Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast CMAJ Podcasts
| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How physician identity influences income | 17 Nov 2025 | 00:28:02 | |
This episode of the CMAJ Podcast explores how physician identity can influence patient expectations, and how those expectations may contribute to gender, race, and immigration status pay gaps. The discussion builds on the CMAJ article “Family physician pay inequality: a qualitative study exploring how physician responses to perceived patient expectations may explain gender, race, and immigration status pay differences”. Dr. Monika Dutt, a family physician, public health and preventive medicine specialist, and PhD candidate in health policy at McMaster University, explains how the study’s interviews with 55 family physicians across Ontario revealed patterns linking patient expectations to physician identity. She describes how gender and cultural background influence the types of visits physicians are asked to provide, and how these interactions may affect their earnings under fee-for-service models. Dr. Meredith Vanstone, professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McMaster University, outlines how physicians adapt to explicit and inferred patient expectations and the income implications that follow. She discusses how these expectations are shaped by identity and why the resulting adjustments in care can lead to financial penalties for some physicians while improving patient relationships and trust. The guests highlight how remuneration structures can either amplify or mitigate these inequities. They suggest that moving toward salary or time-based models could help reduce the impact of physician identity on income while supporting equitable, patient-centred care. For more information from our sponsor, go to medicuspensionplan.com Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Black youth and access to mental health care | 03 Nov 2025 | 00:31:44 | |
A recent article in CMAJ, Mental health service use among Black adolescents in Ontario by sex and stress level: a cross-sectional study, reveals how patterns of mental health service use among Black youth shift with the level of psychological distress. Lead author Mercedes Sobers, a PhD candidate in epidemiology at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and research coordinator at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, joins the podcast to unpack the findings and their implications. The study found that Black male youth had higher odds of accessing services than white male youth when at low levels of distress but lower odds of accessing services at high levels. Black female youth had lower odds of service use than white female youth at both low and high distress levels. Mercedes explains how these patterns may reflect how behaviour is interpreted: Black boys may be referred to services more often at lower distress levels but steered toward more punitive responses when distress rises. For Black girls, she points to adultification and cultural mismatches in care. Dr. Amy Gajaria, a psychiatrist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and associate scientist in the Margaret and Wallace McCain Centre for Child, Youth and Family Mental Health, describes how programs like AMANI aim to provide culturally adapted care and build trust with Black youth. She shares how early encounters with the system can shape future engagement with care. For physicians, the discussion underscores the importance of culturally sensitive care that embraces and reflects the experiences of Black youth, creating more meaningful and effective pathways to support. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| New guidelines for managing hypertension in primary care | 30 Jun 2025 | 00:27:36 | |
On this episode of the CMAJ Podcast, hosts Dr. Mojola Omole and Dr. Blair Bigham speak with two authors of the latest “Hypertension Canada guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension in adults in primary care” The discussion reflects a shared urgency: despite past successes, Canada’s hypertension control rates are declining. The new guidelines aim to reverse this trend by simplifying diagnosis and treatment for frontline clinicians. Dr. Rémi Goupil, a nephrologist and clinician researcher at Sacré-Cœur Hospital in Montreal, and Dr. Greg Hundemer, a nephrologist and clinician scientist at The Ottawa Hospital, explain that the updated guideline is deliberately designed for primary care providers. They highlight key shifts: lowering the diagnostic threshold for hypertension to ≥ 130/80 mm Hg, simplifying blood pressure targets, and emphasizing accurate, standardized measurement techniques both in clinic and at home. The guidelines were created with input from a majority-primary care committee—including family physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and patient partners—to ensure clinical applicability. Together, the panel outlines a streamlined nine-step treatment algorithm, emphasizing combination therapy as first-line pharmacologic management. They explain the evidence supporting ARB–thiazide combinations, discuss cost considerations for drug selection, and address adherence challenges. They also explore red flags for secondary hypertension and how the algorithm supports—but does not replace—clinical judgment. For physicians, this guideline offers a clear and practical roadmap: measure blood pressure correctly, aim for systolic pressure below 130 mm Hg, and use the simplified treatment sequence to improve adherence and outcomes. Designed to be easy to implement, the new approach aims to empower primary care providers to act with confidence. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Disseminated gonorrhea and rising rates of STIs | 14 Feb 2022 | 00:36:55 | |
Reported gonorrhea cases have more than doubled in recent years. Untreated gonorrhea may occasionally cause potentially fatal conditions, such as infective endocarditis. In this episode, Dr. Carl Boodman, infectious disease and medical microbiology fellow at the University of Manitoba, discusses a case of disseminated gonococcal infection in a 54- year old man who presented to ER with a new heart murmur. The case was described in a recent CMAJ article, which explains that the patient had developed an aortic root abscess and a fistula from his right ventricle to the aortic root. Dr. Boodman tells Dr. Blair Bigham and Dr. Mojola Omole that, while severe cases of disseminated gonococcal infection such as this remain relatively rare, he is seeing more of them in Manitoba. He emphasizes the importance of detecting and treating gonococcal infection before it has a chance to progress. Gonorrhea is just one of the bacterial STIs on the rise. Drs. Bigham and Omole also speak with Dr. Jason Wong, a Public Health and Preventive Medicine specialist in BC, about what’s behind the rise in STIs and about what lessons can be learned from the relative decline in HIV infections. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| What’s driving Canada’s high rate of maternal trauma from operative vaginal delivery? | 31 Jan 2022 | 00:36:57 | |
Operative vaginal delivery (OVD) is considered safe if carried out by trained personnel; however, the rate of maternal trauma following OVD in Canada greatly exceeds that of any other OECD country. In Canada, maternal trauma occurred in more than one-quarter of deliveries with forceps, whereas in the UK, the rate is 8%-12%, and in Australia, it sits at 9.3%-14.1%. A research study published in CMAJ found that rates of trauma following OVD in Canada are higher than previously reported, irrespective of region, level of obstetric care and volume of instrument use among hospitals. The authors argue these results support a reassessment of OVD safety in Canada. In this episode, Dr. Bigham and Blair and Dr. Mojola Omole speak with Dr. Giulia Muraca, the lead author of Maternal and neonatal trauma following operative vaginal delivery: a national cohort study. They explore possible causes for these troubling findings. They then speak with Dr. Nirmala Chandrasekaran, an OB/GYN and Maternal-Fetal-Medicine specialist at St. Michael’s hospital in Toronto. Dr. Chandrasakan trained in the UK, and she describes how exposure to OVD during residency differs in the two countries. She also discusses the vital role OVD plays in safe deliveries. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Should remote residents be prioritized for kidney transplants? | 17 Jan 2022 | 00:31:00 | |
