Mind the Health Gap

New models of care and strategies have the potential to empower patients and transform healthcare services and health outcomes, while improving access to care for those from equity-deserving communities. Host Jennifer Bernard is joined by Dr. Onil Bhattacharyya and Suzanne Charles Watson to discuss the impacts of implicit bias, and how exploring new models of care has the possibility to revolution...

Not only do women present more often with chronic disease, but they are most likely to have multiple chronic diseases as well as intersecting identities that may further the difficulty of accessing care and managing chronic disease. Host Jennifer Bernard is joined by Dr. Noah Ivers and Dr. Lorraine Lipscombe of Women’s College Hospital to talk about the impact of chronic disease, self-management,...

By 2025, Canada is expected to become a “super-aging” society, with more than 25% of its population over the age of 65, which has unique implications on community and individual health and the healthcare system at large. Host Jennifer Bernard is joined by Dr. Paula Rochon of Women’s College Hospital’s (WCH) Women’s Age Lab, Lina Jobanputra and Tania Obljubek of WCH to speak about societal health c...

Substance use disorders are not unique to women – yet many parts of it are. From barriers to access, prevalence, and most importantly, risk, the way women experience substance use disorder is unique and requires a shift in how we approach treatment. Host Jennifer Bernard is joined by Dr. Jennifer Wyman of Women’s College Hospital to discuss the unique impacts of substance use disorders on women, a...

Breast cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in women, with one in eight women being diagnosed in their lifetime. Having a mutation in the BRCA gene increases this likelihood to 45% to 85%, along with a 10% to 46% chance of developing ovarian cancer. Host Jennifer Bernard is joined by Dr. Kelly Metcalfe and Dr. Joanne Kotsopoulos of Women’s College Research Institute at Women’s Coll...

Stigma and discrimination in the context of healthcare are a central driver of morbidity and mortality for women – especially when it comes to reproductive care. Too many topics surrounding a women’s body and health are taboo – and with that comes important, and often lethal, implications for the health of our communities and the women in them. Host Jennifer Bernard is joined by Dr. Amanda Selk of...

One in five Canadians experience chronic pain, but our healthcare system’s current approach to pain management is highly fragmented – leading patients to have to see multiple specialists in different locations and face lengthy wait lists, culminating into poor outcomes for patients and healthcare system costs of more than $6 billion each year. Host Jennifer Bernard is joined by Céleste Corkery and...

For years, women experiencing heart attacks were turned away from emergency rooms in Canada for not presenting with the typical symptoms associated with the disease. What research knew, but many physicians didn’t, was that the symptoms of heart attacks in women vary greatly from those in men. And this gap in knowledge left an often-fatal mark on how women access healthcare in Canada. Host Jennifer...

For years, women experiencing heart attacks were turned away from emergency rooms in Canada for not presenting with the typical symptoms associated with the disease. What research knew, but many physicians didn’t, was that the symptoms of heart attacks in women vary greatly from those in men. And this gap in knowledge left an often-fatal mark on how women access healthcare in Canada. Host Jennifer...

While there has been a noticeable shift in how mental illness is addressed and treated, women, and their unique predispositions, are often still left out of the conversation. In fact, up to 20% of Canadian women will suffer from a maternal mental illness in their lifetime. Host Jennifer Bernard is joined by Dr. Simone Vigod of Women’s College Hospital Department of Psychiatry to speak on how women...

Women make up 51% of the population, yet only 28% of scientists are women, and only 8% of Canada’s national funding goes to women’s health research – leading to a large and often dangerous gap in healthcare system, policies, and practices. Host Jennifer Bernard is joined by Dr. Rulan Parekh, VP Academics, Women's College Hospital and Dr. Cindy Maxwell, VP Medical Affairs and System Transformation,...

70% of patients that present with what physicians refer to as “medically unexplained symptoms” are women – yet let than 8% of Canada’s national funding is directed to women’s health research. Host Jennifer Bernard is joined by Heather McPherson, President and CEO, Women's College Hospital, and Dr. Aisha Lofters of Women’s College Hospital in this two-part episode to discuss the need for gender and...

Mind the Health Gap, brought to you by Women’s College Hospital Foundation, offers in-depth conversations surrounding the gaps in Canada’s healthcare system and their dangerous consequences, featuring physicians and prominent leaders from Women’s College Hospital.