OMA Spotlight on Health

In this episode, OMA Executive Vice President of Economics, Policy and Research Dr. Jim Wright and surgeon Dr. Najma Ahmed discuss the proposed use of ambulatory care centres to tackle the surgical backlog.

On this episode, we hear from OMA past president Dr. Sohail Gandhi about why there’s a doctor shortage in Ontario and what needs to be done to fix it. A rural family medicine doctor in Stayner, he knows firsthand the impact it's having on his patients.  

On this episode, we hear from palliative care experts Drs. James Downar, Kieran Quinn and Sandy Buchman who discuss the challenges within the province’s palliative-care system and their hope to improve access by restructuring the current system.

As the first Canadian female astronaut and first neurologist in space, Dr. Roberta Bondar’s research aboard NASA’s Space Shuttle Discovery broke ground on the effects of space travel on the nervous system. Those trailblazing contributions to the field of space medicine inspired the researchers and astronauts who followed her.

Dr. Roberta Bondar’s historic space flight 30 years ago inspired her commitment to protect the planet Earth. She talks about the connection between a healthy planet and a healthy population in this podcast in advance of the next OMA Talks on climate change scheduled for April 21, the eve of Earth Day.

On this episode, we hear from mental health, and addictions specialists Dr. Chris Cavacuiti, Dr. Renata Villela and Dr. Michael Paré who discuss how the pandemic has affected patient treatment, and the impact the increasing demand for services is having on them as physicians.

Dr. Ross Upshur discusses lessons learned from COVID-19 and strategies needed to prepare for future pandemics. 

Team-based health care is not only beneficial for patients but could improve Ontario’s health-care system on a whole. In this episode, we hear from Dr. Allan Grill and Dr. Catherine Yu who share their experiences and hopes for the future of accessible team-based care in the province.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed notable weaknesses in Ontario’s public health system. In this podcast we hear from experts Dr. Michael Finkelstein, Dr. Joyce Lock and Dr. Paul Roumeliotis on the necessity of actively preparing the system for the inevitability of future pandemics.

Dr. Mary-Anne Aarts, chief of the department of surgery and co-medical director of the perioperative program at St. Joseph’s Health Centre shares how delayed surgeries and procedures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are affecting patients. 

The lack of digital connectedness in Ontario’s health-care system can waste time, re-traumatize patients, and lead to errors. This podcast focuses on the need to share medical information between health-care professionals and departments. 

Dr. Jane Healey — co-founder of the online Physician Financial Independence group — is helping physicians navigate the financial industry. She shares financial challenges faced by women doctors and offers tips for the road to financial freedom.

Rheumatologist Dr. Saara Rawn and psychiatrist Dr. Jack Haggarty discuss the need for more specialists in the north, how the shortage is impacting patients and what it will take to get them there.

Three northern Ontario physicians – Dr. Stephen Cooper, Dr. Sarah Newbery and Dr. Stephen Viherjoki – discuss the challenges, pitfalls and beauty of working and living in rural and remote areas of the province. They share their solutions to improve the lives and health of their patients.

Three Toronto doctors discuss the gaps in caring for the city’s most vulnerable.

In this second of a two-part series, we speak to Dr. Jennifer Kwan. She’s a family physician and health care advocate in Burlington, Ontario who describes the abuse as “hateful, sexist and racist.”

In this first of a two-part series we speak to Dr. Paul Roumeliotis, a pediatrician and medical officer of health, CEO of the Eastern Ontario Health Unit and president of the Association of Local Public Health Agencies. He discusses the impacts threats and abuse are having on health-care providers.

Sharon Liff discusses the challenges she and her husband face caring for their severely disabled son Adam and how a shortage of qualified home care support is making things worse. Now, 19 years old, Adam was diagnosed with Pelizaeus-Merzbacher Disease when he was a toddler and requires 24-hour care.

OMA President Dr. Adam Kassam discusses the challenges with today’s health-care system and the Prescription for Ontario: Doctors’ 5-Point Plan for Better Health Care. For more information please visit betterhealthcare.ca

Dr. Connie Nasello, obstetrician and gynaecologist and chair of the OMA Section on Obstetrics and Gynaecology provides an update on the impacts of COVID-19 and vaccines during pregnancy.

In latest OMA podcast, award-winning journalist André Picard discusses covering the pandemic   Globe and Mail columnist André Picard has been given an honorary membership to the OMA for his coverage of the pandemic. In the OMA’s regular podcast series Spotlight on Health, Picard shares his views on the pandemic from his vantage point as a journalist.   Read more about Picard’s honorary membership...

Dr. Carolyn Snider talks about physician burnout on the pandemic’s front lines.   OMA data shows physician burnout is on the rise. Dr. Carolyn Snider, chief of emergency medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, describes what it’s been like to be on the front lines of the pandemic and what health-care workers are doing to cope.   For more information on physician burnout please visit:  https...

Doctors are making difficult decisions on behalf of patients every day during the pandemic. Featuring: Dr. Erin O’Connor: Toronto emergency physician Dr. Lawrence Loh: Peel Region medical officer of health Dr. Anju Anand: St. Michael’s Hospital respirologist Prof. Maxwell Smith: Western University bioethicist and a member of the COVID-19 Bioethics Table. Dr. Samantha Hill, OMA Past President and S...

How do we heal the gender gap in medicine?  That question lead the discussion of the Ontario Medical Associations' second thought leadership series OMATalks held virtually on November 27, 2020. Over 300 physicians joined Dr. Sharon Straus, Dr.  Gianni Lorello, Dr. Tara Kiran and Dr. Michelle Cohen for an evening of thoughtful dialogue. For more information on the event please visit: https://w...

Is the vaccine safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women?   Dr. Constance Nasello who specializes in obstetrics and gynecology answers common questions about the new COVID vaccines. For more information on the COVID vaccine please visit: https://www.askontariodoctors.ca/covidvaccine