From the Burgundy Chairs

Digital Health Founders is a Santis Health series featuring one-on-one conversations with leaders from across Canada’s digital health ecosystem. From transformative startups to public sector changemakers, these episodes explore how innovators are shaping the future of care through collaboration, technology and bold thinking.   In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Mohamed Alarakhia, Founder and CE...

In this deep dive, veteran health journalist Avis Favaro sits down with Nik Nanos (Nanos Research) and Patrick Nelson (Santis Health) to break down the inaugural Santis-Nanos Canadian Health Perspective - a national survey tracking public sentiment on health care delivery, priorities, and system innovation. Worried and frustrated by the status quo, Canadians have lost confidence in the system's cu...

While Canadian researchers are making incredible biomedical breakthroughs in labs across the country, our capacity to bring those medicines to patients and their health care teams is inefficient, complex and fragmented. The challenges that currently shape Canada’s access environment are being  exacerbated by an increasingly unstable and competitive global marketplace. The result?  Without new path...

With over 2.5 million Ontarians currently without a family doctor, the pharmacy is no longer just a place to pick up prescriptions—it is where health care must start. Yet, a significant regulatory bottleneck remains: while Ontario pharmacists can now administer a wider range of vaccines, they often lack the authority to prescribe them, forcing patients back into a strained primary care system for...

Digital Health Founders is a Santis Health series featuring one-on-one conversations with leaders from across Canada’s digital health ecosystem. From transformative startups to public sector changemakers, these episodes explore how innovators are shaping the future of care through collaboration, technology and bold thinking. In this episode, we sit down with Adrian Schauer, Founder and CEO of Alay...

When pregnancy overlaps with incarceration, trauma histories, or systemic discrimination, care decisions become deeply influenced by power imbalances and stigma. These intersecting challenges often leave vulnerable populations facing significant gaps as they navigate pregnancy and childbirth. How can we rethink care approaches to reduce this stigma and address the trauma and systemic inequities th...

Trust in traditional public health systems is eroding. At the same time, health misinformation - and disinformation - is spreading faster than ever, reshaping how Canadians view and interpret  science and health care. The 2025 Health and Media Annual Tracking Survey, commissioned by the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), found that 43% of Canadians are highly susceptible to health misinformation....

As Canada prepares for the fall return of Parliament, a major policy question is emerging across industries: what is the country’s economic strategy for the next decade, and what role should health play in it? After attending the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s B7 summit in May, BD-Canada posed the question: what happens when we shift our view of health as a strategic investment instead of a spendi...

Digital Health Founders is a Santis Health series featuring one-on-one conversations with leaders from across Canada’s digital health ecosystem. From transformative startups to public sector changemakers, these episodes explore how innovators are shaping the future of care through collaboration, technology and bold thinking. In this episode, we sit down with Mike Checkley, President and Co-Founder...

Canada is making important strides in modernizing its health data infrastructure, but progress remains uneven and insufficient. While digital health investments continue at both the federal and provincial levels, health data across the system remains fragmented. Many provinces still lack transparent, public-facing health data strategies, and existing ones often exclude key health system partners....

This podcast was created with support from GE HealthCare Canada. Theranostics is a patient-centric approach in medicine that combines diagnostic and therapeutic technologies to precisely visualize and treat cancer without harming healthy tissue. This innovative treatment method is an incredible showcase of technology in the health care system. Featuring Mike Hamilton, CEO of GE HealthCare Canada,...

To build a stronger, more resilient health system in Ontario, we must fully recognize and support Registered Practical Nurses (RPNs). RPNs deliver more than one-third of nursing care in Ontario, yet many remain underrecognized, underutilized, and misunderstood across the health care system. As patient needs grow and system pressures mount, RPNs are increasingly called upon to play critical roles o...

