How plant-based vaccines can revolutionize the fight against infectious disease

For underdeveloped countries the cold storage of vaccines is an obstacle to achieving global health equity. Fortunately, plant-based vaccines provide a novel solution.

Lack of political will means Ontario LTC residents will continue to suffer

Ontario’s LTC nurses want to be there to provide quality care to our residents. We know how to fix the system and do just that. But we need the political will to make it happen.

In ‘Heroin,’ author lays bare the injustice and systemic racism behind Canada’s drug laws

For International Overdose Awareness Day (Aug. 31), Healthy Debate sat down with Dr. Susan Boyd to discuss her latest book, Heroin: An Illustrated History.

It’s time to revise Canada’s low-risk alcohol drinking guidelines

Canadians' alcohol use has increased significantly over the past decade. It's time to update low-risk drinking guidelines set in 2011.

Please parents, mask your children as they return to school

This year, we are sending children and educators back to school without mask mandates, without improvements to ventilation and without adequate HEPA filtration in classrooms, knowing full-well that COVID-19 is airborne and that rates of COVID-19 are still high.

Can we improve health care for all with only the empty public purse?

In a follow-up to his recent article on the day in the life of a family physician, Dr. Alykhan Abdulla discusses the knee-jerk reactions to privatization following Ontario's announcement that it would increase publicly funded surgeries at private clinics.

Pandemics as portals: What monkeypox teaches us about medical apartheid and resistance

HIV, COVID, monkeypox - then, as now, structural injustices have been made clear in the wake of any infectious outbreak. How we respond to this outbreak and dismantle the structural violence that created the conditions that allowed it to happen is up to us.

‘Literally, neither here nor there’: Caring for aging loved ones from a distance

A growing number of us are caring for aging parents and loved ones from a distance. Thanks in part to technology, intergenerational families separated by borders and oceans can stay connected and offer support. A dozen distant caregivers highlight the unique and invisible challenges they face and offer learning opportunities.

Tackling racism in Canadian health care: University offers first master’s program in Black health

Black Canadians have poorer health outcomes and are less likely to obtain health-care services compared to other groups. Poverty, unemployment, racism and discrimination, increase the risk of illness and interfere with timely and unprejudiced treatment. A new University of Toronto program is working toward eliminating discrimination and its adverse effects on health care.

Episode 45 – Preventative Medicine: the Mediterranean Diet and the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder

A day in a life of a family physician

Family medicine has been in the news lately, with accounts of shortages and medical graduates shunning the practice. Many believe family medicine is about infections, prescription renewals and referrals to specialists. Perhaps by sharing the details of a day in a life in family medicine, then my colleagues can either substantiate, educate or commiserate with my experience.

Rural health care: How to get it right

Rural citizens are generally older, sicker and poorer than the rest of the population, and so have greater need for care if they are to achieve health outcomes equitable to the rest of the population. We have a system that is failing rural Canadians, and it must change. But what if we got it right?

Medicine vs. Journalism? Navigating the tension between two fields

It’s no secret that medicine and journalism are often at odds. But what happens when the doctor is a journalist? Physician-journalists Anthony Fong and Monica Kidd discuss navigating the tensions between medicine and journalism.

Episode 44 – Tranexamic Acid in Non-Cardiac Surgery and Post-ICU Syndrome

Gallery’s ‘at-home apothecary’ exhibit holds a critical lens to the wellness industry

The at-home apothecary, or EXTRA STRENGTH + PAIN RELIEF, is a mixed-media body of work that highlights themes of physical ailment, addiction and mental health. It's as relevant in a semi-post-pandemic world as it was when the artist first began sketching the pieces in 2016.

On Bill 96 and Quebec health-care

The pandemic has exposed systemic flaws in our health-care system that require fundamental changes. Although the intention behind Bill 96 is to promote and preserve the French language in Quebec, it will instead setback a fragile system and exacerbate pre-existing health inequities.

Toward a national action plan to reduce stillbirths in Canada

Canada’s stillbirth rate has remained stagnant for more than 20 years, at a rate of more than 3,000 per year, and there are no plans in place to reduce it. The Canadian Collaborative for Stillbirth Prevention is asking the government to enact a national action plan to address the issue. Find out what you can do to get involved.

An update on national pharmacare, and five steps to get us there faster

The current state of our health system means viable alternative approaches are needed. Private plans are not perfect, and neither are provincial plans. But both payer groups need to better protect Canadians from ruinous drug costs.

Episode 43 – Clinical Education and Healthcare Delivery in the CTU with Dr. Brandon Tang

How to build a palliative care empire

Though some may say that we can’t train enough palliative physicians, much like the Imperial Commander on the second Death Star, I recommend we “double our efforts.”