People with kidney failure who live in rural and remote areas of Canada do not have the same access to the full suite of dialysis modalities as urban dwellers. Many need to relocate for life-sustaining renal replacement therapy. Often this means moving hours away from their home communities for months, sometimes years, at a time. In this episode, hosts Drs. Mojola Omole and Blair Bigham speak with Dr. Aaron Trachtenberg, a nephrologist at the University of Manitoba about his commentary in CMAJ, in which he and coauthors argued that patients who must leave their home communities for dialysis should be prioritized for the allocation of deceased donor kidney transplants. They also speak with Vanessa Tait whose father needed to relocate to Winnipeg, twelve hours away from his home community of O-pipon-na-piwin Cree Nation, for dialysis. Ms. Tait became a living donor to her father in an effort to bring him back home. She talks about the toll relocation takes on patients from remote communities. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Special Episode: Quick look ahead | 03 Jan 2022 | 00:03:50 | |
The CMAJ podcast is taking a break for one episode as everyone enjoys their holidays and gets prepared for the year ahead. In this brief chat, Mojola and Blair preview some of the upcoming episodes and wish all our listeners a happy and safe holiday. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| How social interventions can be powerful medicine | 20 Dec 2021 | 00:33:23 | |
One simple question can offer clinicians a powerful insight into the lives of their vulnerable patients. Asking, “Do you ever have trouble making ends meet at the end of the month” can help physicians identify significant barriers to restoring the health of their patients. The link between the social conditions in which we live and health outcomes is well-known. However, health provider action to address the social determinants of health is an emerging area of practice innovation and research. This episode looks at what social prescribing looks like in action and what the evidence tells us about its effectiveness. Drs. Mojola Omole and Blair Bigham speak with Janet Rodriguez, a patient at St. Michael’s Family Health Care Clinic in Toronto. She describes the profound impact social interventions had on her physical and mental health. They also speak with Dr. Gary Bloch, a family physician at St. Michael’s Family Health Care Clinic and a co-author of the analysis published in CMAJ titled “An Evidence-Based Guide to Social Interventions in Primary Care.” Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Special Episode: 13 practical ways to address inequities worsened by COVID-19 | 13 Dec 2021 | 00:21:46 | |
The pandemic recovery period presents an opportunity to address health inequities that have led to an unfair distribution of the burden and harms of COVID-19. New guidance for policy published in CMAJ proposes 13 practical ways to address inequities exposed and worsened by COVID-19 in the pandemic recovery period, based on evidence that was accumulating before the pandemic. In this special episode of the podcast, CMAJ interim editor-in-chief Dr. Kirsten Patrick talks to Dr. Nav Persaud, lead author on the new guideline, about its genesis, the evidence underpinning its recommendations, and the importance of positioning equity at the centre of policy-making as Canada emerges from the pandemic. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| The Rise Of Ketamine | 06 Dec 2021 | 00:28:34 | |
Pain is one of the most common complaints among patients visiting the ER, and pain management has become a quality of care indicator. But the options available for the treatment of acute pain that isn’t controlled by over-the-counter medications are limited. In this episode, Blair and Mojola speak to Dr. William Silverstein, a co-author of the practice article “Five things to know about the use of ketamine in the treatment of acute pain” about ketamine’s indications and contraindications, how to prescribe it in the ambulatory care setting, and practical steps physicians can take to add ketamine to their pain-busting arsenal. They also speak with Dr. Marshall Ross, a physician who also uses ketamine as an emergency physician, but has also pioneered its use in patients with treatment-resistant depression, using cutting edge techniques. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| The inconvenience of motherhood to a medical career | 22 Nov 2021 | 00:32:27 | |
One in four women physicians report a diagnosis of infertility. One reason for this is physicians tend to delay attempts to become pregnant until “the time is right” for their career. But, in the medical profession, it seems there is really no “good” time to have children. Parenthood, especially motherhood, is seen as an inconvenience during medical training and beyond. In this episode, Dr. Sophia Park speaks with hosts Dr. Mojola Omole and Dr. Blair Bigham about her personal struggle with infertility. And, Dr. Andrea Simpson, the lead author of a commentary in the CMAJ titled, “The inconvenience of motherhood during a medical career” calls for systemic change in medicine to support parenthood. Dr. Sophia Park is a medical biochemist at Royal Columbian Hospital and a Clinical Associate Professor at the UBC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. Dr. Andrea Simpson is an obstetrician and minimally invasive gynaecologic surgeon at St. Michael’s Hospital. She is also an assistant professor at the University of Toronto. She co-authored her commentary with Drs. Maria Cusimano and Nancy Baxter. It is published in CMAJ: https://www.cmaj.ca/content/193/37/E1465 Episode transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-211255 ----------------------------------- This podcast episode is brought to you by Scotiabank Healthcare+. Learn more at: https://mdm.ca/promos/you-ve-come-a-long-way?utm_source=CMAJ&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=CTP&utm_content=PHD ----------------------------------- This podcast episode is brought to you by Audi Canada. Get details of the Audi incentive program for CMA members at www.audiprofessional.ca. ----------------------------------- Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Button battery ingestion in children | 27 Sep 2021 | 00:17:12 | |
Button batteries, sometimes called coin batteries, are small round batteries that power various electronic devices such as watches, remote controls or small kid toys. They are small and shiny, which is why young children will sometimes grab them and put them in their mouths. But they can cause severe injury in a child if the button battery becomes lodged in the digestive tract. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Artificial intelligence in medicine | 30 Aug 2021 | 00:39:10 | |
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have transformed our lives. The adoption of AI in medicine has perhaps lagged its adoption in other areas, and machine learning in healthcare has had mixed results. In this episode, Drs. Muhammad Mamdani and Amol Verma discuss a series of three CMAJ articles on the development, use, misuse, and evaluation of machine-learned models in medicine. Dr. Muhammad Mamdani is vice-president of data science and advanced analytics at Unity Health Toronto, director of the Temerty Center for Artificial Intelligence Education and Research in Medicine, and professor at the University of Toronto. Dr. Amol Verma is a physician and scientist at St. Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto, an AMS healthcare fellow in compassion and artificial intelligence and a provincial clinical lead in health quality improvement with Ontario Health. They are both two of the authors of the articles series published in CMAJ: Implementing machine learning in medicinehttps://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.202434Problems in the deployment of machine-learned models in health carehttps://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.202066Evaluation of machine learning solutions in medicinehttps://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.210036Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-202434-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Audi Canada. The Canadian Medical Association has partnered with Audi Canada to offer CMA members a preferred incentive on select vehicle models. Purchase any new qualifying Audi model and receive an additional cash incentive based on the purchase type. Details of the incentive program can be found at https://www.audiprofessional.ca.-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Dr. Bill. Dr. Bill makes billing on the go easy and pain free. Start your 45-day free trial today: https://www.drbill.app/cmaj-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Shingrix. Learn more at:https://www.shingrix.ca/en-ca/index.html-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit https://www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Dengue and Oropouche infections are rising—what physicians need to know | 16 Jun 2025 | 00:31:00 | |
