Tag Archives: CMA

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At its core, humanism is a concept which weaves together the science and the art of medicine. The American Arnold P. Gold Foundation, established by the Gold family in an effort to “nurture and preserve the tradition of the caring physician,” has been striving to accomplish this since its inception through the development of various programs — including the Humanism in Medicine Award at the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) to honour caring and compassionate mentors in medical school education.

Dr. Sarita Verma, Vice President of Education at the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada (AFMC), notes that this ideal — providing compassionate care that is sensitive to patients’ values, as well as the integrity and nature of the physician-patient relationship — resonates quite strongly with Canadian medical students as well. ...continue reading →

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Sharon Yeung is a MD/MSc student at Queen’s University

 

I’ll be the first to admit: I’ve never been one for politics.

The garish lawn signs of electoral campaigns, the predatory advertisements and the shiny, charismatic politicians, bred in me a deep political apathy at an early age. It was an apathy fueled by a lack of understanding of how these matters were relevant to my daily life – and for the most part, my political apathy was left unchallenged.

I suspect my experiences are not unlike those of my peers in my generation. After all, weren’t we all once taught that politics is a sacred taboo? The kind you should never talk about at dinner, second only to religion. As it turns out, it’s also the kind you don’t talk about in polished Medical School Classrooms.

The apolitical culture of medical school is, however, not inconsequential. ...continue reading →

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author photo smallRyan Meili is a family physician at the West Side Community Clinic in Saskatoon, Head of the Division of Social Accountability at the University of Saskatchewan, founder of Upstream: Institute for a Healthy Society, and a health policy expert with EvidenceNetwork.ca

 

Recently, I was fortunate to attend the Global Symposium on the Role of Physicians and National Medical Associations in Addressing Health Equity and the Social Determinants of Health held in London, England. The meeting was organized by the Canadian, British and World Medical Associations and had, among other goals, an agenda to assist public health pioneer Sir Michael Marmot in making such issues central to his upcoming role as president of the World Medical Association.

Among the attendees was Canadian Medical Association president Dr. Chris Simpson. I sat down with Dr. Simpson to explore the stories, the evidence and the politics that come into play when doctors are actors for social change. ...continue reading →

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author photo smallRyan Meili is a family physician at the West Side Community Clinic in Saskatoon, Head of the Division of Social Accountability at the University of Saskatchewan, founder of Upstream: Institute for a Healthy Society, and a health policy expert with EvidenceNetwork.ca

 

Editor’s note: This post has been published previously as a blog on both Huffington Post and Upstream 

In March I attended the Global Symposium on the Role of Physicians and National Medical Associations in Addressing Health Equity and the Social Determinants of Health held in London, England. The meeting was organized by the Canadian, British and World Medical Associations and had, among other goals, an agenda to assist public health pioneer Sir Michael Marmot in making such issues central to his upcoming role as president of the World Medical Association.

I sat down with Sir Michael to explore the stories, the evidence and the politics that come into play when doctors are actors for social change. ...continue reading →

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Kirsten Patrick is Deputy Editor at CMAJ

 

Today is a momentous day for physicians in Canada. No matter what your opinion about whether or not physician assisted dying is morally right, it will be a human right henceforth under certain circumstances.

We have aired a broad spectrum of views on this forum in the lead up to the Supreme Court of Canada’s unanimous decision on Carter vs. the Attorney General, released this morning. Even CMAJ’s editors are divided in their personal opinions. We have discussed our personal views in many an editorial meeting, and CMAJ’s Editor-In-Chief, John Fletcher, put me on the spot to declare my position publicly when we were recording the podcast for the November 18th issue of the journal.

Many Canadian physicians will feel unhappy about the decision, perhaps even angry ...continue reading →