CMAJ Podcasts

On this episode of the CMAJ Podcast, Dr. Blair Bigham and Dr. Mojola Omole address the increasingly urgent issue of adolescent vaping. Rates of use of e-cigarettes containing nicotine  by youth in Canada continue to be among the highest in the world. They speak with Dr. Madelynn Hannah, a clinical pharmacist, and Dr. Trisha Tulloch, a pediatrician specializing in adolescent and addiction medicine...

On this episode of the CMAJ Podcast, Dr. Blair Bigham and Dr. Mojola Omole tackle the complex issue of "socially admitted" patients, sometimes uncharitably referred to as "granny dumping." They explore the factors leading to these non-acute medical admissions, the challenges faced by healthcare providers and innovative solutions to the problem. Dr. Jasmine Mah, a geriatrics fel...

On this episode of the CMAJ Podcast, Dr. Blair Bigham and Dr. Mojola Omole explore groundbreaking advancements in HIV treatment and prevention. They examine various innovative approaches that are transforming the landscape of HIV care. Dr. Darrell Tan, a clinician scientist at St. Michael's Hospital and associate professor at the University of Toronto, discusses the article he co-authored, &q...

On this episode of the CMAJ Podcast, Dr. Blair Bigham and Dr. Mojola Omole discuss the latest concerns surrounding the H5N1 virus. They explore the current state of its transmission, symptoms and treatments. They also assess our pandemic preparedness and whether we are applying the lessons learned from COVID-19 to this new potential threat. Dr. Robert Kozak, a microbiologist at Sunnybrook Health S...

On this episode of the CMAJ Podcast, Dr. Blair Bigham and Dr. Mojola Omole discuss the evidence supporting exercise as an effective treatment option for mild to moderate depression. They explore how exercise might be used effectively and the challenges involved in implementing it for patients. Dr. Nicholas Fabiano, a second-year psychiatry resident at the University of Ottawa, is co-author of the...

On this episode of the CMAJ Podcast, Dr. Blair Bigham and Dr. Mojola Omole tackle an unexpected yet urgent topic: the resurgence of measles. With rising cases globally and in Canada, they discuss the implications and necessary actions for healthcare professionals. Dr. Sarah Wilson, a public health physician at Public Health Ontario, provides a comprehensive overview of the current measles situatio...

On this episode of the CMAJ Podcast, Dr. Blair Bigham and Dr. Mojola Omole discuss the heated debate over proposed updates to the CanMEDS framework. The controversy ignited when an interim report placed principles of equity, social justice, and anti-racism at the heart of the framework, rather than medical expertise. Dr. Kannin Osei-Tutu, author of a commentary in CMAJ , proposes a new model for C...

On this episode of the CMAJ Podcast, Dr. Blair Bigham and Dr. Mojola Omole explore the intricate relationship between medical assistance in dying (MAiD) and palliative care in Canada. They focus on a qualitative study titled " Perspectives of Canadian healthcare leaders on the relationship between medical assistance in dying and palliative and end-of-life care services: a qualitative study ,&...

On this episode of the CMAJ Podcast, Dr. Eve Purdy makes it clear what’s at stake when it comes to incivility in medicine. "It's very simple. Incivility kills patients, and that needs to be the single line of every healthcare leader responsible for managing and leading teams.” Dr. Purdy joins Dr. Sarah Kim and hosts, Drs. Blair Bigham and Mojola Omole, for an urgent panel discussion that...

On this episode of the CMAJ Podcast, Dr. Blair Bigham and Dr. Mojola Omole closely examine anorexia nervosa in male adolescents, a topic that frequently escapes notice. Their discussion highlights the disorder's prevalence, especially among high-risk groups like LGBTQ+ individuals and those from varied racial and ethnic backgrounds. It also underscores the severity of anorexia nervosa in youn...

On this episode, Dr. Blair Bigham and Dr. Mojola Omole explore a clinical case involving a rare infection in a returned traveler, highlighting the critical role of travel history in diagnosing unusual diseases. They discuss the case of a woman in her 60s who presented with fever and ankle pain after returning from India. Initial concerns for septic arthritis led to further investigation when stand...

On this episode, Dr. Blair Bigham and Dr. Mojola Omole explore two articles in CMAJ focused on the critical importance of trust in the health care system. They speak with Louis Lochhead, who shares his experiences navigating the health care landscape as a caregiver after his wife's serious accident, which resulted in a coma lasting nearly two months. Lochhead highlights the difficulties in bu...