The rising global burden of mosquito-borne viral infections has important implications for Canadian clinicians—particularly those assessing febrile patients returning from tropical and subtropical regions. On this episode of the CMAJ Podcast, infectious diseases specialists Dr. Maxime Billick and Dr. Stephen Vaughan explain what clinicians need to watch for as these viruses expand their geographic reach. Dr. Billick is the lead author of Five things to know about dengue, and Dr. Vaughan is the lead author of Five things to know about Oropouche virus, both published in CMAJ. Dr. Maxime Billick describes the dramatic surge in dengue cases in 2024 and outlines the major drivers behind the virus’s global spread. She explains the urban-dwelling mosquito vectors that make dengue difficult to contain, discusses the virus’s four serotypes, and emphasizes the risk of antibody-dependent enhancement with reinfection. She reviews key clinical warning signs, diagnostic tests, and why identifying dengue—despite limited treatment options—still matters for patient counselling and care. Dr. Stephen Vaughan introduces the less common but emerging Oropouche virus. He explains its current geographic range, including recent Canadian travel-related cases, and the role of biting midges in its transmission. Vaughan highlights early evidence of possible sexual transmission and the potential risks for fetal neurological complications if infection occurs during pregnancy. He also discusses symptom recurrence and what physicians should consider when counselling patients who may have been exposed. Physicians should consider dengue and Oropouche virus in febrile returned travellers and prioritize preventive counselling before travel. Identifying the virus may not change treatment, but it can shape long-term risk awareness and help prevent future complications. For more information from our sponsor, go to MedicusPensionPlan.com Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Adolescent contraception | 09 Aug 2021 | 00:20:43 | |
Many options exist nowadays for teenagers choosing to be on hormonal contraceptives. They are generally categorized into SARCs (short-acting reversible contraceptives) and LARCs (long-acting reversible contraceptives). LARC methods are recommended as first-line contraceptives. These include intrauterine devices and a new option that gets implanted into the arm and lasts up to three years.In this episode, Dr. Margot Rosenthal, a fifth-year obstetrics and gynaecology resident, explains the different contraception options, which choice is best, and what side effects to watch out for.She co-authored a practice article with Dr. Sarah McQuillan. The article is published in CMAJ: https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.202413Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-202413Calling all aspiring podcasters! Are you our next podcast host? CMAJ seeks a curious, astute and dynamic Canadian physician as the new voice of CMAJ Podcasts. For details and to apply:https://www.cmaj.ca/content/cmaj-podcast-host-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Dr. Bill. Dr. Bill makes billing on the go easy and pain free. Start your 45-day free trial today: https://www.drbill.app/cmaj-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Shingrix. Learn more at:https://www.shingrix.ca/en-ca/index.html-----------------------------------Listen to Cold Steel, the official podcast of the Canadian Journal of Surgery: https://canjsurg.ca/podcasts-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit https://www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Involving patients at CMAJ | 12 Jul 2021 | 00:42:08 | |
In this episode, Dr. Kirsten Patrick, interim editor-in-chief, chats with Francine Buchanan about her experience as a patient partner. Francine is in a unique position at the intersection of caregiver for her medically fragile son, PhD candidate in health services research, and a patient and family advisor at The Hospital for Sick Children. She wrote a Humanities article published in CMAJ called "How are we going to do this?" https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.210457Dr. Kirsten Patrick also chats with Victoria Saigle, Lead of Patient Involvement at CMAJ. Victoria shares the different ways patients have been contributing to the journal in recent months and plans for the future.CMAJ is launching a new article type called 360 Cases. CMAJ's first 360 Case explores the end of life of a woman who passed away suddenly after an unexpected serious diagnosis. The article is co-written by the woman's husband, her social worker, one of her nurses and the ICU physician who treated her at the end of her life. You can read the article on our website: https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.210463If you're interested in learning more about patient involvement, patient peer review, or patient authorship, contact Victoria: victoria.saigle@cmaj.caMore details are in CMAJ’s Statement of Purpose for Patient Engagement https://www.cmaj.ca/statement-purpose-patient-engagementCMAJ's themed issue on patient engagement at the journal: https://www.cmaj.ca/content/193/27Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-210457-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Audi Canada. The Canadian Medical Association has partnered with Audi Canada to offer CMA members a preferred incentive on select vehicle models. Purchase any new qualifying Audi model and receive an additional cash incentive based on the purchase type. Details of the incentive program can be found at www.audiprofessional.ca.-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Shingrix. Learn more at:www.shingrix.ca/en-ca/index.html-----------------------------------Listen to Cold Steel, the official podcast of the Canadian Journal of Surgery: canjsurg.ca/podcasts-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Long-distance travel for birth for Indigenous people | 21 Jun 2021 | 00:34:01 | |
New research shows that Indigenous People living in rural Canada are 16 times more likely to have to travel long distances to give birth compared to non-Indigenous people living in rural areas. In this podcast, Dr. Janet Smylie and Evelyn George explain these striking findings.Dr. Janet Smylie is Métis-Cree, a family practitioner and professor of public health at the University of Toronto. Evelyn George is a Nbissing registered midwife living in Syilx territory of British Columbia.They were two of the authors of a research article published in CMAJ:www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.201903Podcast transcript: www.cmaj.ca/transcript-201903-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Shingrix. Learn more at:www.shingrix.ca/en-ca/index.html-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Dr. Bill. Dr. Bill makes billing on the go easy and pain free. Start your 45-day free trial today: www.drbill.app/cmaj-----------------------------------Listen to Cold Steel, the official podcast of the Canadian Journal of Surgery: http://canjsurg.ca/podcasts-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Critical race theory in medicine | 17 May 2021 | 00:29:50 | |
Dr. Malika Sharma and Dr. Rahel Zewude explain the tenets of critical race theory. They also share how it has helped them tackle racism in the practice of medicine and how they've applied it to their professional and personal lives as physicians in Canada.Dr. Malika Sharma is an HIV and infectious diseases specialist and assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Rahel Zewude is an internal medicine resident at the University of British Columbia and president of Black Physicians of British Columbia.They co-authored a humanities article published in CMAJ. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Alcohol use disorder & anticraving medication | 10 May 2021 | 00:32:20 | |
