Janet Kushner-Kow

Contributor

Dr. Janet Kushner-Kow is the physician program director of elder care at Providence Health Care and division head of geriatric medicine at the University of British Columbia.

3078 Contributions
by Tania Kazi

Cutting for comfort: Understanding the role of palliative surgery

Would you or a loved one undergo surgery knowing that it would not lead to a cure? This question invites a broader discussion about the risks and benefits of such decisions.

by Edward Xie

Move fast and fix things: Canada can’t afford pharmacare delays

A limited national pharmacare plan passed into law recently, but so far it is only a small step toward universal, comprehensive, public drug coverage.

by Alan Drummond Raghu Venugopal

Patients, not politicians, decide what is an emergency

Ontario Premier Doug Ford made reckless statements on Oct. 25 that we as emergency physicians must correct. Patients decide what is a medical emergency. We trust our patients to make that decision.

by Sally J M Douglas

Mpox misinformation is costing lives

Without action, too many lives will be needlessly at risk. We must stand together, spread the truth and protect one another from this preventable disease.

by Bolu Ogunyemi

The status quo is not acceptable. We need bold, transformative action to save our health-care system

We need health innovation that is informed by the knowledge skills that day-to-day frontline experience provides.

Legislation that guides road design must prioritize safety over travel times

"We strongly oppose the recent proposed Ontario legislation, Bill 212, that limits the ability for municipalities and cities to make their roads safer for their citizens."

by Dilshad Kassam-Lallani Rano Matta

Turning 18 is not so sweet for young adults with disabilities

Reaching adulthood should be a celebratory milestone, filled with greater independence and possibilities for the future. But for the estimated 200,000 young Canadians with disabilities, turning 18 often feels like falling off a cliff.

by Ferrukh Faruqui

Quebec’s move to allow advance requests for MAiD ‘the worst news imaginable’

Quebec’s decision to forge ahead with advance requests for Medical Assistance in Dying could put the elderly and those with dementia at risk, critics say.

by Michael Borrie

Patients with cognitive decline deserve more than just sympathy – they deserve action

Prioritizing Alzheimer’s care isn’t just a health issue; it’s a societal imperative informed by research. We must invest in early detection, expand access to innovative treatments and craft policies informed by patient experiences.

by Maddi Dellplain

Are Canada’s clinical trials in need of reform? Experts weigh in.

Private companies in Canada are recruiting thousands of often financially desperate test subjects each year to participate in clinical trials. If we want to ensure safer studies for participants and improve critical research, what is the best way forward?

Bodies for Rent

Bodies for Rent is a documentary directed by Habiba Nosheen in collaboration with the Investigative Journalism Bureau

by Raghu Venugopal

I’m an emergency department doctor. It’s not all bad.

"Beyond the nihilistic headlines, much good can go unnoticed. A more fulsome reality is that there are successes leading to healthier and longer lives – even in my chaotic specialty."

by Bernard Ho

A publicly funded virtual care system would benefit us all

Virtual care and nurse practitioner care are here to stay; let’s publicly fund this care so that it’s accessible to all Canadians.

by Timothy Caulfield

Hey Canada, let’s stop the homeopathy lie

As Alberta ponders whether or not to bring alternative medicine into the provincial health-care system, Timothy Caulfield has a few words to share on homeopathy.

by Maddi Dellplain

‘I would still receive another rather than no vaccine at all’: Chronically ill people left with little choice

Canada will not be procuring the Novavax vaccine for the 2024/25 season, leaving those who would have preferred an alternative to the mRNA vaccine without another option.

by Laurie Proulx Zal Press Marney Paradis Dawn Richards Linda Wilhelm Maureen Smith

Where are the patient voices in Canada’s pharmaceutical system?

While federal health priorities focus on areas such as pharmaceutical use, data infrastructure and connected care, the central priority – patients’ experiences and needs – remains neglected.

by Blake Murdoch

Canadians deserve potentially life-saving early warning health-care AI

AI technology threatens to disenfranchise the labour force, further concentrate power and wealth and even destabilize democracy. But it's not all bad news. CHARTWatch shows how AI could be used to save lives rather than destroy them.

by Joss Reimer

Why we need to track health-care funding – and hire a chief accountability officer

There is a new momentum to rebuild Canada’s ailing health-care system. But we can’t fix what we don’t know. We must build better health-funding accountability measures.

by Marvin Ross

From hospitals to encampments – the devolution of mental illness care in Canada

Solutions to the mental health and homelessness crises are not easy. It will take years to improve it. But if we want to call ourselves a civilized compassionate country, we have to do it.

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