In the News

September 28

Rapid tests are less accessible even as COVID wave ramps up across Canada, doctors say
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
A couple of weeks ago, Andrew Longhurst and his family started to feel worse for wear. Wanting to test themselves for COVID-19, Longhurst, who lives with his wife and four-year-old son in Roberts Creek, B.C., travelled to pharmacies in nearby Sechelt and Gibsons in search of rapid test kits.

What to know about update Pfizer COVID vaccine
CP24
Interview with Dr. Fahad Razak
Dr. Razak, internist at St. Michael’s Hospital, talks about the updated Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.

September 27

Learn AI now or risk losing your job, experts warn
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Muhammad Mamdani
It’s smart, efficient and gaining speed. In fact, you might be surprised to hear how much of the workload artificial intelligence can already handle at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.

What you need to know about COVID now?
CBC Radio – Ontario Today
Interview with Dr. Fahad Razak
With COVID on the rise in Ontario, Dr. Fahad Razak, former scientific director of the now-disbanded Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table and internist and epidemiologist at St. Michael’s Hospital, answers your questions.

September 25

A comprehensive new set of guidelines is being released to promote health equity in Canada
The Globe and Mail
Comments by Dr. Nav Persaud
A team of Canadian clinicians has published a new set of recommendations aimed at ensuring that members of disadvantaged groups, who often have difficulty getting health care, are able to access screening for medical conditions, as well as other vital services.

Prioritize disadvantaged people for primary care and screening access, report says
Canadian Press
Comments by Dr. Nav Persaud
A panel of doctors, nurses and patients from across Canada has issued recommendations on how to make health care more equitable for disadvantaged people.

HPV self-testing could help people without a primary care physician: doctor
Global News
Interview with Dr. Nav Persaud
Dr. Nav Persaud, a staff physician and scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, told Global News that HPV self-testing could be a benefit to people without a primary care provider or are “poorly connected” with one.

September 22

COVID-19 in Ontario: What you need to know as we head into fall and winter
CP24
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
Following a summer with relatively little worry over COVID-19, infection numbers are once again starting to trend upward ahead of the official start of fall this weekend.

September 20

Ontario doctors say AI use will improve health care
Sudbury.com
Comments by Dr. Amol Verma
Ontario doctors expect that health care will improve and it will be easier to detect patient health changes with the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies.

How Ont. hospitals are using AI to advance healthcare
CTV News Kitchener
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
Hospitals across the province are exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to advance healthcare.

A lot more AI-assisted developments in medical field ‘in next five years:’ OMA
Toronto Sun
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
The use of artificial intelligence in medicine is “just at the starting point,” according to leaders in Ontario’s medical community.

Seeing is believing: The role of artificial intelligence in ophthalmology
HCP Live
Comments by Dr. Rajeev Muni
The phrase “artificial intelligence” is everywhere in the public consciousness — both a buzzword promising a brighter tomorrow and a curse looming over our collective heads.

The impact of quitting smoking on your overall survival
Zoomer Radio
Interview with Dr. Fahad Razak

September 19

‘Incredibly important’: Blood donors needed in Barrie
Innisfil Today
Comments by Dr. Katerina Pavenski
After asking more people in Canada to donate blood and plasma this summer and despite many answering the call, distribution of blood to hospitals continues to outpace the number of donations being made — especially in Ontario, where nearly half of Canada’s population lives.

September 17

Toronto issued three overdose alerts this summer. Advocates are alarmed, but say the trend isn’t new
CBC News
Comments by Karen McDonald
Toronto Public Health has seen a rise in opioid-related emergency calls this summer, prompting three drug alerts and heightened concern among the city’s medical professionals.

September 15

New research provides much-needed data on in-hospital antibiotic use
U of T News
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
New pharmacist-led research, published by the Canadian Medical Association Journal in August, is providing important information about antimicrobial prescribing in hospitals and helping health care professionals develop targeted approaches to reducing unnecessary antimicrobial use in hospital settings.

Drug overdose deaths from multiple substances on rise in Ontario since start of pandemic: report
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Tara Gomes
Just the other day, Dr. Marko Erak treated a patient in Toronto’s Humber River Hospital emergency room who had overdosed on carfentanil, an extremely toxic opioid.
Stronger drugs are a common theme that’s worrying doctors like Erak.

September 14

Drug, alcohol deaths nearly doubled in Ontario during pandemic: report
TVO
Comments by Dr. Tara Gomes
Accidental drug and alcohol deaths nearly doubled in Ontario during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report.

Huge spike in drug- and alcohol-related deaths in Ontario, new report finds
The Globe and Mail
Comments by Dr. Tara Gomes
Accidental drug-related deaths nearly doubled during the pandemic in Ontario, with an average of eight people dying every day in 2021, according to a new report that underscores the severity and growing complexity of the crisis.

Ontario drug, alcohol overdose deaths almost doubled during pandemic, researchers say
Canadian Press
Comments by Dr. Tara Gomes
A new report says the number of accidental drug and alcohol deaths almost doubled in Ontario during the COVID-19 pandemic.

September 13

The last chance for safe injection sites
Philadelphia Citizen
Comments by Dr. Ahmed Bayoumi
On a brisk morning last September, registered nurse Funmi Nowocien wrapped her crimson cardigan tighter around her body and unlocked the door to her workstation in the Toronto Public Health building.

September 12

Only 22 per cent of Toronto high school students have reported routine vaccinations: TPH
Zoomer Radio
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
Before the pandemic, nearly 90-percent of high school students in Toronto were up to date with their routine vaccinations. Now, that number is at just 22-percent.

September 9

Why do our bodies get stiffer with age? How experts say we can loosen our creaky joints and muscles
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Shane Journeay
If you’re finding it tougher to stand up, navigate stairs or walk as you age, you’re not alone — it’s entirely natural to lose some mobility as our bodies age.

September 6

New medical program dedicated to producing family doctors amid shortage
CTV News
Comments by Dr. Tara Kiran
Amid an ever-widening family doctor shortage, an Ontario university is hoping to start turning the tide with a dedicated program – but some experts say that to fix the problem in the long run, we may need to reimagine our health-care system completely.

Booster shots, vitamins and aspirin
Zoomer Radio
Interview with Dr. Amol Verma
A study by Canadian researchers points to keeping up to date with your booster shots rather than relying on previous infections as the best defense against getting future infections of COVID-19.

September 4

Heat plan in place as kids head back to school in Toronto amid sweltering temperatures
CTV News
Comments by Dr. Samantha Green
The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) says it has a plan to help its school communities deal with sweltering temperatures as kids head back to classes for the first day of school Tuesday.

September 1

Preparing for rare emergency events
Hospital News
Comments by Dr. Andrew Petrosoniak, Dr. Emily Austin and Dr. Evelyn Dell
Inside St. Michael’s Hospital a tense scene is unfolding. “The patient is a 32-year-old pregnant female,” Dr. Emily Austin, an emergency physician and trauma team leader, announces to the room. “Five minutes out.”

August 31

Will this fall’s COVID vaccine booster shot protect me from the new variant?
The Globe and Mail
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
The general consensus among medical experts is that EG.5 is closely related to the version of the virus targeted by the vaccine, so it should still work well.

Prescribed fentanyl helps this man manage his addiction. Experts want more access to safe supply
CBC News
Comments by Hayley Thompson
For the past few years, David Keeler’s addiction has been treated like a medical issue.

ChatGPT scores nearly 50 per cent on board certification practice test for ophthalmology
Hospital News
Comments by Dr. Rajeev Muni
A study of ChatGPT found the artificial intelligence tool answered less than half of the test questions correctly from a study resource commonly used by physicians when preparing for board certification in ophthalmology.

Program trains high school students in heart surgery
Hospital News
Comments by Dr. Bobby Yanagawa
A new pilot program at St. Michael’s Hospital provides mentorship to high school students from communities that are under-represented in the field of cardiac surgery, in the hopes of developing more diversity in the profession.

Can life-saving care be delivered right where major traumas happen?
Hospital News
Comments by Dr. Johannes von Vopelius-Feldt and Dr. Brodie Nolan
For most people who die from major trauma incidents, like car accidents and gunshot wounds, death occurs before they even make it to the hospital. That troubling fact led a team of St. Michael’s physicians and scientists to ask: what if we could bring aspects of the hospital to them?

Virtual appointments with family doctors did not lead to more emergency department visits during pandemic
Hospital News
Comments by Dr. Tara Kiran and Dr. Rick Glazier
Family physicians who provided more virtual care did not have more patients visit emergency departments (ED) compared to family physicians who saw more patients in-person, according to new research.

Housing and hospitals
Hospital News
OpEd by Dr. Andrea Bianchi
Over the past number of years, Canada’s housing crisis has made news headlines. Many of these stories have focused on the fact that the demand for homes exceeds supply. Other news stories have highlighted that aspiring home owners are shut out of purchasing due to record-high housing costs.

August 29

Superbugs are overpowering antibiotics. We should fight them with phage therapy.
Macleans
OpEd by Dr. Greg German
I have a clear memory of sitting on a Toronto-area park bench in 1985 as my dad—a computer executive and jack-of-all-trades—explained the arms race between our cells and a new virus called HIV. The military metaphor worked for me, an 11-year-old burgeoning physician-scientist with a fascination for jets and Transformers. I thought, Wow, there’s a battle going on inside us, and we have to find the right weapon to win it.

Man guilty of TTC assaults a ‘danger to the public’ without antipsychotic treatment, judge finds
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Samuel Law
A man with a history of attacking strangers on TTC property “presents a danger to the public” if he doesn’t take his antipsychotic medication, a judge said this month as courts increasingly point to the urgent need for more housing and mental health services to deal with random assaults.

Ending the overdose crisis is not at odds with keeping our communities safe from violence
Toronto Star
OpEd by Dr. Dan Werb
As April came to a close and the first hints of summer bloomed across the city, bullets tore through a home on a side street in Leslieville, rattling locals. Two weeks later, a grandmother of three was gunned down outside of her home — a blameless bystander. Three months after that, a young man in his 20s was shot, turning a welcoming community searching for answers.