Anticraving medications are a lesser-known therapy for patients with moderate to severe alcohol use disorder. In this podcast, Dr. Jon Mong and Dr. Paxton Bach explain how to recognize and diagnose moderate to severe alcohol use disorder and how to talk to patients about treatment options.Dr. Jon Mong is a general internist working at The Ottawa Hospital, with a clinical focus in addiction medicine. He is currently completing his Masters in Quality Improvement and Patient Safety through the University of Toronto's IHPME.Dr. Paxton Bach is a clinical assistant professor in the department of medicine at the University of British Columbia, and a general internist and addiction physician at St. Paul’s Hospital in Vancouver, BC. He additionally serves as the program director for the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use Clinical Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program.They co-authored, along with Dr. Keith Ahamad, a practice article published in CMAJ:www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.200895Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-200895-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Shingrix. Learn more at:www.shingrix.ca/en-ca/index.html-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Audi Canada. The Canadian Medical Association has partnered with Audi Canada to offer CMA members a preferred incentive on select vehicle models. Purchase any new qualifying Audi model and receive an additional cash incentive based on the purchase type. Details of the incentive program can be found at www.audiprofessional.ca.-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Overcast, Instacast, or your favourite aggregator. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Painful periods in adolescents | 19 Apr 2021 | 00:10:40 | |
Dr. Olga Kciuk and Dr. Sari Kives talk about painful periods (dysmenorrhea) in teens – what causes it, how to diagnose it, how to rule out secondary causes, and how best to treat. Dr. Olga Kciuk is a fourth year resident in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Toronto. Dr. Sari Kives is a gynecologist in Toronto, both at the Hospital for Sick Children and St. Michael's Hospital.They co-authored a practice article published in CMAJ:www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.201972Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-201972-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Shingrix. Learn more at:www.shingrix.ca/en-ca/index.html-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Audi Canada. The Canadian Medical Association has partnered with Audi Canada to offer CMA members a preferred incentive on select vehicle models. Purchase any new qualifying Audi model and receive an additional cash incentive based on the purchase type. Details of the incentive program can be found at www.audiprofessional.ca.-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Dépistage de la chlamydia et de la gonorrhée asymptomatiques en médecine de soins primaires | 19 Apr 2021 | 00:18:08 | |
Dre Guylène Thériault explique les recommandations clé des nouvelles lignes directrices sur dépistage de la chlamydia et de la gonorrhée en médecine de soins primaires chez les personnes non connues comme appartenant à un groupe à risque.Dre Guylène Thériault est médecin de famille et membre du Groupe d’étude canadien sur les soins de santé préventifs. Dre Thériault enseigne aussi la médecine fondée sur les données probantes et la prise de décision partagée.Le Groupe d’étude canadien sur les soins de santé préventifs vient de publier les nouvelles lignes directrices dans le Journal de l’association médicale canadienne.Lignes directrices : https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.201967-fTranscription de la conversation: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-201967-f Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Screening for asymptomatic chlamydia and gonorrhea in primary care | 19 Apr 2021 | 00:23:20 | |
Dr. Ainsley Moore discusses a new guideline by the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care. The guideline recommends opportunistic screening for chlamydia and gonorrhea in primary care for individuals not known to be at high risk. Ainsley unpacks the recommendation and talks about what it means for clinical practice.Dr. Ainsley Moore is a family physician and an associate clinical professor in medicine at McMaster University.She is one of the authors of the CTFPHC guideline published in CMAJ:www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.201967Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-201967-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Antivaccine sentiment as power: the Montréal vaccine riots of 1885 | 06 Apr 2021 | 00:26:21 | |
Prof. Jonathan Berman discusses what drives antivaccine and anti-mask protests, such as the Montréal vaccine protest of 1885 which turned violent. He talks about vaccine hesitancy in history and how it relates to our current COVID-19 pandemic.Jonathan Berman is a physiologist at the New York Institute of Technology medical school and a science educator.He wrote an humanities article published in CMAJ:www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.202820Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-202820-----------------------------------This episode is brought to you by the MD Platinum Global Private Credit Pool. With bond yields sitting near record lows, investors are looking for ways to boost returns. The challenge? Most options offering higher returns often require taking on more equity risk. Enter private credit. Get access to potentially higher returns, historically tested stability and added diversification typically reserved for institutional investors. MD Platinum Global Private Credit Pool: Bond-like stability. Equity-like returns. For more information, visit https://mdm.ca/promos/bond-like-stability-equity-like-returns?utm_source=cmaj%20podcast&utm_medium=podcast_description&utm_campaign=Private%20Credit%20-%202021&utm_content=CMAJ%20Sound%20Cloud%20description -----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Shingrix. Learn more at:www.shingrix.ca/en-ca/index.html-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Diagnosis and treatment of adenomyosis | 16 Feb 2021 | 00:12:48 | |
Drs Shirin Dason and Mara Sobel discuss how to diagnose and treat adenomyosis, a common cause of heavy and painful menstrual periods. Dr. Shirin Dason is a resident and soon-to-be infertility fellow at Mount Sinai Fertility in Toronto. Dr. Mara Sobel is a gynaecologist at Mount Sinai Hospital and Women's College Hospital in Toronto.To read the practice article published in CMAJ: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.201607Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-201607-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Shingrix. Learn more at:www.shingrix.ca/en-ca/index.html-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| A history of medical mistrust and its echoes today | 02 Jun 2025 | 00:33:01 | |
This two-part episode of the CMAJ Podcast explores the roots and repercussions of medical mistrust. It begins with a historical lens, revealing echoes of today’s strained relationships between patients and the medical system, then narrows the scope to focus on a pressing clinical example. In part one, Dr. Kenneth Pinnow, a historian of Soviet medicine at Allegheny College and author of the article in CMAJ entitled Soviet medicine and the problem of public trust: 1921–1929, walks through the fraught relationship between physicians and the public in the early Soviet era. He explains how underfunding, class tensions, and unrealistic expectations resulted in widespread hostility toward physicians and fractured trust that proved difficult to repair. Part two narrows in on vaccine hesitancy, a timely example of medical distrust made more urgent by recent measles outbreaks. Dr. Noni MacDonald, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Dalhousie University and former member of the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, describes how trust is built—or lost—between patients and clinicians. She outlines practical strategies for frontline providers, from using presumptive language to engaging in motivational interviewing, and offers tips for addressing vaccine concerns efficiently, even in short appointments. For physicians, this episode is a reminder that trust must be earned repeatedly—through expertise, empathy, and systems that allow both to be seen. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Gender equity at the senior leadership level | 16 Feb 2021 | 00:26:54 | |
