There is an epidemic that is often overlooked that has gotten worse during COVID-19 – the abuse and neglect of older adults, particularly older women.

Columnist Anne Borden King combines meticulous research with moving reflections about living with breast cancer to expose an overlooked form of medical paternalism and explore the thought-provoking relationship between one’s body and most intimate self-image.

Longer lives are one of the greatest achievements in medicine. Yet we see a diminished quality of life for many older adults, especially women, due to inequities institutionalized in health care. So how do we de-institutionalize these inequities?

Improving health care must begin by recognizing the interconnected webs of colonization woven into all health-care systems in Canada. A good place to start would be at the beginning – with maternity care and birth.

It's a battle to wake up and choose the hijab each day. I truly believe in this aspect of my faith, but the fear and experience of harassment and discrimination is a form of oppression I endure. I know this is a feeling shared by my peers in medicine.

I have ADHD, but it took nearly my whole life to receive a proper diagnosis. Unfortunately, I am not alone – females with this condition often go either undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, since ADHD diagnostic criteria are male-oriented.

Differences in surgical outcomes between men and women may be part of a larger gendered public health crisis.