August 28

Canadian doctors brace for another ‘tripledemic’ – COVID-19, RSV and influenza
Global News
Comments by Dr. Prabhat Jha
As Canadians continue to enjoy the last bit of summer’s sun-soaked days, doctors say they are bracing for a potential “tripledemic” of influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19, signalling the imminent arrival of respiratory flu season.

August 25

Ozempic — prescribed for diabetes and popular among celebrities — now shows promise for heart failure, study shows
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Subodh Verma
A widely prescribed diabetes drug that is also being scooped up off-label for weight loss is now showing promise for patients with a common form of heart failure, new research shows.

STEP-HFpEF: Semaglutide cuts weight and symptoms, boosts function
TCTMD
Comments by Dr. Subodh Verma
It’s no surprise that injectable semaglutide leads to significant weight loss among obese heart failure patients with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), but as the STEP-HFpEF trial showed here today, the once-weekly shot also significantly reduces HF-related symptoms and inflammatory markers, while improving physical function.

August 24

How Canada’s elderly felt the brunt of COVID-19’s Omicron variant
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
The latest snapshot of Canada’s battle against the pandemic captures the toll the Omicron variant has taken on the elderly.

August 23

Canada ‘likely at the start’ of new COVID-19 wave. How big will it get?
Global News
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
Canada is likely at the start of a new wave of COVID-19, but how bad it will be is unknown, some health experts say.

As COVID cases spike in Toronto, anxious business groups push government for early response plan
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
For Connie Mastrangelo, co-owner of Cafe Diplomatico in Toronto’s Little Italy, the recent spike in COVID-19 cases has her looking back in fear on a pandemic that devastated so many small businesses — particularly restaurants like hers, reduced to takeout only.

August 22

COVID-19 cases in Ontario on the rise as new highly-mutated variant emerges
CTV News
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
After months of declining cases, Ontario public health data is showing an uptick of COVID-19 cases this summer.

COVID-19 cases are ticking up in Toronto. Should you rush to get vaccinated?
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
New COVID-19 boosters are expected to roll out in Toronto — and across Canada — this fall.

August 21

Wildfire smoke is spreading again. Here’s how you can protect your health
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Samantha Green
As intense wildfires continue to send smoke drifting across parts of British Columbia and the Northwest Territories, experts say it’s important for residents to keep an eye on their health.

August 16

Is the fall wave of COVID-19 starting early? Here’s what the data shows us
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
The expected fall wave of COVID-19 is making an early appearance, according to surveillance data by the Ontario government, ahead of the anticipated booster shot Canadians need to fight the new variants.

August 15

BlueDot is using AI to get ahead of the next pandemic
U of T News
Q&A with Dr. Kamran Khan
The Toronto offices for Kamran Khan’s BlueDot, which uses artificial intelligence to flag potential infectious disease outbreaks around the world, are located at the edge of Lake Ontario – appropriate for a company that, similar to a lighthouse, signals when there’s danger ahead.

August 14

Data on COVID-19 in Canadians’ blood show impact of vaccination campaigns, new study finds
The Globe and Mail
Comments by Dr. Prabhat Jha
A large majority of Canadians now bear the signs of COVID-19 in their blood in two ways: through vaccination and through infection, a study of antibody levels across the country has found. The findings dictate Canada’s progression to hybrid immunity.

August 12

Postpartum depression is a reality for many dads. ‘I didn’t recognize the signs’
Global News
Comments by Dr. Andrea Howlett
After the arrival of his third child, Drew Soleyn, a father from Kingston, Ont., found himself grappling with a cascade of emotions: frustration, isolation, waning motivation and self-doubt about his parenting.

August 11

Study investigators discuss the evolving role of ChatGPT in ophthalmology
HCP Live
Interview with Dr. Rajeev Muni
A recent analysis found the popular artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot ChatGPT correctly responded to approximately 84 per cent of multiple-choice practice questions on a common ophthalmic knowledge assessment.

August 10

Helping youth harness the power of social media: Initiative teaches young Canadians how to create evidence-based health content
Healthy Debate
OpEd written by Raissa Amany, Sam Soriano, Samantha Gualtieri, Justine Balsicas, Alicia Segovia and Dr. Ripudaman Minhas
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the potential of social media to quickly disseminate health information to vast online communities, impacting health decisions, participation in health systems and, consequently, the health of entire populations.

Back-to-school booster? What to know about fall COVID-19 vaccine guidance
Global News
Comments by Dr. Prabhat Jha
COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses are expected to make a resurgence in the fall when schools reopen across Canada, experts are warning.

August 9

What to know about EG.5, the latest Omicron subvariant in Canada
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Prabhat Jha
A rapidly rising Omicron subvariant called EG.5 — which is circulating in Canada and multiple other countries — has now been designated a variant of interest by the World Health Organization (WHO).

August 8

Dr. Tara Kiran on how team-based care adds to ‘clinician joy’ – and patient access
Canadian Medical Association
Interview with Dr. Tara Kiran
Team-based care can improve patient access and alleviate pressure on family physicians. But in a survey of over 9,000 people in Canada, only 15% of respondents said they had access to health professionals in their primary care clinic beyond a doctor, nurse or nurse practitioner.

$150,000 awarded to research race in clinical algorithms
EurekAlert
Comments by Dr. Nav Persaud
As part of a focused effort to assess current cardiovascular treatment algorithms for racial bias, the American Heart Association,­ the single largest non-government supporter of heart and brain health research in the U.S., is funding three new scientific research projects at $50,000 each.

Why more Quebec family doctors are leaving the public health system
The Globe and Mail
Comments by Dr. Tara Kiran
Serge Roy wasn’t happy last February when the letter arrived at his home, informing him that he would lose his family physician. But the phone call afterward perturbed him even more.

August 7

Ontario’s opioid-related deaths remain above pre-pandemic levels
Global News
Comments by Dr. Tara Gomes
The number of deaths in Ontario associated with opioids continues to trend above pre-pandemic levels, with early 2023 figures suggesting the number of fatal overdoses is not significantly slowing down.

August 4

Canada on track to waste up to 18M vaccine doses this year, with millions more ordered
National Post
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
The federal government has destroyed more than 14 million unused and expired doses of COVID-19 vaccines so far this year, with four million more doses set to exceed their shelf life by 2023’s end, amid dwindling vaccine demand.

August 2

Surgery backlogs, staff shortages, no family doctor: New report highlights Canada’s health-care crisis
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Danyaal Raza
A new report highlights Canada’s major drop in surgeries during the early years of the pandemic, but those pains were felt unequally across the country’s patchwork provincial health-care systems — with the largest decrease in procedures seen in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Canada is recommending COVID boosters this fall. Who really needs one?
National Post
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
Canada’s vaccine advisors are recommending a COVID-19 booster dose of yet another reformulated vaccine this fall. It may prove a tough sell.

August 1

The COVID papers: What Canada’s top doctors say about the country’s pandemic response
Toronto Star – This Matters podcast
Comments by Dr. Sharon Straus
More than three years after the COVID-19 pandemic that took tens of thousands of Canadian lives, a group of the country’s top medical experts have published a scathing indictment of Canada’s COVID response.

July 31

How much less are doctors paid for operating on female patients in Canada?
CTV News
Comments by Dr. Andrea Simpson
New research suggests “surgical sexism” is baked into the Canadian health-care system, revealing surgeons are paid less for procedures on female patients than they are for comparable surgeries on male patients.

July 30

Why do I need another COVID shot this fall?
The Globe and Mail
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
I read in the news that health officials are urging Canadians to get another COVID vaccine booster this fall. COVID seems to have virtually disappeared. So, why do we need another shot?

July 28

Health Canada assessing popular diabetes, weight-loss drugs like Ozempic for suicide risk
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Nav Persaud
Health Canada is independently reviewing a class of drugs used in diabetes and weight-loss medications following reports that they may lead to a risk of suicide.

July 26

Researchers partner with Moderna to develop new mRNA-based therapies for HIV and other diseases
U of T News
Comments by Dr. Mario Ostrowski
Two teams of researchers at the University of Toronto have partnered with Moderna Canada to advance new mRNA-based therapies for HIV and other diseases.

July 25

Data-sharing lessons Canada can learn from the COVID-19 pandemic
The Globe and Mail
Op-Ed co-written by Dr. Sharon Straus and Dr. Sharmistha Mishra
Canada has now faced two novel coronaviruses. The first outbreak in 2003 caused the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and was the worst outside of Asia. Our response to SARS was described as an “international embarrassment”. But it led to large-scale reforms to public health systems across Canada.

Can Canada and its long-term care sector learn from COVID-19 or have we returned to ‘normal’?
The Globe and Mail
Op-Ed co-written by Dr. Sharon Straus
In early COVID-19 waves, Canadians witnessed the pandemic’s devastating impact on long-term care home residents and staff. Photos of family members, pressed against windows, trying to connect with their loved ones in lockdown.

‘We are going to be tested again’: Experts on Canada’s pandemic response
CTV News
Comments by Dr. Sharon Straus and Dr. Sharmistha Mishra
A panel of experts made further calls for an independent inquiry into Canada’s COVID-19 response on Tuesday, stressing that the country’s pandemic response must be reviewed before it’s tested once again.

July 24

Top medical experts call for national inquiry into Canada’s COVID-19 ‘failures’
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Sharon Straus and Dr. Sharmistha Mishra
Three and a half years after the virus behind COVID-19 began its rampage around the world — eventually killing tens of thousands of Canadians — a group of top medical experts is calling on federal officials to launch a full national inquiry into Canada’s pandemic response.

Canada needs a national inquiry into COVID failures, experts say
CBC News – The National
Comments by Dr. Sharon Straus
A series of new reports in the British Medical Journal say Canada was ‘ill-prepared’ and ‘lacked coordination’ in the COVID-19 pandemic. The report authors say it is time to investigate what happened and learn how to prepare for the next pandemic.

‘HIV is the virus, stigma is the disease’ in Canada’s fight against HIV/AIDS
Sasktatoon Star-Phoenix
Comments by Dr. Sean Rourke
When Randy Davis was hospitalized in 2012 with double lung pneumonia, he was so ill he had to be intubated for a week. He recovered, but when he started experiencing similar symptoms — which can include fever, chills, muscle aches, night sweats and fatigue — three years later, he assumed the pneumonia had recurred. When antibiotics didn’t help, he suspected something more was going on.