Prof. Andrea Tricco and Dr. Ainsley Moore discuss gender inequity in medicine at the senior leadership level and how it's intertwined with race. They also outline practical ways of advancing gender equity in medicine.Dr. Ainsley Moore is a family physician and an associate clinical professor in medicine at McMaster University. Prof. Andrea Tricco is a scientist at St. Michael's Hospital at Unity Health Toronto and an associate professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health in Toronto.They co-authored an analysis article published in CMAJ:www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.200951Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-200951-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Audi Canada. The Canadian Medical Association has partnered with Audi Canada to offer CMA members a preferred incentive on select vehicle models. Purchase any new qualifying Audi model and receive an additional cash incentive based on the purchase type. Details of the incentive program can be found at www.audiprofessional.ca.-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Shingrix. Learn more at:www.shingrix.ca/en-ca/index.html-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Prescribing cascades | 08 Feb 2021 | 00:21:06 | |
A prescribing cascade happens when the side effects of a prescribed drug are misinterpreted as a new medical condition for which an additional drug is prescribed. Some prescribing cascades can become complicated to untangle and hard to catch. In this podcast, Dr. Paula Rochon outlines some of the common prescribing cascades that occur in older adults.Dr. Paula Rochon is a geriatrician at Women’s College Hospital in Toronto and the RTO chair in geriatric medicine at the University of Toronto.The practice article she co-authored is published in CMAJ. It's titled "Five things to know about prescribing cascades in older adults."www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.201564Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-201564-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Audi Canada. The Canadian Medical Association has partnered with Audi Canada to offer CMA members a preferred incentive on select vehicle models. Purchase any new qualifying Audi model and receive an additional cash incentive based on the purchase type. Details of the incentive program can be found at www.audiprofessional.ca.-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| COVID-19 in patients on long-term dialysis | 04 Feb 2021 | 00:26:19 | |
In this podcast, Dr. Andreas Laupacis, editor-in-chief of CMAJ, interviews two authors of a research article published in CMAJ. The research looked at SARS-CoV-2 infection among patients undergoing long-term dialysis in Ontario during the first wave of the pandemic.Rebecca Cooper is the director of clinical programs at the Ontario Renal Network, and Peter Blake is a nephrologist and the provincial medical director of the Ontario Renal Network, which is part of Ontario Health.To read the research published in CMAJ: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.202601Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-202601-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Shingrix. Learn more at:www.shingrix.ca/en-ca/index.html-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Mandatory vaccination for health care workers | 19 Jan 2021 | 00:22:50 | |
Prof. Colleen Flood discusses the legalities around requiring health care workers to be vaccinated against the virus that causes COVID-19, both at the employer or hospital level and at the provincial government level.Colleen Flood is a professor in the faculty of law and the inaugural director of the Centre for Health Law Policy & Ethics, both at the University of Ottawa.She co-authored, with Prof. Bryan Thomas and Dr. Kumanan Wilson, an analysis article published in CMAJ. It's titled "Mandatory vaccination for health care workers: an analysis of law and policy."To read the analysis article published in CMAJ: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.202755Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-202755-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Audi Canada. The Canadian Medical Association has partnered with Audi Canada to offer CMA members a preferred incentive on select vehicle models. Purchase any new qualifying Audi model and receive an additional cash incentive based on the purchase type. Details of the incentive program can be found at www.audiprofessional.ca.-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Relaxing hospital no-visitor policies | 18 Dec 2020 | 00:34:07 | |
At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, most hospitals in Canada adopted no-visitor policies because of concern that visitors would spread the virus. It was also a way of preserving personal protective equipment, which was in short supply at the time. Now, almost one year later, the authors of a commentary published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal argue that it’s time to reconsider such a strict policy. In this podcast, Dr. Andreas Laupacis, editor-in-chief of CMAJ, interviews one of the authors of the commentary, Dr. Fahad Razak, a general internist at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. Also joining the conversation are Lee Fairclough, president of St. Mary’s General Hospital in Kitchener, Ontario, and Corinna Riquelme who is a care partner and a member of the Patient and Family Advisory Council at St. Mary’s. To read the commentary published in CMAJ: https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.202636Read the podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-202636-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Shingrix. Learn more at:www.shingrix.ca/en-ca/index.html-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Trench fever from body lice in Manitoba | 07 Dec 2020 | 00:38:52 | |
Dr. Carl Boodman discusses four cases of trench fever from Bartonella quintana which is transmitted by body lice. Trench fever was common during the First World War and killed millions of people. In modern times, it is rare, but outbreaks tend to be associated with homelessness, poor living conditions or a history of severe alcohol use disorder or IV drug use. Dr. Boodman first talks about a patient who presented to the emergency department with endocarditis from B. quintana. He then discusses the three other linked cases that were diagnosed over the following weeks. Dr. Carl Boodman is a fifth year medical resident in a combined infection disease and medical microbiology program at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba.The practice article he co-authored is published in CMAJ: https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.201170Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-201170-----------------------------------This episode is brought to you by MD Financial Management and Scotiabank. Together, we’re able to provide physician-focused advice and unique financial solutions tailored to your needs at every stage of your medical career. Find out more about how we can help you, visit bit.ly/2Grtd5H-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Audi Canada. The Canadian Medical Association has partnered with Audi Canada to offer CMA members a preferred incentive on select vehicle models. Purchase any new qualifying Audi model and receive an additional cash incentive based on the purchase type. Details of the incentive program can be found at www.audiprofessional.ca.-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) management: clinical practice guideline | 16 Nov 2020 | 00:35:31 | |
