Just Medicine – Details, episodes & analysis

We learn in medical training that factors big and small have an influence on health. Broader social, economic, political, and environmental forces play an important role in determining who experiences good health, and who does not.

In this episode, host Sandra and Dr. Yipeng Ge, a family doctor and public health practitioner, drill down into the details of the structural determinants of health. What are they? How do we recognize their influence in our patients? As medical learners and trainees, what can we do about them?

Check out this episode to hear Dr. Ge’s insights on these questions, which draw on his current practice here on Turtle Island, as well as his work in Palestine.

Resources:

- Learn more about the concept of social prescribing from the Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing.

- Read up on the advocacy work of the Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS) and the UBC Medical Undergraduate Society’s Political Advocacy Committee.

- Listen to this recent episode of Just Medicine for more on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 94 Calls to Action. 

Credits:

Additional music by AmsleyBeats, used under the ⁠Pixabay content license⁠.

Welcome back to Just Medicine! In this episode, we explore the often overlooked vulnerabilities in pediatric health care with our excellent guest, Dr. Amarens Matthiesen, a Certified Child Life Specialist. She discusses the importance of including children in healthcare decision-making and how this looks in practice. Please tune in for a thought-provoking conversation on equity and agency in the pediatric care setting.

Welcome back to Just Medicine! In this episode, I spoke with Dr. Michael Etowa, a post-doctoral research fellow at the Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing at Toronto Metropolitan University and an associate scientist at the HIV Treatment Network in Ontario. Dr. Etowa's research on HIV vulnerability and resilience in the black community fueled a truly enriching discussion about the social determinants of health, health literacy, and community-based interventions for marginalized populations. Conversations such as this serve as a reminder of the importance of taking an active role in healthcare to serve those who are often underserved, overlooked, and ultimately more vulnerable to poorer outcomes.

We are back again with another episode! I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Victoria Weaver, one of the only dual infectious diseases and addictions medicine specialists in Canada. She shares her insights on the treatment of infectious diseases in patients with concurrent substance use. In particular, we discussed the challenges that arise in ID treatment, disease severity and continuity of care. Additionally, we delved into the ethical dilemmas that often arise in this line of work and the importance of multidisciplinary healthcare teams to this specific population.

Welcome back, everyone! This week's episode focuses on Refugee Health by highlighting a remarkable medical student-led initiative called the Refugee Health Initiative (RHI).

I had the pleasure of speaking with Nikola Deretic, a third-year medical student at the University of British Columbia and the current co-president of the Refugee Health Initiative. Nikola delves into the RHI's work to engage and support refugee families in Greater Vancouver with the aid of medical students, language interpreters, and other community organizations.

It was truly a meaningful conversation about advocacy and dismantling barriers in health care.

To explore the details of the initiative and learn more about Refugee care in BC, check out these websites:https://globalhealth.med.ubc.ca/service/student-groups/refugee-health-initiati

https://bcrefugeehub.ca/

We are back again with another episode! I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Mary Kestler, an infectious diseases specialist with particular expertise in HIV, TB, Global Health and Tropical Medicine. She shares her insights on HIV care in urban settings, amidst their unique challenges and opportunities. We also delve into the intersection of HIV care with substance use, gender, and sexual orientation, as well as the social stigmatization that can affect these marginalized groups.

We're back! This week's episode explores the unique mental health challenges faced by youth with chronic illnesses, focusing on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with expert Dr. Astrid Williams.

Adolescence and young adulthood are already full of psychosocial and physical changes. Add to this a lifelong illness, and it can lead to feelings of hopelessness and isolation. Listen in on an important conversation on body image struggles, how to navigate a smooth transition from paediatric to adult healthcare, and healthy coping strategies that are youth-friendly.

All resources discussed in the episode are linked below!

1. Headspace: https://www.headspace.com/mental-health?origin=navigation

2. Crohn's & Colitis Canada: https://crohnsandcolitis.ca

3. Crohn's & Colitis Canada Youth Wellness Series: https://crohnsandcolitis.ca/Support-for-You/Youth-Education-Series

We’re back again with another episode! This week, dive into the world of genetic testing and the genomic divide with expert guest speakers Dr. Wyeth Wasserman and Dr. Anna Lehman:

Did you know that when it comes to genetic testing, you can’t simply use the same reference data for everybody? Different populations of people share different background variations in their genes, so we need good reference data from diverse populations in order for genetic testing to be applicable and useful for each individual. As you may have guessed, this has some pretty big implications for diagnosis and treatment when it comes to those who are poorly represented in large genetic databases. 

Listen in on my conversation with not one, but TWO amazing guest speakers who are doing some pretty game-changing work on the Silent Genomes Project, which aims to reduce healthcare disparities and improve diagnostic success for children with genetic diseases from Indigenous populations. 

We are back with another episode! I had the pleasure of chatting with Dr Tribesty Nguyen who is a public health resident physician. He has many years of experience in social justice, health equity, health policy, and political advocacy, particularly with 2SLGBTQ+, refugee, and racialized communities. He is here with us to share about the nuances of providing care for GBTQ+ men and how to take a sexual history for this population.

If you have any questions, want to suggest a topic for us to cover, or know of any experts in a particular field, please email us at justmedicinepod@gmail.com

We are back with another episode! I had the pleasure of chatting with Dr Alec Yu who is an internal medicine resident physician working at St Paul's Hospital in inner city downtown Vancouver. He shares us his insights working on the frontlines and resources we can directly connect our patients to.

If you have any questions, want to suggest a topic for us to cover, or know of any experts in a particular field, please email us at justmedicinepod@gmail.com