On March 23, Prime Minister Mark Carney asked Governor General Mary Simon to dissolve Parliament and call a federal election, officially kicking off what’s known as the Writ Period. During this time, the federal government and its 370,000 public servants must follow the Caretaker Convention—a set of rules ensuring government operations continue while avoiding major new decisions until election day...

Episode 37 | Tackling Physician Burnout - Building a Resilient Health Care System for Physicians  To foster patient-first care, Canada needs healthy physicians. In Canada, the issue of burnout is reaching critical levels, with nearly three-quarters of health care providers reporting symptoms of burnout. This has a profound impact not only on physicians but also on patient care and the sustainabili...

Mental health and addictions care is a critical issue affecting countless individuals and families across Ontario. As the demand for services continues to grow, the challenges within the system have become increasingly apparent, from long wait times to inadequate access to community supports. In this episode, Avis Favaro is joined by Dr. Nadiya Sunderji, President and CEO, and Dr. Kevin Young, Vic...

Caregivers exist in all areas of our communities, whether it’s a family member providing physical support to their loved one or a friend providing emotional support to their neighbour. Caregiving has recently taken center stage with government decision makers considering policies like the National Caregiving Strategy, compensation for caregivers, and implications for the caregiving community with...

This podcast was created with support from Boehringer Ingelheim Canada. Schizophrenia is a complex mental disorder that affects millions worldwide. Though psychosis is the hallmark symptom of this serious mental illness, cognitive impairment is another core feature that significantly impacts patients' daily functioning and quality of life. In this podcast episode, we delve into the critical inters...

Since the 2004 Paul Martin deal to fix health care for a generation, which guaranteed federal health transfers would increase by 6% annually, the Government of Canada has sought to constrain the growth of the Canada Health Transfer (CHT). First, the Harper Government lowered the annual CHT growth rate to align with economic growth.   Upon forming government in 2015, the Trudeau Liberals successful...

  Supported by Gilead Sciences Canada.   Canada is experiencing an HIV crisis and we’re moving in the wrong direction. By the end of 2020, there were 62,790 Canadians living with HIV. The following year, there were 1,472 additional diagnoses in Canada — a 11.3% increase from the previous year. PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) is a once-a-day pill that reduces the risk of transmission by 99% if take...

Primary care is the foundation of Canada’s health care system; however, the sector is facing a multitude of pressing challenges. Currently, more than 6.5 million Canadians do not have regular access to primary care and the one third of Canadians who have a family doctor find it difficult to get an appointment. Physicians themselves are facing intense burnout coupled with a health human resources (...

Delivering world-class care and research, Ontario’s hospitals play a pivotal role in diagnosing, treating and coordinating care for a growing population.   But Ontario’s health system is under incredible pressure. Hospitals are faced with a series of unique challenges including capacity restraints, staffing shortages, rising infrastructure costs and the evolving needs of patients. Tackling these c...

The COVID-19 pandemic illuminated capacity and health human resource (HHR) challenges across health systems in Canada, and around the world. The extent of these challenges has necessitated governments, providers and organizations to think differently about their respective roles and commit to real change. One of the key challenges in addressing the HHR crisis is identifying how to retain health wo...

In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission released its report “Honouring the Truth, Reconciling for the Future.” The report detailed how colonization historically undermined the health of Indigenous Peoples and how past policies continue to contribute towards the persistent health gap between Indigenous communities and the general population. At the same time, the Commission released 94 cal...

Pharmacists’ scope of practice has expanded and evolved in recent years, and Canada's pharmacists are doing more for their patients than ever before. Pharmacists in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Ontario have seen their prescribing powers expand significantly this year — with Ontario further expanding the list of common ailments pharmacists can treat just a few weeks ago. There is increasing e...

In February 2023, the Government of Canada announced it will increase health funding to the provinces and territories by $196.1 billion over the next 10 years. Included in this funding, in an effort to address Canada’s overdose crisis, is targeted support for mental health and substance use to ensure Canadians have equal access to “timely, equitable, and quality mental health, substance use, and a...