Dr. Christen Shoesmith and Dr. Colleen O’Connell discuss the first Canadian guideline on the care and management of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Dr. Shoesmith and Dr. O'Connell are two of the authors of the guideline, which is intended for ALS clinicians, allied health professionals and primary care providers and includes a patient-focused approach to care, with attention to holistic and emotional aspects of well-being.Dr. Christen Shoesmith is a neurologist and medical director of the Motor Neuron Disease Clinic at London Health Sciences Centre in London, Ontario. She is also chair of the ALS guidelines working group. Dr. Colleen O’Connell is a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician at the Stan Cassidy Rehabilitation Centre in Fredericton, New Brunswick.The clinical practice guideline is published in CMAJ: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.191721Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-191721Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Prone positioning (chest down) for COVID-19 | 11 Nov 2020 | 00:29:00 | |
Prone positioning has been widely adopted and is considered standard of care for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). But how beneficial is prone positioning for patients with COVID-19 who are awake and not intubated? In this podcast, Dr. Kevin Venus talks about evidence, lung physiology and observational studies regarding prone positioning.Dr. Kevin Venus is general internist at University Health Network in Toronto. He co-authored a review article published in CMAJ: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.201201Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-201201-----------------------------------This episode is brought to you by MD Financial Management and Scotiabank. Together, we’re able to provide physician-focused advice and unique financial solutions tailored to your needs at every stage of your medical career. Find out more about how we can help you, visit bit.ly/2Grtd5H-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Shingrix. Learn more at:www.shingrix.ca/en-ca/index.html-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Priority groups for early COVID-19 immunization | 03 Nov 2020 | 00:29:02 | |
Dr. Caroline Quach and Dr. Shainoor Ismail discuss guidance on identifying priority populations for COVID-19 immunization. It's likely that when Canada does get a vaccine, it will not be possible to immunize all Canadians at once. We therefore need to have a plan in place for prioritization within our population.Dr. Quach and Dr. Ismail are two of the authors of an evidence-based guideline publishing in CMAJ outlining which key populations need to be prioritized for early COVID-19 immunization. They wrote this guidance as part of Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI). This work was supported by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). Dr. Caroline Quach is a pediatric infectious diseases specialist and microbiologist at CHU Sainte-Justine and is also a professor at the University of Montreal. Dr. Shainoor Ismail is a senior medical specialist at PHAC.The summary guideline is published in CMAJ: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.202353The full guideline is available on the Public Health Agency of Canada's website: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/immunization/national-advisory-committee-on-immunization-naci/guidance-key-populations-early-covid-19-immunization.htmlPodcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-202353-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Healing with music in the COVID-19 pandemic | 02 Nov 2020 | 00:08:16 | |
In this narrative, a musician, a nurse and a doctor come together to provide a virtual bedside music concert for some of their sickest patients with COVID-19.The article is read by its authors. First, Melanie Ambler, the musician and aspiring physician, then Laura Wodecki, nurse manager at Rhode Island Hospital, and ending with Dr. Timothy Amass, intensive care physician in Denver, Colorado.They wrote a Humanities Encounters article published in CMAJ called "Virtual bedside concerts for patients with COVID-19: a trio of perspectives."To read the article: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.201662Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-201662Melanie Ambler developed musICforU and received the Rosalind Swenson Enrichment Award from the French American Fulbright Commission to begin a live virtual concert program for hospitals and nursing homes in France, called Petite Pause Musicale. Any hospitals interested in live virtual concerts are welcome to contact her, at petitepausemusicale@gmail.com.-----------------------------------Music: "Sun Up," composed in 2008 by cellists Stephen Katz and Derek Snyder, originally written for 6 cellos, performed by Melanie Ambler.-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| How mifepristone changed abortion access, and how to prescribe it | 19 May 2025 | 00:35:28 | |
On this episode of the CMAJ Podcast, hosts Dr. Mojola Omole and Dr. Blair Bigham explore how changes to mifepristone regulation have reshaped abortion access in Ontario. Unlike most other countries, Canada allows the drug to be prescribed by any physician or nurse practitioner and dispensed by any community pharmacy, without additional restrictions or special certifications. The discussion draws on the article Changes in local access to mifepristone dispensed by community pharmacies for medication abortion in Ontario: a population-based repeated cross-sectional study, recently published in CMAJ. Dr. Laura Schummers, reproductive epidemiologist and lead author of the study, explains how the 2017 policy change contributed to a significant shift in abortion access. Before mifepristone, abortion care in Ontario was concentrated in fewer than 100 clinics, most of them in urban centres. Within five years of the regulatory change, the percentage of Ontario abortion service users with local access rose from 37% to 91%. Dr. Schummers also notes that this shift happened even though only one in five pharmacies dispensed the drug. She describes how earlier work demonstrating the safety of medication abortion helped support these policy changes. Dr. Wendy Norman, a professor of family practice at UBC and co-author on the CMAJ study, outlines what clinicians need to know about prescribing mifepristone. She explains that it can be safely offered without ultrasound or lab testing in many cases, and that virtual care is a viable model for appropriate patients. Dr. Norman also provides practical advice on gestational age limits, follow-up requirements, and how to identify patients at risk for ectopic pregnancy. This episode offers physicians a clear picture of how a regulatory approach that treats mifepristone like any other prescription medication has expanded abortion access across Ontario—and what it takes to incorporate this care into practice. For more information from our sponsor, go to MedicusPensionPlan.com Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Misinformation in medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic | 26 Oct 2020 | 00:29:59 | |
The spread of misinformation during epidemics is not a new phenomenon. But the COVID-19 pandemic is certainly the largest epidemic in recent times and its intersection with the internet and social media have amplified a modern infodemic of misinformation. In this podcast, history professor Nancy Tomes unpacks this modern infodemic and shares her thoughts on the role of health care providers in managing misinformation.Dr. Nancy Tomes is a professor of history at Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York. She wrote a medical humanities article published in CMAJ: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.201905Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-201905-----------------------------------This episode is brought to you by MD Financial Management and Scotiabank. Together, we’re able to provide physician-focused advice and unique financial solutions tailored to your needs at every stage of your medical career. Find out more about how we can help you, visit bit.ly/2Grtd5H-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Shingrix. Learn more at:www.shingrix.ca/en-ca/index.html-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Emergency procedural sedation in children | 05 Oct 2020 | 00:34:33 | |
