Podcasts

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In this interview from our archives, Dr. John Hoey has a fascinating discussion with Dr. James Orbinski. The interview was first published in February of the year 2000. At the time, Dr. John Hoey was editor-in-chief of CMAJ and Dr. James Orbinski was international president of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders, or MSF). Dr. Orbinski had just accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of MSF’s pioneering humanitarian work in several countries around the world.

Dr. Orbinski and Dr. Hoey talk about war, humanitarian medicine, refugees, genocide, and more. These themes are just as relevant today as they were 19 years ago.

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In this next "Med Life with Dr. Horton" podcast, Dr. Jillian Horton talks with both Dr. Deepu Gawda and actor Alan Alda.

In the first segment, Dr. Horton and guest Dr. Deepu Gawda, internist and associate professor of medicine at Columbia University, answer a listener question from a physician who is under so much work pressure that s/he is viewing patients only as units of time. This person wants to get back to connecting with patients in a meaningful way and is looking for advice.

In the second segment, Dr. Horton speaks with award-winning actor Alan Alda, who leads workshops for physicians through the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science. They discuss how doctors can focus less on pressure from the "system" to be more time efficient and instead be more present for patients. They also talk about ageism in medicine.

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Michael Scaffidi is a medical student in the Class of 2022 at Queen's University

 

Listen to the Michael's composition here: https://open.spotify.com/album/2arp3Jqp1ksVuovmRE3KA0, and read about it below.

"This is a piece that I wrote for the 2nd Annual Jacalyn Health and Humanities Conference at Queen's University and decided to later publish. "Sonata in C, Journey Through the Valley" tells a story of what a patient experiences when given a serious diagnosis. Specifically, I strove to show how disruptive this event can be through the use of a highly dissonant "diminished chord". In addition, in contrast to the peaceful, almost indolent first theme using triplets, the second theme uses the infamous theme of "Dies Irae" (Day of Wrath), which is derived from a Latin hymn that is often used throughout classical and film music to signpost death or an ominous event. ...continue reading →

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In this next "Med Life with Dr. Horton" podcast, Dr. Jillian Horton chats with Dr. Allan Peterkin about creative arts and playfulness as related to medicine and as tools to help balance out a stressful life.

Dr. Horton and Dr. Peterkin talk about:
- music, writing, theatre, improv groups
- the time Dr. Peterkin was on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon because of one of his books about beards
- how learning to interpret a painting is related to diagnostic skills
- how a practice in creative arts can influence the way doctors approach patients and can help prevent burnout
- finding a balance between pleasure and purpose in life
- the absence of play in medicine
- practical tips for picking up that long forgotten creative practice again
- and much more

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In a first "Med Life with Dr. Horton" podcast, Dr. Jillian Horton discusses CaRMS, the Canadian Resident Matching Service. In this episode, she is joined by Dr. Moneeza Walji.

They answer these questions:

  • What are some strategies for choosing and ranking programs?
  • Should I have a back-up program in my ranking?
  • What should I do about conflicting interviews?
  • What are interviewers looking for in a candidate?
  • What should I do when I can't think of an answer to an interview question?
  • Should I change my strategy when being interviewed by a resident versus a program director?
  • How does the panel score the interview?
  • Should I disclose a mental health diagnosis or personal struggles?
  • Should I talk about my partner, kids, or family?
  • How do I handle the stress related to CaRMS?
  • And more.

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In this interview, Dr. Thara Kumar and Dr. Hans Rosenberg tell us about take-home naloxone kits used for opioid overdose. They discuss how to use them, where to get them, how they work, and more. They offer practical guidance to physicians in Canada and also include tips for the general public.

Dr. Thara Kumar is an emergency medicine resident in her fifth and final year of training at the University of Ottawa, with a Global Health Certificate from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Hans Rosenberg an emergency physician at the Ottawa Hospital and an assistant professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa. Together, they co-authored a practice article published in CMAJ called "Five things to know about...Take-home naloxone."

Listen to the author interview:

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The new Canadian guideline presents evidence-based recommendations for prescribing of opioids for chronic non-cancer pain, including maximum dose recommendations, avoiding opioids in high-risk populations, and guidance for tapering.

Jason Busse, Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesia at McMaster University and researcher with the Michael G. DeGroote National Pain Centre in Hamilton, Ontario, co-authored the guideline (open access). In this podcast, he speaks with Dr. Diane Kelsall, interim editor-in-chief, CMAJ, and explains the recommendations.

Listen to the author interview:

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Interview with Dr. Andrea Boggild, clinical director in the Tropical Disease Unit at the Toronto General Hospital, and assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto.

In this podcast Dr. Boggild gives practical advice about preventing and diagnosing Zika virus in Canada. She also shares the findings of the research article she co-authored that analyzed data coming from Canadian Travel Medicine Network sites, or CanTravNet, in Canada.

Websites mentioned in the podcast:
Public Health Agency of Canada CATMAT recommendations: www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/tmp-pmv/catmat-…v/index-eng.php
Government of Canada travel information: travel.gc.ca

Listen to the author interview:

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Interview with Dr. Brett Thombs, professor in the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University and senior investigator of the Lady Davis Institute, Jewish General Hospital in Montreal. He is also chair-elect of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care and chair of the tobacco guideline working group.

In their clinical guideline published in the CMAJ (open access), Dr. Thombs and the Task Force reviewed the evidence supporting behavioural interventions for prevention and treatment of smoking in children and youth. He explains their findings in this podcast.

Listen to the author interview:

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Interview with Dr. Steve Morgan, professor of health policy at the University of British Columbia School of Population and Public Health and Dr. Nav Persaud, physician at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto and assistant professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Morgan, Dr. Persaud and their co-authors published a research article in CMAJ in which they estimated the likely savings from public coverage of a list of essential medicines across Canada. They explain their findings in this podcast.

Listen to the author interview:

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