Raw Talk Podcast

For our 21st and final episode of Raw Talk Season 1, we decided to share something a little different with you guys. We've spent the last year talking to incredible scientists here at the University of Toronto; but we usually get them to discuss their research and personal journeys. Today's episode features discussion on an issue that has recently attracted a lot of media attention - namely, the g...

Moving forward with this month's theme of Our PIs, we sit down with behavioural pharmacologist and epilepsy research champion, Dr. McIntyre Burnham. Dr. Burnham is a Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto and currently co-directs a province-wide epilepsy research program called EpLink. In this episode, we explore longevity in science, advances in epilepsy care, and training students as th...

With July finally here, we embrace the warm weather and our new theme for the month, "Our PIs", featuring some of our own supervisors on the podcast. For this episode, we sit down with Dr. Elizabeth Pang, a Neurophysiologist and Senior Associate Scientist at SickKids. Dr. Pang is a specialist in MEG, a relatively new functional neuroimaging technique, which can record brain activity in real-time....

Even the simplest movements, like picking up your coffee cup, are actually the result of very complex processes and signalling in your nervous system. While we might not put too much thought into the mechanisms that underlie how we move, this week's guest is interested in just that. Dr. Robert Chen, neurologist and scientist, is working to understand how our brain controls our movements, and how t...

Episode 17 of Raw Talk focuses on chronic pain, and we are fortunate to have highly acclaimed researcher, Dr. Karen Davis, join us to share her expertise. We discuss the contribution of neuroimaging in understanding pain perception and pain mechanisms, in addition to some common misconceptions and advances in the field. This segment-packed episode brings research, patient and clinical perspectives...

We couldn't have chosen a better scientist to wrap up this month's theme of "Foundational Science" than Dr. Derek van der Kooy, Head of the Neurobiology Research Group at the Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research. His team conducts basic science research in developmental and stem cell biology, as well as in understanding the neurobiology of motivation and uncovering learning and m...

This month, we're kicking off our theme of foundational research! On this episode, we hear from the amazing Dr. Helen McNeill, an expert in biology and molecular genetics. Dr. McNeil's passion and love for science are contagious as she discusses her current work involving cell organization and growth pathway models using drosophila (better known as fruit flies) and mice. You'll hear about her disc...

Every day, we take ~12-20 breaths per minute, that adds up to anywhere between 12,000-30,000 breaths per day! Now imagine if your lungs failed to function properly, what would happen to your quality of life? How long would you be able to live? What therapies are available to you? These are some of the questions patients diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) have to pose. On Episode 14 of Raw Talk Po...

We can't live without air, but we also can't live with air if we can't breathe. Tune into this episode to hear Dr. Shaf Keshavjee (Surgeon-in-Chief at the University Health Network, Officer of Order of Canada, innovator of the ex-vivo lung perfusion system, and co-founder of the Latner Thoracic Surgery Research Laboratories with Dr. Mingyao Liu) talk everything lung transplants, including his insi...

Keeping with the theme of Student Engagement, we're ending the month with the woman who has figuratively (and nearly literally) done it all, Dr. Darlene Homonko! She's Director of the Office of Technology Transfer and Industrial Liaison at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute and, she took the time to share her incredibly winding journey with us. Dr. Homonko tells us why it's okay to switch...

Someone wise once said, "a great mentor does all the things a good mentor does, but also knows when to let go." On this month's theme of Student Engagement, we sit down with some people who've helped influence us along our paths, and talk all things inspiration, professional development and translational skills. We begin with the world's one and only Dr. Reinhart Reithmeier, Professor of Biochemis...

We are wrapping up this month's theme of "Student Voices" by focusing on the perspectives of future graduate students. On this episode, Richie, Alex and Eryn team sit down to play our favourite game, "Kat Chats", to answer some of the most common questions from our undergrad listeners. We talk about applying to (and enduring) grad school, and what doors can open after graduation. We also hear from...

February is the month to highlight Student Voices. To kick off our theme, we take a break from talking to established researchers and scientists to sit down with some current graduate students at the University of Toronto. Tune in to hear from PhD students, Kasey, Marmendia, Katie, and Beatrice; MD/PhD candidates Swapna and Robert; and MSc candidate Fadl, on perseverance, battling self-doubt, the...

Are you a visual learner? Do you have a passion for art and science? Are you curious about how augmented reality can help you learn? Tune in to this week's episode, featuring Dr. Jodie Jenkinson, a professor in the Biomedical Communications (BMC) program at the Institute of Medical Science. Dr. Jenkinson talks about how she was able to combine her two loves: science and art, the research going on...

Welcome to episode seven of the Raw Talk podcast! We're excited to introduce this month's theme of "IMS Professional Programs" with a special focus on translational research. This week's episode features Mr. Richard Foty, the Network and Community Coordinator of the Translational Research Program (TRP), a new master's degree for health research translators. Rich talks about he got involved in the...

When you're watching a hockey game or even playing sports yourself, do you ever think about concussions? What do athletes or the public think know about concussions? What do our experts at U of T say? In the sixth episode, we continue the theme of "Neurotrauma" with a special focus on sport concussions.  Tune in as we hear Jabir & Richie interview Dr. Andrew Baker, Hillary ask U of T-ers what they...

Welcome to the fifth episode of the Raw Talk Podcast! We are excited to reveal this month's theme: "Neurotrauma". In our first instalment, surgeon-scientist Dr. Michael Fehlings joins us to speak about his early training, translatable research focus, and his experience as one of the Institute of Medical Sciences' first MSc-to-PhD transfer students. We cover the impact of his thesis work in our ver...

To continue this month's theme of "The Physician-Scientist", we are thrilled to bring you an episode featuring the incredible Dr. Albert Wong, Professor of Psychiatry and Pharmacology at the Institute of Medical Sciences, and Research Scientist & Staff Psychiatrist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. In this episode, Dr. Wong discusses the importance of conducting research in psychiatry...

We're excited to introduce October's theme of "The Physician-Scientist" with a man whose talents go beyond the bench and bedside: Dr. Norman Rosenblum. In this episode, you'll hear what led Dr. Rosenblum to combine clinical practice with research, his opinion on the physician-scientist being an "endangered species", and the emerging technologies that have, and continue to shape the future of pedia...

In this session of the Raw Talk Podcast, we are happy to welcome the incredibly accomplished Dr. Molly Shoichet to the show! Dr. Shoichet shares her love for collaboration, working at the interface of different fields, and engaging the public in science. You'll also learn how she found her way back to academia after a successful industry career and what she looks for in potential trainees. We're a...

On the first episode of the podcast, the Raw Talk team discusses all you need to know about the show, from inspiration to implementation, and everything in between. You'll learn why a podcast and video series make a winning combination, and how we're using themes, to provide more engaging content. We also spend a good portion introducing ourselves - sometimes revealing a little too much - while pl...