pain Management, Painless Medicine and Therapeutics Clinic | Interventional Pain Management, Cloudcare Clinic

Roman has broad experience across a wide spectrum of primary care including Emergency medicine (Rural and Urban), Family medicine (Rural and Urban) and Travel Medicine (ISTM Certified). He currently practices Interventional Pain Management at the Painless Medicine and Therapeutics Clinic, Toronto, ON and at the Cloudcare Clinic, Toronto, ON. Roman Co-Founded FirstHx in 2015.

Dr. Chris O'Connor

President

Critical Care Physician | Former Director of Medical Informatics, Trillium Health Partners (THP) | Founder and Former President, Think Research

Chris brings a wealth of experience, both as a doctor and as a healthcare entrepreneur. He has been instrumental in bringing FirstHx to market, both in virtual and in-person settings.

Justin Kline

Chief of Partnerships & Innovation

With over 20 years of experience in healthcare, Justin has served a variety of vulnerable and neurodivergent populations, including individuals with traumatic brain injuries, developmental disabilities, mental health challenges, dual diagnoses, and complex care needs. He has founded, grown, and invested in several multidisciplinary healthcare businesses, as well as launched his own healthcare software company. Justin's commitment to delivering innovation in the healthcare space has led him to serve as a strategic advisor and investor in numerous startup and established health tech companies with focuses in artificial intelligence (AI), extended reality (XR), and multidisciplinary practice management. Justin's leadership and expertise will prove invaluable as FirstHx strives to enhance partnerships and drive forward innovation in the healthcare tech space.

Dr. Asif Ali

Managing Director, United States

Dr. Ali is a Clinical Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston and Managing Director of Houston Cardiology Consultants. A leader in cardiovascular innovation, he has advised numerous healthcare technology companies, serving in roles including Global Chief Medical Officer and Chief Medical Advisor. Dr. Ali contributes to the future of healthcare technology through his work with the American Heart Association’s artificial intelligence committee, the Health Technology Advisory Group, and as founder of Cena Ventures, supporting emerging healthcare technology companies.

Dr. Blake Hampton

Executive Director of Ophthalmology

Comprehensive ophthalmologist, cataract and minimally invasive glaucoma surgeon, Alamance Eye Center

Dr. Hampton is an early-career comprehensive ophthalmologist who diagnoses and treats diseases involving the eyelids, cornea, lens, retina, vitreous, uvea and optic nerve, with particular interest in refractive cataract surgery. He is passionate about leveraging operational efficiency to improve clinical/surgical workflows and patient experience while reducing overhead for eye care provider practices. Dr. Hampton will focus on mitigating ophthalmic technician and eye care provider shortages, reducing onboarding burden, standardizing and streamlining the patient intake process, improving pre-encounter patient triage and education, and optimizing data quality and analysis for clinical trial and practice-specific internal processes.

Dr. Stephen Lewellis

Executive Director of Dermatology

Dermatologist, Founder of Above & Beyond Dermatology, and host of The Direct Care Derm podcast

Stephen Lewellis, MD, PhD, FAAD, is a Stanford and NYU-trained, board-certified dermatologist with a passion for integrating conventional and functional/lifestyle medicine principles and tactics to improve healthspan and happiness through the lens of skin, hair, and nail disease. He is the founder of Above & Beyond Dermatology, an integrative dermatology center committed to raising the standard of care through heart-centered hospitality, fair and transparent pricing, prompt access, and quality time spent with your dermatologist.

Dr. Seyon Sathiaseelan

Executive Director of Interventional Pain Management

Dr. Seyon Sathiaseelan is an interventional pain management and emergency physician practicing in the Greater Toronto Area. He has supported several hospitals in their Epic transitions and optimizations as a certified Physician Epic Builder and consultant, leveraging his expertise to enhance clinical workflows and system efficiency. In addition to his clinical and technical roles, he recently earned an Executive MBA from the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Business, strengthening his leadership and strategic management skills.

Nishan Devani

Director of Pharmacy Partnerships & Solutions

Pharmacist | Chairman of Devsan Systems Inc. | VP, Pharmacists' Association of the Niagara Peninsula | Canadian Delegate, Commonwealth Pharmacists Association

Nishan Devani, MPharm, RPh is a dynamic leader in the healthcare space with over 10 years of experience across community, hospital, industrial, and administrative pharmacy. Through his leadership and vision, he launched a COVID-19 response company that expanded globally and successfully sold its core product, contributing to the global fight against the pandemic. With his blend of experience, innovation, and dedication, Nishan is driving positive change within the pharmacy community and beyond.

Dave Coughlan

Director of Healthcare Solutions

Dave is a healthcare innovation leader with over a decade of experience advancing digital education and AI adoption across the life sciences. As CEO of ICI Medical, he has partnered with global organizations to design and deliver impactful clinician learning programs. At FirstHx, Dave focuses on integrating AI-powered solutions that connect patient data, education, and engagement — helping healthcare and industry partners deliver more informed, connected, and efficient care experiences.

Dr. Robert Berger

Executive Director of Veterinary Care

Dr. Robert Berger is a practicing veterinarian with over 10 years of experience in mixed animal medicine and emergency care. At VetHx, a FirstHx company, Robert leverages his clinical expertise and passion for compassionate care to help advance veterinary digital health solutions. His practical knowledge supports VetHx's mission to improve clinical workflows and enhance the veterinary-client experience.

Board of Directors

Joel Finlayson

Board Member

Former Managing Director, Healthcare, Accenture Canada | Former Venture Partner and LP, iGan Partners

Joel has been consulting to and investing in healthcare for over twenty years in Canada, the US, the UK and throughout the Middle East. Throughout his career, Joel has led large-scale health system reform programs and is well-versed with the needs and complexities of health system transformations. He is an advocate for private sector collaboration with governments in the modernisation of healthcare and has experience driving the adoption of new technologies and new data-driven services to help to address some of the most pressing and complicated challenges in healthcare. He has been a Director of the Canadian Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons International and he is a Fellow of the Creative Destruction Lab in Toronto.

Sarah Hutchison

Board Member

Former CEO, OntarioMD | Former CIO, Ontario Medical Association | Medical Innovation Leader

Sarah is an experienced health system executive that has a strong track record of driving results-based delivery. With an extensive background and knowledge of digital health policy and delivery, she has been effective in ensuring that clinicians, and their patients, are actively represented in system discussions about the evolution of community-based practice delivery in Ontario. Sarah has excellent policy and health systems understanding and most recently has been actively involved in advancing access to virtual care in her work at both the national and provincial level, including her contribution to Canadian Medical Association's Virtual Care Task Force and Health Canada's Expert Advisory Committee on Virtual Care.

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