Food insecurity in kids linked to need for more mental health, substance use help: Ontario study
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Gary Bloch
Toronto resident Rhonda Miller knows how difficult it can be to afford the basic necessities. The 52-year-old lives in an apartment with her daughter and two granddaughters, who are nine and six. Rising rent and food prices mean Miller has to sometimes choose between paying her bills or buying groceries.

July 21

HIV/AIDS in Canada: Stats, facts and figures
Montreal Gazette
Comments by Dr. Deborah Yoong
Despite the fact that an HIV diagnosis is no longer the death sentence it once was, many people are blissfully unaware of the progress that has been made in fighting the once deadly disease.

Five years on, Danforth shooting vivid for those affected, gun control key issue
Canadian Press
Comments by Dr. Najma Ahmed
The passage of time can feel disjointed for Ali Demircan. It may have been five years since a gunman went on a shooting rampage through Toronto’s Greektown, but the horror of what Demircan saw after being grazed by a bullet that night still hits hard.

July 19

Canadian heat warnings: What a heat wave does to your body, according to an expert
Yahoo! News
Comments by Dr. Samantha Green
As temperatures continue to rise in parts of Canada, a family physician says people should be aware heat is the deadliest of the extreme weather events. Knowing how to stay safe is important.

‘High and dry’: Homeless amputee case highlights lack of services, housing across GTA
Global News
Comments by Dr. Andrew Pinto
Thomas Mohr, an Oakville man who became homeless after his leg was amputated, continues living in his vehicle at an Oakville shopping plaza. It’s now been 238 days.

Do critical illness events in the hospital come in clusters?
MedScape
Comments by Drs. Amol Verma and Samik Doshi
Hospitalized patients have increased risk for transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU) if other patients on the same ward were transferred to the ICU or died during the previous six hours, data suggest.

Turning questions to answers in drug testing
CAP Today
Comments by Dr. Sarah Delaney
As she surveys the opioid epidemic in North America, Christine Snozek, PhD, D(ABCC), could be tempted to think that a ripped-from-the-headlines reality has landed in clinical laboratories as well as on TV crime dramas.

July 17

A new approach to M.S. could transform treatment of other diseases
The New Yorker
Comments by Dr. Jiwon Oh
In 2014, Erin Storch looked in the mirror and felt as if she were drifting leftward. It was a feeling she didn’t know how to fully describe. She had been on maternity leave, and had recently returned to her job at a hospital consultancy in Washington, D.C. Storch had been promoted while on leave, so she was learning something new at work—and it seemed strangely difficult to absorb the information.

July 16

Health-care emergency — we can, and must, speed up approvals of drugs to fight diseases such as cancer
Health Reporter News
OpEd co-written by Dr. Shaun Goodman
How future health care should look is becoming evident despite — and in some ways because of — the pandemic.
Today’s new COVID reality: Your questions answered
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
While a summer lull in COVID-19 infections is welcome, experts stress that doesn’t mean you should completely lower your guard.

Is COVID in a summer lull, or something more? There are reasons for caution — and for optimism
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
As Canadians ease into summer, relishing sunny days and slower schedules, COVID-19 also appears to be taking it easy, offering a break from the spikes and surges of its recent past.

GTA regions join outcry over funding to shelter asylum seekers
Toronto Star
Comments by LP Pavey
A growing number of GTA regions are accusing higher governments of stranding them with the costs of sheltering refugees and asylum seekers — with some announcing shelter closures in response.

July 13

Deaths due to opioid toxicity up in U.S. during COVID-19
Medical XPress
Comments by Dr. Tara Gomes
Deaths due to opioid toxicity increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study published online July 7 in JAMA Network Open.

July 12

The surge of young people dying from opioids
The Globe and Mail – The Decibel podcast
Interview with Dr. Tara Gomes
The opioid epidemic is taking young lives – the number of 15-24 year olds dying from opioid overdoses tripled between 2014 and 2021 in Ontario. And young people are shown to be less likely to seek treatment for their addictions. A deadly mix of those factors and a contaminated drug supply are creating lethal outcomes.

Treatment rates for opioid use disorders among teens, young adults decreasing despite surge in opioid-related harms: report
Public Health Ontario
Comments by Dr. Tara Gomes
Rates of opioid-related deaths among Ontario teens and young adults tripled from 2014-2021 and hospital emergency department visits related to opioid use quadrupled over the same period, a new report shows. At the same time, treatment rates for opioid use disorder decreased for Ontarians ages 15-24, the research found.

July 11

Who should get COVID booster this fall
CP24
Interview with Dr. Fahad Razak
Dr. Razak, an internist at St. Mike’s Hospital, talks about NACI’s new COVID-19 booster recommendation.

How sleep deprivation may temporarily ease depression in some people
Medical News Today
Comments by Dr. Atif Zafar
In a new study published in PNAS, researchers utilized resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (RS fMRI) to map brain activity in specific regions, aiming to understand why certain individuals experience a positive mood enhancement after a period of sleep deprivation despite most people generally experiencing a negative impact.

Shedding light on Canada’s guidance on alcohol and health
Midland Mirror
Comments by Dr. Alex Caudarella
While the harsh realities of the pandemic on Canadians’ health include increased use of alcohol and other substances, there is hope. That was the message those of us gathered at Waypoint in June heard from Dr. Alex Caudarella when he shared that any reduction in alcohol use will benefit your health.

Deaths due to opioid toxicity up in U.S. during COVID-19
MSD Manual
Comments by Dr. Tara Gomes
Deaths due to opioid toxicity increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study published online July 7 in JAMA Network Open.

July 10

Toward a healthier pregnancy: Overcoming barriers to prenatal exercise
Healthy Debate
Comments by Dr. Alysha Nensi
When Mrs. Lee, an avid cycler and CrossFit enthusiast, became pregnant with her first child, the joy she felt often was overshadowed by fear.

How should we handle the toxic drug-supply crisis? Experts weigh in
The Good Men Project
Comments by Zoe Dodd
Recent news coverage has highlighted the deepening divide in the politics of the toxic drug-supply crisis.

Toronto doctor shortage leaves millions without primary care
Bloomberg
Comments by Dr. Tara Kiran
Zunera Hashmi, a Toronto resident, has been anxiously waiting in line for three years to be assigned a family doctor. When she gets stressed, the 28-year-old marketing professional calls the provincial help line but hears the same message: “Wait just a bit longer.” She emails them occasionally but gets no reply.

July 5

Can a familiar antibiotic help prevent STIs?
BC Centre for Disease Control
Comments by Dr. Ann Burchell
A new clinical trial is set to test whether taking the antibiotic doxycycline daily or after a sexual encounter can help prevent the bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia.

‘We are afraid.’ Asylum seekers sleeping on the street amid tug of war between city and feds
Toronto Star
Comments by LP Pavey
Outside Toronto’s downtown shelter referral centre, a bitter governmental tug-of-war over who should foot the bill to shelter asylum seekers has left throngs of newcomers sleeping on the sidewalk.

July 4

First Canadian trial successfully uses phage therapy to stop life-threatening UTI caused by superbug
CTV News
Comments by Dr. Greg German
The first Canadian study using phages to treat superbug infections is underway with scientists reporting a preliminary but encouraging early success case.

July 1

How we can right-size Canada’s health system as the population grows
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Rick Glazier
Last year, while knocking on doors during her campaign to be mayor of Whitby, Elizabeth Roy got a firsthand feel for the community’s top concerns. The town of 150,000, on the shore of Lake Ontario about 50 kilometres east of Toronto, is among the fastest-growing communities in the country.

St. Michael’s program trains high school students in heart surgery
Hospital News
Comments by Dr. Bobby Yanagawa
A new pilot program at St. Michael’s Hospital provides mentorship to high school students from communities that are under-represented in the field of cardiac surgery, in the hopes of developing more diversity in the profession.

June 30

Study offers rare insight into heart disease, diabetes risk in the Middle East, South Africa
Hospital News
Comments by Dr. Subodh Verma
A new study led by a St. Michael’s Hospital scientist provides a rare contemporary prevalence estimate of cardiovascular risk in people living with diabetes who reside in the Middle East and South Africa.

Collect race, Indigenous identity on health card renewal to address health inequities
Hospital News
Comments by Dr. Andrew Pinto
To address health inequities that Indigenous and racialized patients can experience, collect data on racial and Indigenous identity at health card application and renewal, suggests a group of authors in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

June 27

Opioid death rates tripled for Ontario teens, young adults since 2014, research shows
Canadian Press
Comments by Dr. Tara Gomes
Opioid-related deaths among teens and young adults in Ontario tripled from 2014 to 2021, while drug treatment rates significantly decreased, a new report shows.

Opioid-related deaths surge among Ontario teens, young adults from 2014 to 2021: report
The Globe and Mail
Comments by Dr. Tara Gomes
Opioid-related deaths surged among teens and young adults in Ontario from 2014 to 2021, according to a new report that also found a sharp increase in the number of young people visiting the province’s emergency rooms because of opioid use.

What is ‘smoke brain’? How air pollution can harm our cognition and mental health
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Samantha Green
As air quality across Canada continues to fluctuate in response to ongoing wildfires, scientists warn that even brief exposure to smoke or air pollution could harm your brain function.

June 26

Advocates urge collection of race-based data via health cards to address inequities
Canadian Press
Comments by Dr. Andrew Pinto
All Canadian jurisdictions should routinely collect data on racial and Indigenous identity to help address inequities in health care, and the best way to do that is during the health card application or renewal process, a group of experts says.

June 25

Patients wait in pain as a surgeon fights to get paid — all in a battle over health-care dollars
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Henry Ahn
Christine Kaschuba first noticed a strange bend in her spine as a teenager. For years, it seemed manageable: she played sports, ran marathons and had three children. But slowly and steadily, her back deformity worsened. Her spine’s C-shaped curve, a hallmark of severe scoliosis, is now roughly 70 degrees.

June 22

Canada needs a long-COVID strategy
The Globe and Mail
Op-Ed co-written by Dr. Fahad Razak
In contrast to the striking images of waves of acute infection that sent thousands to hospital earlier in the pandemic, long COVID seems to be out of sight – and thus out of mind – for most Canadians.