Dr. Maxim Ben-Yakov and Dr. Maala Bhatt discuss emergency procedural sedation in children. They cover safety, protocol, sedative agents, recommendations around fasting for this emergency procedure and more.Dr. Maala Bhatt is an emergency physician and the director of emergency research at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa and also associate professor at the University of Ottawa. Dr. Maxim Ben-Yakov is assistant professor of pediatrics and medicine at the University of Toronto and an emergency physician in Toronto.Their practice article is published in CMAJ: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.200332Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-200332-----------------------------------This podcast is brought to you by Health Match BC, a free health professional recruitment service funded by the Government of British Columbia. Health Match BC is currently recruiting for physicians of all specialties on behalf of BC's publicly funded health employers. Visit www.healthmatchbc.org for more information and to speak with one of the recruitment consultants.-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Audi Canada. The Canadian Medical Association has partnered with Audi Canada to offer CMA members a preferred incentive on select vehicle models. Purchase any new qualifying Audi model and receive an additional cash incentive based on the purchase type. Details of the incentive program can be found at www.audiprofessional.ca.-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Working in a bubble during the pandemic | 30 Sep 2020 | 00:28:39 | |
Many workplaces are essential for our health care, our supply chains, or the economy and are under immense pressure to stay open. The work bubble is one strategy that can be used to open businesses while limiting the risk of COVID-19 outbreaks.In this podcast, Dr. Jeffrey Shaw and Ms. Hayley Wickenheiser explain the work bubble concept. They also describe how a large Canadian company, Bombardier, applied the principles with much success.Dr. Jeffrey Shaw is a cardiologist and ICU physician in Calgary and is also currently a fellow at the University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine. Ms. Hayley Wickenheiser is a fourth year medical student at the University of Calgary and was formerly an Olympic hockey athlete. They co-wrote an analysis article published in CMAJ: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.201582Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-201582-----------------------------------This episode is brought to you by MD Financial Management and Scotiabank. Together, we’re able to provide physician-focused advice and unique financial solutions tailored to your needs at every stage of your medical career. Find out more about how we can help you, visit https://bit.ly/2Grtd5H-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Shingrix. Learn more at:www.shingrix.ca/en-ca/index.html-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Misdiagnosis during the COVID-19 pandemic | 28 Sep 2020 | 00:20:59 | |
With so much talk about COVID-19 and frequent updates to protocols and guidelines, is COVID-19 affecting the way physicians diagnose? In this podcast, two physicians describe how they misdiagnosed a patient back in April of this year. The patient presented with classic COVID-19 symptoms, but her diagnosis turned out to be something entirely different. And it took the physicians quite a lot of time to get to the correct diagnosis.Dr. Alex Kobza and Dr. Brandon Budhram are both second year internal medicine residents at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario and they co-wrote a practice article about the case with Dr. Naufal Mohammed. The article is published in CMAJ: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.201426You'll also hear from Dr. Justin Morgenstern, an emergency doctor who has spent a lot of time analyzing physician decision-making. He digs into the many factors that influence the way doctors diagnose, including cognitive bias. He discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic might be influencing physicians decision-making and diagnosis. His website is First10EM https://first10em.com/who-am-i/ Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-201426-----------------------------------This podcast is brought to you by Health Match BC, a free health professional recruitment service funded by the Government of British Columbia. Health Match BC is currently recruiting for physicians of all specialties on behalf of BC's publicly funded health employers. Visit www.healthmatchbc.org for more information and to speak with one of the recruitment consultants.-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Shingrix. Learn more at:www.shingrix.ca/en-ca/index.html-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Preserving fertility in young women with breast cancer | 31 Aug 2020 | 00:45:36 | |
Dr. Ellen Warner and Dr. Karen Glass discuss different options for fertility preservation for young women who must undergo breast cancer treatment. They also discuss the importance of early referral to fertility preservation counselling, an option that is often not presented to women until it's too late.Dr. Ellen Warner is a medical oncologist and director of PYNK: Breast Cancer Program for Young Women at the Sunnybrook Odette Cancer Centre in Toronto. Dr. Karen Glass is the director of fertility preservation at CReATe Fertility Centre in Toronto and also works at Sunnybrook Hospital.Their review article is published in CMAJ: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.200245-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Audi Canada.The Canadian Medical Association has partnered with Audi Canada to offer CMA members a preferred incentive on select vehicle models. Purchase any new qualifying Audi model and receive an additional cash incentive based on the purchase type. Details of the incentive program can be found at www.audiprofessional.ca.-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| The gender pay gap in medicine | 31 Aug 2020 | 00:30:14 | |
Dr. Tara Kiran and Dr. Michelle Cohen share their analysis of the gender pay gap as it relates specifically to physicians. They discuss their personal experiences as well as current data showing that, in many medical specialties, men are still getting paid more than women for roughly equivalent work.Dr. Michelle Cohen is a family doctor in Brighton, Ontario and is assistant professor in the department of family medicine at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. Dr. Tara Kiran is a family doctor and researcher at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto and is vice-chair of quality and innovation at the department of family and community medicine at the University of Toronto.Their analysis article is published in CMAJ: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.200375Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-200375-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Audi Canada.The Canadian Medical Association has partnered with Audi Canada to offer CMA members a preferred incentive on select vehicle models. Purchase any new qualifying Audi model and receive an additional cash incentive based on the purchase type. Details of the incentive program can be found at www.audiprofessional.ca.-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| L’obésité chez l’adulte : ligne directrice de pratique clinique | 24 Aug 2020 | 00:31:36 | |
La gestion du poids doit valider le vécu des patients, aller au-delà des approches simplistes qui consistent à leur conseiller de « manger moins et de bouger plus » et s’attaquer aux racines profondes de l’obésité.Les Dres Marie-France Langlois et Angela Alberga expliquent les recommandations clé des nouvelles lignes directrices sur l'obésité chez l'adulte. Elles sont interviewées par Dre Jo-Anne Gilbert, spécialiste en gestion du poids.Dre Marie-France Langlois est professeure titulaire à la faculté de médecine de l'Université de Sherbrooke, endocrinologue et directrice médicale de la clinique médico-chirurgicale du traitement de l'obésité au CIUSSS de l'Estrie-CHUS. Dre Angela Alberga est professeure adjointe au département de santé, physiologie appliquée et kinesiologie à l'Université Concordia et est aussi professeure agrégée au département de pédiatrie à l'Université McGill.Elles sont deux des auteurs du guide de pratique clinique sur l'obésité chez les adultes publié dans le Journal de l'Association médicale canadienne.Lignes directrices : www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.191707 Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Coagulopathy, thrombosis and COVID-19 | 17 Aug 2020 | 00:19:24 | |
