CMAJ Podcasts

In this interview, Dr. Natasha Crowcroft comments on the measles outbreaks in Canada and globally, what many roots of the problem are, and what she thinks needs to happen to address the outbreaks. Dr. Natasha Crowcroft is chief science officer for Public Health Ontario in Toronto and an expert consultant for the World Health Organization. She co-authored a commentary article published in the Canad...

In this narrative, Kacper Niburski remembers when, for a short while, his father was unrecognizable to him. Mr. Niburski is a medical student at McGill University in Montréal, Québec, and editor of the CMAJ student humanities blog. He wrote a Humanities Encounters article published in CMAJ called "Cough."To read the article: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.190314---------------------...

In this interview, Dr. Hans Rosenberg and Dr. Melise Keays discuss testicular torsion, a condition in which the spermatic vessels twist and cut off circulation to the testis. They explain the symptoms, how to diagnose it and how to treat it. They also explain how this condition can happen and why it's important to diagnose it in a timely manner. Dr. Hans Rosenberg is an emergency physician at...

In this narrative, Dr. Brian Deady reflects back on a time when a four-legged friend entered his life and instilled in him a sense of empathy he didn’t know he lacked. The story is read by Troy Acres. Dr. Deady is an emergency physician in Vancouver, British Columbia. He wrote a Humanities Encounters article published in CMAJ called "The unbearable rightness of two-ball fetch."To read th...

In this interview, Dr. Murray Krahn discusses cost-effectiveness and optimal use of resources in health care. He talks about how it has evolved over the last decade and he dispels some misconceptions and explains why it's important for policy makers to embrace the science of cost-effectiveness analysis. Dr. Murray Krahn is a general internist at the University Health Network in Toronto, and a...

In this interview, Dr. Robin Scheffler talks about the history of childhood cancer vaccine research. He explores the turn from polio vaccine research to cancer vaccine research and the power of children in marketing campaigns, especially in the context of raising funds for children’s hospitals or finding cures for childhood diseases. CMAJ is partnering with New Books Network for this episode. NBN...

In this narrative, Dr. Lori-Ann Linkins shares how her dear friend and fellow physician, Dr. Shelly Sarwal, chose Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD). But before undergoing MAiD she forged a path to rewrite policies and ensure her organs would be donated. Dr. Linkins is a hematologist and associate professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. She wrote a Humanities Encounters article publ...

In this interview, Dr. Dorian Deshauer chats about the history of suicide risk assessment for insurance companies. In the past, the process included a group of physicians but over time physicians got replaced by a more cost-effective process called automated underwriting. He also explains how the first Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) influenced risk assessment. Dr. Dori...

In this interview, Dr. Sara Ilnitsky talks about the latest evidence around how smoking marijuana affects fertility. She discusses the pharmacology and physiology behind it, how edibles are different, how the effect is different in men versus women and more. Dr. Ilnitsky is a reproductive endocrinology and infertility fellow at Western University in London, Ontario. She will be starting her practi...

In this narrative, Dr. Sumedha Arya reflects back on a time while she was in medical school when her body felt foreign. Dr. Arya is an internal medicine resident at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario. She wrote a Humanities Encounters article published in CMAJ called "Ego and id."To read the article: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.181581-----------------------------------...

In this interview, Dr. James Downar and Dr. Jennifer Hancock take listeners through some of the ethical considerations of having a patient who requests medical assistance in dying (MAiD) or withdrawal of life-sustaining measures (WLSM) and who is also requesting to have his or her organs donated. Dr. James Downar is head of the division of palliative care at the University of Ottawa and is a criti...

In this interview from our archives, Dr. John Hoey has a fascinating discussion with Dr. James Orbinski. The interview was first published in February of the year 2000. At the time, Dr. John Hoey was editor-in-chief of CMAJ and Dr. James Orbinski was international president of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders, or MSF). Dr. Orbinski had just accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in recogn...

In this narrative, the Dr. Ellen Feld reflects back on a patient she encountered many years ago. Dr. Feld delivered what she thought was good news about her diagnosis, but the patient felt otherwise. Dr. Feld is a general internist, professor, and medical director of the physician assistant program at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She wrote a Humanities Encounters article publis...