June 20

Panacea or peril? Assessing private clinics in Canadian health care
Policy Options
Op-Ed co-written by Dr. Bijan Teja
There are few, if any, principles woven as tightly into the fabric of the Canadian identity as universal health care. However, each time our health-care system is tested, a debate on the merits of “privatization” ensues.

June 16

Wildfires and public health
Muslim Network TV
Interview with Dr. Samantha Green

June 15

Rising rates of benzodiazepine toxicity among young people spark concern
Medical XPress
Comments by Dr. Tara Gomes
The rate of hospital encounters for benzodiazepine-related toxicity rose by 67% for young adults (aged 19 to 24) and 44% for youth (aged 18 or below) in Ontario between 2013 and 2020, according to a new study from ICES and Unity Health Toronto.

June 14

Finding your energy envelope: Long COVID patients urged to ‘pace’ themselves back to health
Healthy Debate
Comments by Dr. Alexandra Rendley
Julie Hunter is no stranger to chronic illness. The personal trainer and chronic illness movement coach had lived with conditions like fibromyalgia and symptoms from a traumatic brain injury for years before she became sick with COVID-19 in August 2020.

New podcast: ‘Digital Health-Enabled Genomics’
Mayo Clinic
Interview with Dr. Yvonne Bombard
Wearable technologies are becoming more and more popular. Add to the mix digital health apps and there’s a trove of data being translated into meaningful health information for users, physicians and researchers.

June 13

A well-known safe injection site is moving and some worry about the impact on users
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Andrew Pinto
A well-known supervised injection site will be relocated due to the sale of a city property, and experts say they are concerned about the impact of the move on people who rely on it.

June 9

Wildfire pollution can cause headaches, skin irritation
CityNews
Comments by Dr. Samantha Green
The air pollution caused by smoke from wildfires in Ontario and Quebec can no doubt lead to various respiratory problems, but there are a number of other, less obvious health impacts that could crop up.

Wildfires may keep you inside more often this summer. Is it safe to run the AC?
Global News
Comments by Dr. Samantha Green
As wildfires rage across the country, casting a dark haze over Canadian skies, many people are staying indoors seeking refuge from the smoky air.

St. Michael’s researchers launch app for 24/7 problem gambling support
Bonus.com
Comments by Dr. Flora Matheson
Researchers from St. Michaels Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, have launched a new mobile application to support people experiencing gambling harm. What’s particularly unique is was built to meet the needs of people experiencing poverty or homelessness in addition to problem gambling.

June 8

Canada wildfires: Air quality a major risk for those living outside
Global News
Comments by Dr. Naheed Dosani
Close the windows. Shut the doors. Run the air purifier. This is the advice Canadians are being asked to follow as dirty air from wildfires burning across Canada chokes the country. But what if going inside is not possible?

COVID masks are back as Canadian wildfires fill skies with smoke
Reuters
Comments by Dr. Samantha Green
Just when it seemed safe to unmask, some Canadians are donning the face coverings made ubiquitous during the coronavirus pandemic as a protection against hazardous smoky conditions as wildfires ravage much of the country.

Current wildfires: ‘As damaging as smoking 22 cigarettes a day’
Advisory Board
Comments by Dr. Samantha Green
Smoke coming from wildfires in Canada has led to air quality problems throughout the Eastern and Northern United States, with officials recommending people stay inside.

Now might be a good time to know how to keep air inside your NYC home clean without an air purifier
India Times
Comments by Dr. Samantha Green
New York City’s air pollution ranked the worst of any city in the world on Wednesday as wildfire smoke from Canada continued to drift over the area, creating a second day of orange haze over the city and prompting some residents to wear face masks outdoors.

Cystic Fibrosis Canada announces nearly $2.7M in new research funding
Cystic Fibrosis Canada
Dr. Anne Stephenson among recipients
Cystic Fibrosis Canada has awarded nearly $2.7M in research funding to projects that support the organization’s new approach to research funding, aimed at improving health outcomes for people living with cystic fibrosis (CF).

Archbishop Leo visits Lake House Palliative Care Centre
Archdiocese of Toronto
St. Joseph’s Health Centre is mentioned
In recent days, Archbishop Leo had the opportunity to visit and bless the Lake House Palliative Care Centre, one of the newest and most transformative palliative care facilities in Canada.

June 7

How to stay safe from wildfire smoke if you’re high risk
The New York Times
Comments by Dr. Samantha Green
As wildfire smoke blankets large swaths of the eastern United States, many people are experiencing physical symptoms, like prickling, stinging eyes; a scratchy throat; a runny nose; and some coughing.

Should you use AC with smoke outside? How to keep indoor air clean
The New York Times
Comments by Dr. Samantha Green
Fans and air-conditioners, if you use them right, can help.

The attack by Pierre Poilievre and others on safe supply will cost us lives
Toronto Star
Comments by Zoe Dodd
We must have law and order, they say. There are more unhoused Canadians, more tent cities, more drug overdoses, more deaths, and you may have to see a homeless person on the subway, so we must get tough. Yes, this may be a complex blend of a global pandemic, a housing crisis, the underfunding and erosion of existing institutions, a toxifying drug supply, and maybe some crypto mixed in, to help move drugs around.

Toronto must stay indoors due to smoke
Saxon
Comments by Dr. Samir Gupta
Torontonians should stay indoors as much as possible and avoid physical activity when outdoors to protect themselves from pollutants from wildfires, public health experts advise.

Journey towards my fall marathon: A HOKA training diary to share
iRun
Column by Caroline Bolduc
So a little about myself, well . . . I’m a 48-year-old single mom of two who works as a full time respiratory therapist in the ICU and emergency department at St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto.

Manitobans need to drive health reform
Winnipeg Free Press
OpEd co-written by Dr. Tara Kiran
Hardly a day goes by in Manitoba without health care being in the news — and much of the coverage is negative. While there are reports of good, even excellent, individual patient experiences, it is clear that urgent change is needed.

Examining the relationship between immigration status and risk of stroke
U of T News
Comments by Dr. Manav Vyas
Fourteen years ago, Dr. Manav Vyas immigrated to Canada with his parents from India. As a young, newcomer to Canada, Dr. Vyas went on to complete his neurology residency training here in the Department of Medicine (DoM), followed by a PhD in immigrant health.

June 6

How to better protect yourself from the health effects of wildfire smoke
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Samantha Green
As climate change intensifies and prolongs the hot, dry conditions for wildfires to thrive, Canadians can expect more summers of smoky skies. With that smoke, come serious potential health consequences for everyone, including children, older Canadians and people with pre-existing health conditions.

CABG and PCI Comparable in ACS Patients With Left Main CAD
TCT MD
Comments by Dr. Subodh Verma
Patients with left main coronary artery disease who present with ACS fare just as well when treated with PCI as they do with CABG surgery, according to results of a new study.

June 5

Ontario’s family doctor shortage is putting lives on the line
Jacobin
Comments by Dr. Tara Kiran
Ontario’s doctor deficit has left 2.2 million people without a primary care physician. The shortage, a consequence of for-profit models, worsens health issues, strains emergency departments, and fuels the vulture-like leveraging of profit-driven “solutions.”

June 3

Can a brush of the gums indicate if you have HIV? An oral self-test aims to do just that
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Sean Rourke
A quick brush of the gums and you’ll know your HIV status. No blood required. That’s the kind of painless, fast and accurate HIV testing researchers at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto are hoping will become the norm for Canadians as the researchers test OraQuick, a rapid oral self-test that will deliver results in 20 minutes.

June 2

Royal College partners with top clinical researchers to explore solutions to Canada’s physician shortage
Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
Comments by Dr. Sharon Straus
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada is pleased to announce receipt of a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Catalyst Grant (Policy Research for Health System Transformation- $150,000).

Should practicing healthcare ethicists be advocates?
Impact Ethics
Op-Ed co-written by Andria Bianchi
The question of whether practicing healthcare ethicists should be advocates has been highlighted by recent calls to action in relation to speaking out against racism and other forms of structural and systemic oppression that exist in healthcare.

May 31

Masks, boosters, self-isolation aren’t behind us yet
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
Take a ride on the O-Train or head to the mall and Ottawa feels much like it did before 2020 — entire faces are visible, coughs and sneezes are ignored, coffee shops no longer balk at reusable mugs.

All hands-on deck!
Canadian Chiropractic Association
Comments by Dr. Deborah Kopansky-Giles
The cross-Canada project: “All hands-on deck! Enhancing comprehensive primary care by integrating musculoskeletal care (chiropractic) on interprofessional teams – supporting education, competency attainment and optimizing integration” led by Drs. Deborah Kopansky-Giles (CMCC) and Ayla Azad (CCA) received the maximum grant award from the Foundation for Advancing Family Medicine (FAFM) – Workplace Integrated Demonstration Project Grant (WID).

May 29

Free prescription drugs could reduce overall health-care costs in Canada: study
CTV News
Comments by Dr. Nav Persaud
Overall health-care costs could be reduced in Canada by providing free prescription drugs to patients, according to a new study.

Five food swaps to make your diet more heart-healthy, according to a cardiologist
Insider
Comments by Dr. Beth Abramson
While most people want to live healthier lives, cutting down on your favorite foods can be a hard sell.

Emergency department visits and hospitalizations related to cannabis use during pregnancy almost doubled since legalization
Hospital News
Comments by Dr. Andrea Simpson
Hospital visits related to cannabis use during pregnancy increased 82 per cent in Ontario since legalization, according to new research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

May 28

HIV stigma index researchers look for Manitobans with positive diagnoses to share experience
CBC News Manitoba
Comments by Arthur Miller
Manitoba researchers looking for people to take part in a national HIV Stigma Index project are only about halfway to their goal of hearing from at least 75 people living with a positive diagnosis.

May 27

Do we use laws, diversions or safer supply to end toxic drug deaths? All of the above, and more
The Globe and Mail
OpEd co-written by Dr. Irfan Dhalla
Roughly 20 Canadians die each day from opioid toxicity, more than the number who die from breast cancer, liver disease or suicide daily. It’s clear there is a toxic drug poisoning crisis in this country – one that we do not yet have a consensus on how to solve.