On this episode of the CMAJ Podcast, Dr. Catherine Varner, deputy editor of CMAJ , sits in for Dr. Blair Bigham and joins Dr. Mojola Omole to explore two articles published in the journal that highlight troubling findings concerning the treatment of opioid use disorder. They begin with a study that revealed significant gaps in treatment for opioid overdose patients, where only 5.5% received opioid...

On this episode of the CMAJ Podcast , Dr. Blair Bigham and Dr. Mojola Omole examine an article published in CMAJ titled, ' Tackling barriers to Canadian medical school admissions for students with disabilities .' The analysis highlights how medical education has historically devalued or excluded trainees with disabilities and emphasizes the need for more flexible and inclusive admission...

On this episode of the CMAJ Podcast, Dr. Blair Bigham and Dr. Mojola Omole discuss the practice article in the journal entitled, “ Five things to know about…Novel obesity treatments" . They discuss the impact of new medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide in treating obesity with Dr. Shohinee Sarma, the lead author. Dr. Sarma explains the significant effects these drugs have on weight lo...

On this episode, Dr. Emmanuel Bujold addresses the gross underutilization of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) in Canada during pregnancy, a treatment highly effective in preventing preterm preeclampsia among those at risk. Dr. Bujold is an OB-GYN in Quebec City and a professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Laval University's School of Medicine. He is a co-author of the commentary in CMAJ entitl...

On this episode, we revisit and update one of the most-read articles on the CMAJ website. The article is titled, “ Smartphones, social media use, and youth mental health .” It reviews the extensive literature linking poor mental health in adolescents with smartphone and social media use. The article details a variety of studies that implicate smartphone and social media use in increased mental dis...

On this episode, Drs. Blair Bigham and Mojola Omole discuss the CMAJ paper " Cost-effectiveness of pharmacogenomic-guided treatment for major depression ". The paper examines the potential of pharmacogenomic testing in the treatment of major depression and its implications for health care costs. The study suggests that implementing pharmacogenomic testing for adults with moderate to seve...

On this episode, Drs. Blair Bigham and Mojola Omole delve into the evolution and advancements in virtual urgent care since the COVID-19 pandemic. The discussion centers around the study published in CMAJ entitled " Healthcare utilization and outcomes of patients seen by virtual urgent care versus in-person emergency department care ," which analyzed patient usage and outcomes during the...

On this episode, Drs. Mojola Omole and Blair Bigham speak with two vaccine experts about the necessity, timing and availability of vaccines as we move into the season when influenza, RSV and COVID-19 are on the rise. Dr. Scott Halperin, co-author of a CMAJ practice paper on SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in pregnancy, emphasizes the importance of vaccination to protect against COVID-19 infection during pr...

In this episode, Drs. Blair Bigham and Mojola Omole delve into the pressing issue of alcohol use disorder (AUD) in Canada with Dr. Evan Wood, the lead author of the “Canadian guideline for the clinical management of high risk drinking and alcohol use disorder ” published in CMAJ .  They explore the concerning prevalence of AUD in Canada, contrasting it with other countries and shedding light on th...

In this episode, Dr. Blair Bigham and Dr. Mojola Omole speak with two co-authors of a new guideline published in CMAJ entitled " Preventive care recommendations to promote health equity ". Dr. Nav Persaud and Dr. Aisha Lofters explain the importance of embedding health equity into healthcare and discuss specific ways public policy and individual primary care physicians can work together...

In this episode, Drs. Blair Bigham and Mojola Omole speak with two leading experts: Dr. Samira Jeimy, an allergist, and Dr. Isaac Bogoch, a specialist in infectious diseases, about the increasing prevalence of allergies and infections in Canada attributed to insects. Dr. Jeimy authored the article in the CMAJ titled “Five things to know about… tick-borne red meat allergy (α-gal syndrome)”. Dr. Jei...

Canada’s emergency departments are in crisis: hospital occupancy rates exceed 90% for many days in a row, and many Canadian hospitals have been exceeding 100% occupancy for months on end. As a result, quality of care has decreased, staff retention has become problematic and overcrowding of emergency departments, a symptom of the problem, is assured. On this episode, Drs. Omole and Bigham speak wit...

On this encore episode, we revisit and update one of the most-read articles on the CMAJ website. The article is titled, “ Smartphones, social media use, and youth mental health .” It reviews the extensive literature linking poor mental health in adolescents with smartphone and social media use. The article details a variety of studies that implicate smartphone and social media use in increased men...