In this podcast, Dr. Patrick Lawler and Dr. Lucas Godoy discuss the evidence around endothelial injury related to SARS-CoV-2 cellular invasion. In some cases, thrombosis is a prominent clinical feature of COVID-19 that may lead to organ failure, multi system injury or death.Dr. Lawler is a cardiologist at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre in Toronto and a clinician-scientist at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute. Dr. Godoy is a cardiologist and research fellow at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre in Toronto.The review article they authored is published in CMAJ: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.201240Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-201240-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Obesity: shifting to a patient-centred approach to management | 04 Aug 2020 | 00:48:03 | |
Dr. Sean Wharton and Dr. David Lau discuss a newly published clinical practice guideline on obesity management. They are joined by Lisa Schaffer, who talks about her experience as a Canadian living with obesity. They discuss the complex interplay of factors that can lead to obesity, such as genetics, metabolic, behavioural, psychological and environmental factors. They also talk about stigma and its negative impact on health independent of other factors. Dr. Sean Wharton is an internist, associate professor and clinical researcher at McMaster University in Hamilton and York University in Toronto, Ontario. Dr. David Lau is an endocrinologist, researcher and professor of medicine, biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine. Lisa Schaffer is a patient-partner and chair of the public engagement committee with Obesity Canada.The clinical practice guideline is published in CMAJ: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.191707Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-191707-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| For-profit long-term care homes and the risk of COVID-19 | 22 Jul 2020 | 00:44:49 | |
In this podcast, Dr. Nathan Stall and Dr. Andrew Costa discuss the results of their research on the risk of outbreaks and deaths from COVID-19 in long-term care homes in Ontario by for-profit or not-for-profit status. Dr. Nathan Stall is a geriatrician at Sinai Health System and a research fellow at Women's College Research Institute. He is also completing a PhD in clinical epidemiology and health care research at the University of Toronto.Dr. Andrew Costa is an associate professor and holds a research chair in clinical epidemiology and aging at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. He is also research director in the St. Joseph's health system.The research article they authored is published in CMAJ: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.201197Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-201197-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Shingrix. Learn more at:www.shingrix.ca/en-ca/index.html-----------------------------------This episode is brought to you by Dr. Bill. Dr. Bill makes medical billing easy, fast, and pain free. Spend your time on patient care, let us handle billing for you. Dr. Bill is now available for free. Visit www.dr-bill.ca and get started today.-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Stepping up: Canadian research in the shadow of cuts in the United States | 05 May 2025 | 00:25:12 | |
This episode of the CMAJ Podcast examines how recent changes to U.S. federal research funding are affecting the global scientific landscape—and what they could mean for Canada. The discussion focuses on indirect costs, talent retention, and whether Canada is positioned to step into any gaps left behind. The hosts speak with two guests who have written recent articles in CMAJ offering insight into how policymakers and institutions in Canada might respond. Dr. William Ghali, vice president of research at the University of Calgary, outlines how indirect research costs are funded in both countries and explains why the proposed U.S. cuts—though now on hold—would have had severe consequences for American institutions. He also discusses the strength of Canadian research infrastructure, recent federal budget commitments, and the challenges of recruiting U.S.-based researchers without stronger domestic supports. Dr. Kirsten Patrick, editor-in-chief of CMAJ, expands on the policy shifts required to improve Canadian research capacity. She calls for reforms to indirect cost funding and a reassessment of how Canada prioritizes health research—highlighting the gap between identifying systemic problems and investing in studies that offer practical solutions. She also reflects on the broader implications of editorial independence in a politically pressured environment. The episode raises timely questions for policymakers: Is Canada prepared to fill the gap left by a potential U.S. withdrawal from medical research leadership? Are we investing strategically in infrastructure, talent, and funding priorities to meet this moment? And what will it take to ensure Canadian research moves from identifying problems to generating meaningful solutions? Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Diagnosing acute aortic syndrome: clinical practice guideline | 20 Jul 2020 | 00:20:47 | |
Acute aortic syndrome is a life-threatening emergency. It is difficult to diagnose and is often missed in the emergency department, but it’s a syndrome that must be on a physician’s radar. Dr. Robert Ohle discusses how to identify acute aortic syndrome and how to diagnose it.Dr. Ohle is one of the authors of a clinical practice guideline on the topic. He is an emergency medicine physician and research director for emergency medicine at Health Science North in Sudbury, Ontario.The guideline article he co-authored is published in CMAJ: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.200021Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-200021-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Mental distress during a pandemic | 13 Jul 2020 | 00:34:27 | |
In this podcast, Dr. Clare Pain and Dr. Ruth Lanius draw from their expertise in the fields of trauma and conflict to discuss how this pandemic can affect mental health and those who suffered from childhood traumas. They also talk about how this pandemic compares to other public health disasters, conflict, war or unrest.Dr. Clare Pain is a psychiatrist and associate professor at the University of Toronto. She has done extensive work in the field of trauma, including with refugees. Dr. Ruth Lanius is a psychiatrist clinician-scientist at Western University in London, Ontario, who works in the field of trauma-related disorders. She has a particular interest in how trauma affects the brain and body physiology.The practice article they co-authored is published in CMAJ: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.200736Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-200736-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Shingrix. Learn more at:www.shingrix.ca/en-ca/index.html-----------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by the MD Market Watch Podcast.Want the latest information about current market events and developments? MD Financial Management fund and portfolio updates? And insights on where things are headed? Our expert contributors break it down and give you all the info that you’ll need.Listen to the MD Market Watch Podcast invested.mdm.ca/podcasts/market-watch or through your favourite podcast provider.-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||
| Screening for esophageal adenocarcinoma in patients with GERD — a clinical practice guideline | 06 Jul 2020 | 00:17:39 | |
Dr. Scott Klarenbach shares the key messages out of a new clinical practice guideline on screening for esophageal adenocarcinoma in patients with chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease.Dr. Klarenbach is a professor in the Department of Medicine, and Assistant Dean, Health Outcomes at the University of Alberta. He is currently Chair of the Alberta Expert Committee on Drug Evaluation and Therapeutics and member of the Canadian Task Force on Preventative Health Care.The guideline is published in CMAJ: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.190814Podcast transcript: https://www.cmaj.ca/transcript-190814-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts. Comments or questions? Text us. Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast. | |||