May 26

Free medications produce overall health-care savings in Ontario trial, new study suggests
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Nav Persaud
Results from an experimental program that provides free prescription drugs to hundreds of people in Ontario suggest covering the cost of medication produces overall savings for the health-care system, according to a new study.

More help coming for seniors facing mental-health, addiction challenges in Vancouver
BC Gov News
Comments by Dr. Naheed Dosani
Seniors living with mental-health and addiction challenges in Vancouver and other communities in B.C. who are at risk of becoming homeless will get more help navigating vital supports thanks to ongoing funding from the Province.

May 25

Why you should become a clinical trial volunteer
Reader’s Digest
Comments by Dr. Jonathon Maguire
Clinical trials rely on volunteers from all walks of life to create medicines that are both safe and effective. Here’s why you should consider signing up.

May 24

A new HIV Stigma Index is being introduced to Manitoba
Information Radio – MB (CBC)
Interview with Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller talks with Stephanie Cram about how living with HIV has impacted his life and why he is helping to gather data on the HIV stigma index study.

Dr. Jane Batt appointed Vice-Chair, Research
U of T News
The Department of Medicine is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Jane Batt as our new Vice-Chair – Research, effective June 1, 2023.

Etripamil nasal spray shows promise in AFib with rapid ventricular rates
HCP Live
Comments by Dr. Paul Dorian
New data is providing additional insight into the effects of etripamil nasal spray for reducing ventricular rates following self-administration in patients with atrial fibrillation and rapid ventricular rates.

May 23

‘A huge benefit’: Advances in blood products may save lives in rural communities
Healthy Debate
Comments by Dr. Andrew Beckett and Dr. Brodie Nolan
On a busy spring afternoon, an overhead call for a “code transfusion” stirs commotion in the trauma bay at Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital. Immediately, two units of blood are loaded onto the “rapid transfuser.” Within minutes a cooler arrives from the blood bank containing more blood and thawed plasma.

Emergency department visits and hospitalizations for cannabis use during pregnancy almost doubled since legalization
OHRI
Comments by Dr. Andrea Simpson
In one of the largest studies of changes in cannabis use in pregnancy after legalization, researchers from ICES, The Ottawa Hospital, and Unity Health Toronto found that the number of pregnancies that required treatment for cannabis use in the emergency department (ED) or during a hospitalization in Ontario increased by 82 per cent (from 11 to 20 per 100,000 pregnancies) following legalization.

May 18

Awareness, anticipation and action: Kamran Khan on getting ahead of infectious diseases and supporting new generations of innovators
U of T News
Profile of Dr. Kamran Khan
The Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s annual Dean’s Lunch, hosted by Dean Trevor Young to thank and celebrate the Faculty’s most generous donors, is traditionally a relaxed, unrushed occasion. Yet, much of the focus of Kamran Khan’s keynote during the most recent event was the value of speed.

2023 CPS awards recognize outstanding contributions to child and youth health
Canadian Paediatric Society
Awards won by Dr. Ripudaman Minhas and Dr. Dilip Mehta
The Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS) has announced its 2023 award winners, honouring those who demonstrate excellence in paediatric research, advocacy, health promotion and education.

May 17

Guidance on menopause
Zoomer Radio
Interview with Dr. Fahad Razak
A closer look at a study that recommends hormone replacement therapy as the first treatment offered to women under the age of 60 who experience menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats and other challenges.

May 11

‘We need better tools’—new intracranial stent devices required for rare stroke pathologies
Neuro News
Comments by Dr. Vitor Mendes Pereira
“Overall, we just need better tools” was one of the salient points delivered by Jane Khalife (Cooper University Health Care, Camden, USA) in a talk at the LINNC Americas Seminar (16–17 March, Miami, USA) focusing on stroke cases with rare pathologies.

May 9

Hail the Clinician Investigator – the great integrator
U of T News
Profile of Dr. Marie Faughnan
Currently, we have 910 full time clinical faculty members in our department – of these, almost a quarter – 22% – are CIs (same proportion as for CSs!).

Aging in place is best way to take care of dementia
Toronto Star
Letter to the editor written by Dr. Luis Fornazzari
Artists teach us how to properly address aging and dementia through their art. Writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez described primary progressive aphasia, (Bruce Willis’ dementia) in “One Hundred Years of Solitude” 30 years before this type of dementia was published in neurology journals.

May 8

WHO says COVID as global health emergency is over. Now what?
Toronto Star – This Matters podcast
Interview with Dr. Fahad Razak
After more than three years, the World Health Organization has declared that COVID-19 is over as a global health emergency. However, the organization also said the virus remains a threat and can still get people very sick.

Virtual care not linked with greater ED use during pandemic
MD Edge
Comments by Dr. Tara Kiran
Canadian family physicians’ increased use of virtual care during the first years of the pandemic was not associated with increased emergency department use among patients, a new analysis of data from Ontario suggests.

May 5

The present and future of lipid testing in cardiovascular risk assessment
Clinical Chemistry Podcast
Interview with Dr. Daniel Beriault
Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death worldwide. In the United States, approximately one in every five deaths is attributed to heart disease.

W-H-O declares COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency
CBC Radio – Here and Now
Interview with Dr. Prabhat Jha
The W-H-O now says COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency. The announcement comes more than three years after the Organization declared the virus an international crisis.

What the end of the COVID emergency means for Canada
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Prabhat Jha
The World Health Organization has ended the global COVID-19 emergency, citing increased immunity, fewer deaths and less pressure on hospitals. But while the situation with the virus has improved worldwide, it has also exposed major issues with Canada’s health-care system.

May 3

Those itchy, red, watery eyes could be allergies. They could also be a sign of COVID
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
Just in time for spring, when tree and flower pollen become the bane of existence for allergy sufferers, doctors are warning that there could be another reason for those red, itchy eyes: COVID-19.

ChatGPT scores 46 per cent on multiple-choice ophthalmology test
Optometry Today
Comments by Dr. Rajeev Muni
An artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot that answered 125 multiple-choice questions for board certification in ophthalmology scored 46 per cent.

May 2

How does inflammation cause heart failure? New study reveals insights
Medical Xpress
Comments by Dr. Andrew Advani
A St. Michael’s-led study has uncovered a way in which inflammation of the heart can prompt the production of a protein that impairs heart function.

May 1

ChatGPT scores nearly 50 per cent on ophthalmology practice exam
Insight News
Comments by Dr. Rajeev Muni
A study of ChatGPT found the artificial intelligence (AI) tool answered less than half of the questions correctly in an exam resource commonly used by trainees preparing for ophthalmology certification.

April 27

ChatGPT scores nearly 50 per cent on board certification practice test for ophthalmology, study shows
Medical Xpress
Comments by Dr. Rajeev Muni
A study of ChatGPT found the artificial intelligence tool answered less than half of the test questions correctly from a study resource commonly used by physicians when preparing for board certification in ophthalmology.

What is and isn’t working to fix the family doctor shortage?
CBC Radio – Ontario Today
Interview with Dr. Tara Kiran
Family physician and research scientist Dr. Tara Kiran invited patients to say what they need for primary care. We’ll hear the results of her research and what callers without primary care say they need.

Are diesel school buses harming kids? Why replacing them with electric could have health and psychological benefits
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Samantha Green
More and more cars hum, an audible signal of the increasing number of electric vehicles on Canadian roads. But one type still loudly rumbles: the classic yellow school bus.

April 26

The survival rate for pancreatic cancer
Zoomer Radio
Interview with Dr. Fahad Razak
The survival rate for pancreatic cancer is increasing according to The American Cancer Society. The five-year survival rate for this type of cancer went up by one per cent and is now at 12 per cent. This is good news considering that this particular type of cancer has a very low survival rate.

Trillium Health tests Signal 1’s patient flow platform
Canadian Healthcare Technology
Comments by Dr. Muhammad Mamdani
Trillium Health Partners (THP) is set to harness the power of AI technology in healthcare in a new partnership with Toronto-based company Signal 1. The startup’s AI-based platform, called The Discharge Predictor, can forecast changes in patient care needs and help improve hospital flow.

April 20

When will I retire? How about never
Wall Street Journal
Comments by David Li
Many workers of a certain age are counting down to a long-anticipated retirement date. They relish the opportunity to do things they’ve never had the time for. Or to do nothing.

April 19

Seeking a psychotherapist? This mindfest speaker has tips
U of T News
Q&A with Dr. Saadia Sediqzadah
Saadia Sediqzadah is a faculty member in psychiatry at the University of Toronto and a clinician-investigator at Unity Health Toronto. She specializes in early psychosis intervention and supporting marginalized adolescent populations, and identifies as a daughter of Afghan refugees.

Meet the AI tools helping hospitals see more patients sooner
The Globe and Mail
Comments by Muhammad Mamdani
As it’s piloted throughout Canadian health care, artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to tackle long-standing problems that have put the system on the brink.

April 17

In low-income neighbourhoods, babies of immigrant parents are born healthier: study
CTV News
Comments by Dr. Joel Ray
In Ontario’s poorest neighbourhoods, newborns of non-refugee immigrant mothers face a lower risk of serious illness and death than those born to Canadian-born mothers, according to a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal on Monday.

April 16

Why aren’t we hearing about COVID waves anymore? Because COVID is at ‘a high tide’ — and staying there
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
Visit any supermarket, school or sports facility these days and you’d be hard pressed to find signs that COVID-19 is still among us.

April 14

Is Ontario repeating public health mistakes?
TVO – The Agenda
Interview with Dr. Fahad Razak
Is Ontario prepared to handle the next viral surge of COVID-19? How about the next pandemic?

April 13

One expert’s hope as rapid-test HIV, syphilis approved by Health Canada
CTV News – Your Morning
Interview with Dr. Sean Rourke
A new dual testing kit for syphilis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) approved in Canada has one expert hopeful it will increase awareness and encourage people to seek care.

Syphilis cases in babies skyrockets in Canada
CityNews
Comments by Dr. Sean Rourke
The number of babies born with congenital syphilis in Canada is rising at a faster rate than in the United States and Europe, with a major increase in the prairie provinces, including Manitoba.