In this narrative, Dr. Debra Hamer reflects back on brain surgery she had many years ago, before she became a physician and a mother. She tries to find closure and get to a place of gratitude. Dr. Hamer is an assistant professor and psychiatrist at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. She wrote a Humanities Encounters article published in CMAJ called "A letter to my neurosurgeon."To...

In this narrative, Dr. Calvin Santiago, who was a medical student at Queen’s University at the time, describes an encounter with a patient who was at peace with stopping his treatment. The essay won the 2017 Undergraduate Narrative Award for Palliative Medicine. Dr. Santiago is now a first-year neurology resident at the University of Toronto. He wrote a Humanities Encounters article published in C...

In this interview, Dr. Joy Albuquerque and Dr. Sarah Tulk talk about physician suicide, the only cause of death more common in physicians than the general public. They discuss factors that can lead to suicide and suicidal ideation (such as regulatory complaints, mental illness, culture in medicine), and they talk about what can be done to prevent this occupational health hazard. They also discuss...

In this interview, Dr. Davinder Singh and Dr. Marcia Anderson discuss the problem of racism in the justice system which is in in part responsible for the over-representation of Indigenous people among the those incarcerated in Canada. As a result, Indigenous people lose far more years of life to incarceration than to premature death from many common causes. Dr. Marcia Anderson is Cree-Anishinaabe,...

In this podcast, Dr. Jonathan Fuller and Dr. Jeremy Simon discuss disease as a concept. Are diseases part of the natural world, like electrons and photons, or created by humans and their perceptions and interests, like constellations or countries? Dr. Fuller is a philosophy of medicine postdoctoral fellow and graduating medical student at the University of Toronto. Dr. Simon is an emergency physic...

In this next "Med Life with Dr. Horton" podcast, Dr. Jillian Horton talks with both Dr. Deepu Gawda and actor Alan Alda. In the first segment, Dr. Horton and guest Dr. Deepu Gawda, internist and associate professor of medicine at Columbia University, answer a listener question from a physician who is under so much work pressure that s/he is viewing patients only as units of time. This pe...

In this interview, Dr. Nathan Stall and Dr. Rachel Savage discuss loneliness in older adults. They talk about how to assess for loneliness, the detrimental effects it can have on health, and what to do about it. Dr. Nathan Stall is a geriatrician at Sinai Health System and a research fellow at Women's College Research Institute. He is completing a PhD in clinical epidemiology & health car...

In this interview, Dr. Gregg Nelson and Dr. Alon Altman explain Enhanced Recovery After Surgery or ERAS, an evidence-based care pathway created to improve patient outcomes after surgery. ERAS reconsiders or eliminates long standing surgical practices such as prolonged fasting, mechanical bowel preparation, nasogastric tubes, delayed feeding after surgery, and long hospital stays. Dr. Gregg Nelson...

In this fictional narrative, Dr. Carolyne Montgomery explores what happens when, as a doctor, your patients are also your friends...and your friends are patients, but not yours. Dr. Montgomery is a recently retired Pediatric Anesthesiologist and a graduate of The Writer’s Studio at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia. She wrote a Humanities Encounters article published in CMAJ c...

In this narrative, Dr. Judy Dercksen, a family physician in rural British Columbia, shares what it’s like to manage chronic pain in a busy rural office setting, in the face of an opioid crisis. She wrote a Humanities Encounters article published in CMAJ called "Pain warrior."To read the article: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.180957-----------------------------------Music: Friday Mo...

In this interview, Dr. Varun Kapila explains why transient ischemic attacks or nondisabling stroke due to internal carotid artery stenosis require urgent diagnosis and intervention. Dr. Varun Kapila is division head of vascular surgery at William Osler Health System in Brampton, Ontario. He is also co-director for the hospital’s endovascular therapeutics program. He co-authored a review article pu...

In this podcast, Dr. Jonathan Fuller and Dr. Maya Goldenberg discuss why vaccine hesitancy still persists, despite overwhelming evidence in support of vaccine safety and effectiveness. Dr. Fuller is a philosophy of medicine postdoctoral fellow and graduating medical student at the University of Toronto. Dr. Goldenberg is a professor of philosophy at the University of Guelph. For more philosophical...