April 10

Alarming number of babies being born with syphilis in Canada
CBC News – The National
Comments by Dr. Sean Rourke
Medical experts say there’s been a significant increase in the number of babies in Canada being born with syphilis, which can have serious implications for infants.

April 8

WITHWomen app helps women assess their safety
Toronto Star
Op-Ed by Dr. Patricia O’Campo
Every time we have a public conversation about violence at home, it makes the private conversations possible. This is why we at MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions at St. Michael’s Hospital, a site of Unity Health Toronto, were encouraged to see Wendy Gillis and Alyshah Hasham’s article outlining different ways to get support if home is not a safe place.

April 6

Windsor wants to start testing its local drug supply. Here’s why that matters
CBC News Windsor
Comments by Karen McDonald
Even though Windsor has been in the middle of a growing opioid crisis for years now, health experts and users still don’t know what other highly toxic substances are being mixed into the local drug supply.

Toronto residents increasingly don’t have a family doctor. Here’s why
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Tara Kiran
The number of people in Toronto who do not have a family doctor jumped significantly during the first two years of the pandemic, with at least 72,000 losing access to their physician, according to new data that underscores the worsening state of primary care in Ontario.

Here’s how patients want Ontario’s primary health-care system to change
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Tara Kiran
In the ongoing debate over how to improve health care in Canada, there’s a new effort to find solutions by listening to the views of patients.

April 5

Medical upselling is costing Canadians thousands
Global News Radio Calgary/Edmonton
Interview with Dr. Danyaal Raza
Dr. Raza is a family doctor at St. Michael’s.

What age should you retire for health?
Zoomer Radio
Interview with Dr. Amol Verma
A discussion about the ideal retirement age for your health.

April 4

Fentanyl test strips not enough to prevent most opioid overdose deaths, expert warns
CTV Your Morning
Interview with Karen McDonald
Paper fentanyl test strips are a simple way for people struggling with substance use to determine if fentanyl has been mixed into their drugs, but some advocates say they fail to help the people most at risk of dying from an opioid overdose.

Toronto Police attending four separate OD calls downtown
NewsTalk 1010
Interview with Karen McDonald
Karen McDonald, lead for Toronto’s drug checking service at St Michael’s Hospital, talks Toronto police attending 4 separate OD calls downtown over the weekend with Moore In The Morning.

Clear communication can facilitate family member screenings after sudden cardiac death
Healio
Comments by Katherine Allan
Health care provider interactions with family members after a relative’s sudden cardiac death vary in type, format and timing, and stress surrounding the event can affect relatives’ decisions to pursue genetic screenings, data show.

April 3

Fentanyl warning issued after four overdoses
CTV News Toronto
Comments by Karen McDonald
Toronto police issued a warning over the weekend following four suspected overdoses linked to the use of fentanyl.

April 2

What Canada’s slipping global ranking in infant deaths says about the overall health of society
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Janet Smylie
Ottawa couple Mario and Jennifer Bazinet lost their first son — Beau Paul — at three and a half months old. Mario went to get his son and found him lifeless in his crib on Dec. 13, 2020.

Medical upselling in Canada can cost patients thousands of dollars
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Danyaal Raza
Lois Cooper says she was upsold thousands of dollars in extra services at a private, for-profit clinic, and when she started to ask questions, the doctor told her to leave. She’s not the only Canadian who’s gone through the questionable practice.

April 1

How to stop random violence on the TTC? Seven top experts offer real fixes
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Stephen Hwang
Another aching death in Toronto’s transit system — this time, the killing of 16-year-old Gabriel Magalhaes — has renewed a sweeping question the city has faced for months. What do we do now to respond to the thrum of violence that’s shaken the city’s public transit system?

March 31

Ottawa’s health information demands will benefit patients
Canadian Healthcare Technology
Comments by Dr. Trevor Jamieson
The recent federal-provincial agreement on healthcare spending is being hailed as an important step toward the liberation and sharing of personal health information between healthcare providers and patients.

Syphilis cases in babies skyrocket in Canada amid health care failures
The Globe and Mail
Comments by Dr. Sean Rourke
The numbers of babies born with syphilis in Canada are rising at a far faster rate than recorded in the United States or Europe, an increase public health experts said is driven by increased methamphetamine use and lack of access to the public health system for Indigenous people.

AI-powered tool on St. Michael’s surgical unit helps to improve care
Canadian Healthcare Technology
Comments by Ruth Mega, Dr. Reza Gholami and Swanee Tobin
On a busy day in St. Michael’s Hospital’s surgical unit, the care team can look after upwards of 42 patients, coordinating everything from pain management to wound treatment to deciding when patients can go home.

Canadian company develops test for animal tranquilizer in street drugs — but it’s not available in Canada
CBC News
Comments by Karen McDonald
A Canadian biotech company has developed new test strips to detect the dangerous animal tranquillizer xylazine in the highly toxic street drug supply — but while the strips are already shipping across the U.S., Canada hasn’t yet approved the potentially lifesaving tool.

March 29

Profile: Vitor Mendes Pereira
Neuro News
Profile of Dr. Vitor Pereira
As medical accolades go, performing the world’s first robot-assisted neurointerventional procedure—a feat that Vitor Mendes Pereira and his team achieved back in 2019—is something any physician would be proud of.

March 28

Kidney stone ‘vacuum’ developed by Toronto researcher aims to reduce need for followup care
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Monica Farcas
A new invention created by a Toronto researcher could alter how kidney stones are treated, along with the disorder’s prognosis for patients.

March 27

Xylazine: Expert view on risk of lethal substance in Canada’s street drug supply
CTV News
Comments by Hayley Thompson
Another harmful substance is spreading within Canada’s unregulated street drug supply and, without more aggressive intervention from policymakers, one expert says a growing number of people could be at risk of serious illness, injury or death.

Calls to end ‘race correction’ in health care
CBC Radio – The Current
Interview with Dr. Nav Persaud
Common diagnostic health tests have long been interpreted differently for Black patients — a practice called “race correction,” which has systematically denied access to timely and sometimes life-saving care.

March 24

Toronto wants to expand drug decriminalization to cover all ages and substances
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Dan Werb
Toronto updated its 14-month-old decriminalization request to the federal government Friday, clarifying it wants a Health Canada exemption to cover young people as well as adults, and all drugs for personal use.

Improper disposal of medical waste costs health systems and the environment
CMAJ News
Comments by Dr. Ali Abbass
Health care is a major polluter both in terms of emissions and contributions to landfills. The combined health sectors of the United States, Australia, England, and Canada emit an estimated 748 million metric tons of greenhouse gases each year, more than all but the six top polluting countries in the world.

Toronto showed ‘significant unfairness’ in controversial encampment clearings, report finds
CBC News
Comments by Zoë Dodd
Toronto showed “significant unfairness” when it cleared encampments in the summer of 2021 and chose to act quickly despite there being no urgency to do so, an investigation into the controversial moves has found.

Everything you need to know about menstrual cups
Chatelaine
Comments by Dr. Yolanda Kirkham
The average woman uses a mind-boggling 11,000 pads and tampons in her life. As a result, approximately 20 billion disposable menstrual products—most of which contain plastic that won’t biodegrade for hundreds of years—get dumped into landfills annually.

March 22

Long COVID, bonuses for nurses and more
Zoomer Radio
Interview with Dr. Fahad Razak
The province of Nova Scotia is offering its nurses a bonus of $10,000 in an effort to retain them in the public health system. The only condition is that they commit to a two year “return of service” agreement by the end March 2024. Should Ontario’s government follow the same strategy?

March 17

In Toronto, more than three homeless people died on average every week last year, new data shows
Toronto Star
Comments by Zoe Dodd
More than three homeless Torontonians died every week last year, new public health data shows — a total of 187 lives lost while battling with housing precarity in Canada’s largest city.

COVID pandemic three years later: lessons learned
CP24
Interview with Dr. Fahad Razak
Dr. Razak, former head of the Ontario science table, reflects on the past three years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

March 14

Thirteen times more babies born with syphilis in Canada over 4 years, data shows
CBC Radio – The Current
Interview with Dr. Darrell Tan
There has been a sharp increase in the number of babies born in Canada with syphilis, an infection that one doctor says “can be particularly devastating in pregnancy.”

March 13

Toronto marks third anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic
CityNews
Comments by Dr. Naheed Dosani
It’s been three years since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared. Melissa Nakhavoly with the lesson learned and what experts say still needs to be done at this stage of the pandemic.

March 12

How to prepare for future pandemics?
CBC News Network
Interview with Dr. Prabhat Jha

March 11

Three years into COVID-19, life is ‘back to normal’ for some, forever changed for others
CBC Windsor
Comments by Dr. Prabhat Jha
Three years after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, many people are relishing the freedom to return mask-free to their pre-pandemic activities, while others’ lives have been changed forever by the arrival of the virus.

March 10

At a virtual long-COVID clinic, patients across Ontario access care and find support
The Globe and Mail
Comments by Dr. Ashley Verduyn and Lori Brady
The patients sit in front of their computers and phones, the glow of the screens illuminating their faces as they type questions and share stories about the challenges they’re facing. One woman’s brain fog is so severe she once forgot her own sister’s name. A man describes how difficult it is to do something as basic as walk to the kitchen for a snack. A mother laments the lack of energy and stamina she has to care for her toddlers.

Why isn’t everyone being offered a COVID booster this spring?
The Globe and Mail
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
Unlike previous COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, which were open to the general population, the next round of shots will probably be limited to people at risk of developing severe disease if they become infected with the virus that causes COVID.

March 8

The medical record: Ontario Patient Ombudsman Report
Zoomer Radio
Interview with Dr. Fahad Razak
This upcoming Saturday will be the three year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our panel reflects on how far we’ve come.

March 6

Newborns in Canada must have better primary-care access
The Globe and Mail
OpEd by Dr. Sloane Freeman
The OurCare national research survey estimates that 6.5 million Canadians over the age of 18 lack a primary-care physician, and a significant number of these people are parents with newborns.

March 3

Is it time for your COVID booster? New federal guidelines tell you
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
For those wondering if and when they should get their next COVID-19 booster shot, federal health officials have released new guidance.

Pilot project invites Toronto Community Housing’s high school tenants to explore medical field
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Robert Yanagawa
High school students from marginalized communities don’t often get a lot of encouragement to enter the medical profession but a pilot project in Toronto is aimed at changing that.

Harm reduction dispensing machines to be installed across Canada
Hospital News
Comments by Dr. Sean Rourke
Machines that dispense free self-testing kits for HIV and COVID-19, naloxone kits, new needles, condoms and other essential harm reduction and sexual health supplies will soon appear in communities across Canada.

March 2

What Canadians need to know about palliative care
CP24
Interview with Dr. Naheed Dosani
Dr. Dosani, a palliative care physician, explains what palliative care is and what people need to know about the approach.

AI-powered tool on surgical unit to improve patient care
Hospital News
Comments by Ruth Mega, Dr. Reza Gholami and Swanee Tobin
On a busy day in St. Michael’s Hospital’s surgical unit, the care team can look after upwards of 42 patients, coordinating everything from pain management to wound treatment to deciding when patients can go home.

March 1

EVT will save millions of lives from stroke. Eventually.
The New York Times Magazine
Comments by Dr. Sharon Straus
A procedure called EVT is creating radically better outcomes for patients, but only when it’s performed quickly enough — and that requires the transformation of an entire system of care.

February 28

Navigating your postpartum period
She Does The City
Column by Dr. Yolanda Kirkham
For many, the first period after childbirth can feel new and different than what you were used to before pregnancy. Your body just went through a massive change, and your hormones are also changing. It’ll take some time for you to feel comfortable with your new cycle, so here are some tips to help you through.

Is Long Covid a single illness?
TVO – The Agenda with Steve Paikin
Interview with Dr. Fahad Razak
It can be pulmonary. It can be neurological. It can set off autoimmune issues. Long Covid can be many things. Should we no longer see it as a single issue?

Ottawa Hospital opens operating rooms to private corporation, amid questions about new partnership
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. David Gomez
A move by Ottawa’s largest hospital to allow a surgeon-run corporation to use its operating rooms is fuelling concerns about how the provincial government plans to grow the private footprint in publicly-funded health-care.

Drug to treat cystic fibrosis is giving people the chance to consider new futures
The Globe and Mail
Comments by Dr. Anne Stephenson
Marie-Pier Emery dared not dream of a baby. She knew that women with her genetic disease, cystic fibrosis, struggled to conceive. She also knew that, although CF patients are living longer than ever, they rarely lived long enough to see their children grow up.

February 24

New supervised drug consumption sites in Toronto to address ‘significant overdose crisis’
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Tim Rutledge
New supervised drug consumption sites will open in Toronto in response to a worsening opioid overdose crisis, in a partnership between the city’s harm reduction program and two hospitals, Toronto Public Health announced Friday.

Hospitals are overwhelmed. Physician burnout is rampant. I’m working to change that
Toronto Life
Column by Dr. James Maskalyk
After I was diagnosed with stage-four thyroid cancer, my colleagues covered my shifts and even helped me financially. Now, it’s my turn to support them

February 23

How kids’ mental health suffered as we managed COVID: Mid-pandemic hospital data paints striking picture
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Amol Verma
Infants and young children were hit hard by COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses in the second year of the pandemic compared to the previous year, leading to a spike in hospitalizations, while older kids and teens required hospital care for mental health conditions, new Canada-wide hospital data shows.

February 22

Parents’ decision-making on COVID vaccinations for their kids
CityNews Halifax
Interview with Dr. Jannah Wigle
(Segment in hour one, starts at 25:12)
Dr. Wigle, lead author of the report, Clinical Research Specialist at Unity Health Toronto, shares a study that says kids COVID-19 vaccination was a ‘complex’ decision for parents.

15 per cent death rate, severe lesions reported in patients with mpox alongside advanced HIV: study
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Darrell Tan
During Canada’s unprecedented mpox outbreak last summer, Montreal physician Dr. Antoine Cloutier-Blais noticed a concerning trend: Patients co-infected with advanced HIV were reporting lesions across their bodies, and systemic mpox symptoms.

February 21

Kids COVID-19 vaccination ‘complex’ decision for parents, study shows
Global News
Comments by Dr. Janet Parsons
To vaccinate or not to vaccinate against COVID-19? It has been a challenging and polarizing decision for parents in Canada during the coronavirus pandemic.

February 17

No stick and a small carrot: Can the federal government fix health care?
Toronto Star – It’s Political podcast
Interview with Dr. Tara Kiran
What will it take to fix health care in Canada?

February 15

Where should the new health-care money go? Here are Canada’s most pressing problems — and solutions
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Tara Kiran
Across the board, Canada’s vaunted health-care system — always under strain — has seemingly come undone after three years of pandemic stress.

February 14

Uncovering the real numbers behind who in Ontario lacks access to a family doctor
The Globe and Mail
Comments by Dr. Tara Kiran and Dr. Rick Glazier
The number of Ontarians without a family doctor rose significantly during the first two years of the pandemic, according to the most comprehensive analysis yet of how access to primary care is deteriorating in Canada’s most populous province.

February 13

Paxlovid medication lowers risk of COVID-19 death, hospitalization: study
CTV News
Comments by Dr. Kevin Schwartz
A new study has found that Paxlovid is proven to lower the risk of COVID-19-related death and hospitalization among those likely to experience severe illness.

February 10

Homeless: Search for solution grows more urgent than ever
Catholic Register
Comments by Dr. Stephen Hwang
As Canada’s largest city panics over a series of random stranger attacks, there is sudden media and political attention on Toronto’s exploding homeless population, especially the homeless who appear to be addicted or mentally ill.

February 9

He never learned about Canada’s first Black doctors in medical school. He wants all students to know their names
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Nav Persaud
It was only a few years ago that Toronto physician and researcher Nav Persaud learned the names Alexander Augusta and Anderson Abbott.

February 7

We need bold reform to fix family health care
The Globe and Mail
OpEd by Dr. Tara Kiran
Access to health care should be based on need and not on one’s ability to pay. Time and again, people in Canada have reaffirmed this as a fundamental value we share.

COVID-19 vaccine uptake plunges in Canada
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
Check the calendar. Has it been more than six months since you’ve gotten a COVID shot? Experts are concerned with how many people have had any COVID-19 vaccine, regardless if it’s their first vaccine or fifth, in the past six months.

February 6

Project to set up 100 harm reduction “vending machines” across Canada
Filter
Comments by Dr. Sean Rourke
Vending machines are increasingly being deployed to distribute harm reduction supplies in North America. As Filter has reported, they’re being used to dispense hydromorphone in a Canadian safe supply project, and naloxone and sterile syringes in New York City, among other examples.

February 5

Vinyl records pressed with bodily fluids and CDs packaged with human hair — what makes a Toronto doctor collect these things?
Toronto Star
Interview with Dr. Michael Tau
Dr. Michael Tau works in the Unity Health Toronto hospital network, serving patients at St. Mike’s downtown and Providence in Scarborough. Recently, he wrote a book in which he explores a certain obsessive behaviour that might seem odd if not downright disturbing to the average person. But the book in question probably won’t make a lot of waves in his specialist field of geriatric psychiatry – because it’s about his music collection.

February 4

Many Canadians welcomed virtual health care. Where does it fit in the system now?
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Tara Kiran
Having the option to speak with her doctor over the phone for basic check-ins and requests has freed up Shawna Ford’s energy for tasks she’d prefer doing. “Normally, to go into the city, I don’t do anything the day before. I don’t do anything a few days after because it totally drains me. So having those phone appointments is amazing,” the Alberta woman, 62, told White Coat, Black Art.

February 3

Extreme cold puts spotlight on homelessness
CP24
Interview with Dr. Naheed Dosani
Diana Chan McNally with All Saints Toronto and Dr. Dosani discuss the lack of warming centres for the city’s unhoused population.

February 2

Why Toronto’s homeless are sleeping in hospital ERs
Toronto Star – This Matters podcast
Comments by Dr. Carolyn Snider
While hospitals are still struggling with staff shortages and overflowing ERs, some have also been pushed to the front lines of Toronto’s homelessness crisis. As almost 5,000 homeless Torontonians came through St. Michael’s downtown trauma centre last year, some were there simply because they had no place to stay.

February 1

Can a vending machine save lives?
Toronto Star – This Matters podcast
Interview with Dr. Sean Rourke
Smart vending machines have launched on Canada’s East coast. They’re the first of what will be 100 nationwide. But instead of dispensing chocolate or candy, these machines hold life-saving supplies like HIV tests, naloxone kits and unused needles.

Estrogen: How lifelong exposure may reduce the risk of stroke
Healthline
Comments by Dr. Atif Zafar
Estrogen therapy and its impact on stroke risk remains a much-debated topic. While too much estrogen can cause reproductive issues, past research indicates that the risk of cardiac and stroke death increases in the first year after stopping hormone therapy.

January 30

On the front lines of the homelessness crisis, a downtown ER tries a novel new approach
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Carolyn Snider, Rissa Raposo-Ferreira, LP Pavey and Zahra Tahil
When Dan Shaffer turned up at the St. Michael’s Hospital emergency room, it wasn’t for a medical crisis. In his early 70s, Shaffer had been evicted from his apartment and had nowhere else to go.

January 27

WHO pandemic decision
CTV News Channel
Interview with Dr. Prabhat Jha
Epidemiologist Dr. Jha discusses the WHO decision.

January 26

Analysis: Kraken surging, COVID-19 misinformation
CP24
Interview with Dr. Fahad Razak
Dr. Razak, an internist at St. Mike’s Hospital, talks about the surging Kraken variant and a report on COVID misinformation.

January 25

Is COVID still a global health emergency? WHO will decide Friday
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
On Friday, the World Health Organization will declare whether COVID is still a public health emergency, three years after the organization first triggered the alarm.

Clinical extern program helps learners gain experience and address staffing needs
Hospital News
Comments by Conor Goulden, Julie McShane and Kaleil Mitchell
Since completing a nursing student placement at St. Michael’s Hospital in December 2020, Conor Goulden knew he wanted to find a permanent spot at the hospital. “I did a student placement in my fourth year in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU), and I remember thinking it didn’t seem possible to work in a workplace and love it so much that you almost feel like crying at the end,” he recalls.

January 24

OurCare survey highlights lack of access to primary care
Healthy Debate
Comments by Dr. Tara Kiran
Canadians’ access to primary care is worse than previously thought, according to results of the first phase of the OurCare project, one of the largest ever nation-wide surveys on primary health care. Of the nearly 9,300 survey respondents, only 77 per cent reported having a family doctor or nurse practitioner. Pre-pandemic estimates had put this number closer to 85 per cent.

January 23

Machines that dispense HIV testing kits, clean needles and Naloxone launch in Canada
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Sean Rourke
Machines that dispense HIV self-testing kits, clean needles and other harm reduction supplies have been installed in Atlantic Canada with plans for 100 in the next three years across the country, which continues to grapple with HIV cases and an opioid crisis.

January 22

The rise of virtual care isn’t driving ER visits, study says
The Globe and Mail
Comments by Dr. Tara Kiran
There are many reasons why hospital emergency departments have been under unprecedented strain lately, but new research shows that the shift by family doctors to virtual care since the start of the pandemic is not one of them, according to the president of the Ontario Medical Association.

January 20

Does COVID-19 disrupt the immune system?
The Globe and Mail
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
The theory that a COVID-19 infection might cause some type of immune dysfunction is being seriously considered by medical experts.

Everything you need to know about XBB.1.5, a.k.a. the Kraken subvariant
Toronto Star
Interview with Dr. Fahad Razak
The XBB.1.5, known by the nickname “Kraken,” is the latest COVID-19 subvariant of concern. Found to be highly transmissible, health experts are already seeing surges in other parts of the world like Europe and the United States, where there are higher case counts and hospitalizations.

Grand River Hospital implementing AI to help support patient needs
CTV Kitchener
Signal 1 is mentioned
Grand River Hospital in Kitchener announced it will be the first teaching community hospital in Canada to use artificial intelligence as a clinical decision support system.

January 18

‘A Band-Aid on top of a Band-Aid’: Winter-weather alerts are leaving vulnerable Ontarians out in the cold
TVO
Comments by Dr. Stephen Hwang
On December 23, a winter storm hit Hamilton and much of southern Ontario. Hundreds of people in Steeltown lost power, and schools, businesses, and public spaces closed. The medical officer of health issued a cold-weather alert, which happens when temperatures are (or are expected to drop) below -15 C, or -20 C with wind chill.

Can Canadian med students abroad solve doctor shortages?
TVO – The Agenda
Interview with Dr. Glen Bandiera
In 2010 an estimated 3,500 Canadians left to study medicine abroad. Ninety per cent of them wanted to return to Canada to be practicing doctors. That study was over a dozen years ago and from there, the numbers keep going up, while here at home we have a chronic physician shortage. Might foreign trained Canadian doctors be the talent pool solution to doctor shortages around this province and the country?

‘I’m not lazy, I’m a warrior’: Scarborough woman with long COVID one of thousands still living with symptoms
Scarborough Mirror
Comments by Kelly Tough
Brain fog is forgetting something someone told you five minutes ago or struggling to find the right words or being unable to spell them in your head.

Joining efforts to train and hire nurses from around the world
Hospital News
Comments by Sheila Leano-Cunanan, Julie McShane, Navdeep Kaur and Amita Ganeshan
Sheila Leano-Cunanan says nursing is in her blood. “Through my mom, I saw nursing as being a hard job, dealing with so many different people and circumstances, and also rewarding to help those who are in need and to serve humanity,” she says.

January 17

New Omicron subvariant expected to become dominant in Ontario as cases rise
CTV News
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
Cases of a new, highly-transmissible Omicron subvariant have risen in Ontario, and the former head of the province’s science table said it will become the next dominant COVID-19 strain.

Recent overdose deaths in Simcoe-Muskoka part of an ‘ongoing trend,’ experts say
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Tara Gomes
Ontario Provincial Police sounded the alarm last week after four people in the Simcoe-Muskoka area died from suspected opioid overdoses in a span of four days.

COPD patients 61 per cent more likely to die in the year after major surgery
Medical XPress
Comments by Dr. Ashwin Sankar
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who undergo major surgery are more likely to die in the year after surgery and incur higher health care costs than similar patients without COPD, found a new study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

January 16

Using machine learning to predict brain tumour progression
University of Waterloo News
St. Michael’s is mentioned
Researchers at the University of Waterloo have created a computational model to predict the growth of deadly brain tumours more accurately.

Toronto doctor reacts to significant changes coming to Ontario’s healthcare system
CBC Radio – Here and Now
Interview with Dr. Amit Atrey
The Ontario provincial government has officially laid out its plan to expand the range of medical procedures performed at privately run clinics.

Keep warming centres open 24/7 for rest of winter, Board of Health urges city
CP24
Comments by Dr. Jacqueline Vincent and Dr. Stephen Hwang
Toronto’s Board of Health is urging the city to keep its warming centres open 24/7 for the remainder of the winter season.

January 15

Why this Sask. drug outreach centre doesn’t require abstinence to access its services
CBC Radio – White Coat, Black Art
Comments by Zoe Dodd
Kayla DeMong considers it a sign of success if her clients keep showing up. DeMong is the executive director of Prairie Harm Reduction. The organization provides supports to people who use drugs, including Saskatchewan’s only supervised consumption site in Saskatoon’s Pleasant Hill neighbourhood.

January 14

Code Z59.0: diagnosing the toll of homelessness on health care
The Globe and Mail
Comments by Dr. Stephen Hwang
In the emergency department at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, Dr. Louis Hugo Francescutti recently treated a patient who was homeless and was there for the 360th time.

Something really, really must be done: an urgent plea for the Canada Disability Benefit to become law in 2023
Toronto Star
OpEd co-written by Dr. Naheed Dosani
Our patient, a 59-year-old man with cerebral palsy, is experiencing homelessness. His family is no longer able to support him. Provincial social assistance rates are so low he can no longer afford to live. He is a victim of abject poverty.

January 12

Street drugs in Canada are becoming more toxic — and tools to treat them less effective. Why?
Global News
Comments by Karen McDonald
A rise in the circulation of highly potent fentanyl that is increasingly being mixed with other drugs is making Canada’s street drug supply so toxic and unpredictable, tools to prevent overdoses such as naloxone are not always fully effective, experts say.

Patients who use virtual walk-in clinics more likely to go to ER later: study
Toronto Star
Comments by Dr. Tara Kiran
People who used a virtual-only medical service — a kind of virtual walk-in clinic — during the pandemic were more likely to later go to an emergency room than patients who did appointments with their own family doctor online, a study by Toronto researchers has shown.

January 11

Ozempic for weight loss: wonder drug or diet fad?
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Nav Persaud
Questions are swirling around the use of semaglutide, commonly sold under the brand name Ozempic, for weight loss. CBC’s Christine Birak explores the risks and benefits of off-label uses of the drug, which is traditionally used to treat Type 2 diabetes.

January 9

‘It’s extremely hard’: Peel residents share what it’s like to live on ODSP and OW with rising inflation
Brampton Guardian
Comments by Dr. Gary Bloch
Judy Simms lives in constant pain. Even while explaining her diagnosis, she had to stop as a new wave of searing pain flashed over her.

January 7

What nearly dying of cancer taught an ER doctor about burnout
The Globe and Mail
Profile of Dr. James Maskalyk
Dr. James Maskalyk felt the irregularity in his neck in May of 2020, just as he and his emergency-room colleagues were bracing to be overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients. Tests showed it was Stage 4 cancer in his lymph node. Surgery soon followed.

Implications of COVID-19 surge ahead of Lunar New Year for Canada
Global News
Comments by Dr. Prabhat Jha
China’s Lunar New Year travel rush begins amid a surge of COVID-19 in the country and fears the virus will spread even faster than it already has. Beijing has suspended social accounts of vocal critics, while new cases of subvariant XBB.1.5 are still spiking in the U.S., raising questions about what comes next for Canada.

January 6

We can’t view health as an exclusively personal matter – it’s a collective endeavour
The Globe and Mail
Comments by Dr. Dan Werb and Dr. Naheed Dosani
Perhaps this year you’ve resolved to improve your health. You’re eating better. You’re exercising regularly. You’re staying hydrated, and prioritizing sleep. But have you also thought about what you can do to ensure your friends are healthy too? Your neighbours? Your surrounding environment and wildlife?

What Canadians need to know about the Omicron ‘Kraken’ subvariant XBB.1.5
The Globe and Mail
Comments by Dr. Fahad Razak
XBB.1.5, referred to by some as the Kraken variant, is just the latest in a constantly evolving string of new variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

January 5

What we know — and don’t know — about the latest COVID-19 subvariant
TVO Today
Q&A with Dr. Fahad Razak
Over the December holidays, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that a new subvariant of COVID-19, XBB.1.5, was spreading rapidly, accounting for over 40 per cent of the cases in that country.

January 4

Covid variant xBB 1-5
CBC Radio Windsor Morning
Interview with Dr. Fahad Razak
Dr. Razak, an internist and epidemiologist at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, and the former director of Ontario’s Covid-19 Science Advisory Table, speaks with CBC Windsor Morning host Nav Nanwa about Covid variant xBB 1-5.

January 3

China travel measures a ‘political move’: Dr. Jha
CTV News
Interview with Dr. Prabhat Jha
Epidemiologist Dr. Prabhat Jha says China needs to share more COVID-19 data globally to help restore the confidence of other nations.

What the rest of the country can learn from Ontario’s family doctor payment model
The Globe and Mail
Comments by Dr. Gordon Arbess and Dr. Tara Kiran
Allan Carpenter shuffles into the doctor’s office and gets down to business. The 65-year-old patient and his long-time physician, Gordon Arbess, have plenty to talk about, even though they see each other for a check-up every second week.

Changing nature of Canada’s overdose crisis calls for more aggressive response, experts say
CBC News
Comments by Dr. Tara Gomes and Karen McDonald
An evolving mix of opioid cocktails and changing consumption habits mean governments must now respond more aggressively to the overdose crisis, experts say.