

CMAJ Podcasts
Canadian Medical Association Journal
CMAJ Podcasts: Exploring the latest in Canadian medicine from coast to coast to coast with your hosts, Drs. Mojola Omole and Blair Bigham. CMAJ Podcasts delves into the scientific and social health advances on the cutting edge of Canadian health care. Episodes include real stories of patients, clinicians, and others who are impacted by our health care system.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 8, 2019 • 7min
Encounters — An emergency doc learns a life lesson from his loyal companion
In this narrative, Dr. Brian Deady reflects back on a time when a four-legged friend entered his life and instilled in him a sense of empathy he didn’t know he lacked. The story is read by Troy Acres.Dr. Deady is an emergency physician in Vancouver, British Columbia.He wrote a Humanities Encounters article published in CMAJ called "The unbearable rightness of two-ball fetch."To read the article: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.190213-----------------------------------Music: Evening Fall Harp by Kevin MacLeod, YouTube audio library-----------------------------------For more stories like this one, get your copy of CMAJ’s Encounters Book. This anthology of prose and poetry of some 100 Canadian authors including Drs. David Goldbloom, Shane Neilson, Allan Peterkin and Monica Kidd, has been specially curated and includes a study guide. shop.cma.ca/products/encounters-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Overcast, Instacast, or your favourite app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts.Comments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

Jul 2, 2019 • 37min
From polio to cancer vaccines
In this interview, Dr. Robin Scheffler talks about the history of childhood cancer vaccine research. He explores the turn from polio vaccine research to cancer vaccine research and the power of children in marketing campaigns, especially in the context of raising funds for children’s hospitals or finding cures for childhood diseases. CMAJ is partnering with New Books Network for this episode. NBN connects scholars to book authors and publishes modern book reviews in the form of a podcast. https://newbooksnetwork.com/category/science-technology/medicine/Dr. Robin Scheffler is a historian of biological and biomedical sciences and associate professor in the science, technology, and society program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts.Dr. Scheffler just published a book called “A Contagious Cause: The American Hunt for Cancer Viruses and the Rise of Molecular Medicine.”His Medicine and Society article is titled “Protecting children: the American turn from polio to cancer vaccines.” The article is published in CMAJ: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.181630-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Overcast, Instacast, or your favourite aggregator. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts.Comments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

Jul 2, 2019 • 33min
Cost-effectiveness analysis and the science of value
In this interview, Dr. Murray Krahn discusses cost-effectiveness and optimal use of resources in health care. He talks about how it has evolved over the last decade and he dispels some misconceptions and explains why it's important for policy makers to embrace the science of cost-effectiveness analysis. Dr. Murray Krahn is a general internist at the University Health Network in Toronto, and a Canada Research Chair in Health Technology Assessment. He leads THETA, a research group devoted to health economics and technology assessment.He co-authored an analysis article published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Full article: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.181606----------------------------------------------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Audi Canada.The Canadian Medical Association has partnered with Audi Canada to offer CMA members a preferred incentive on select vehicle models. Purchase any new qualifying Audi model and receive an additional cash incentive based on the purchase type. Details of the incentive program can be found at www.audiprofessional.ca.-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Overcast, Instacast, or your favourite aggregator. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts.Comments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

Jun 17, 2019 • 7min
Encounters — A physician undergoes MAiD
In this narrative, Dr. Lori-Ann Linkins shares how her dear friend and fellow physician, Dr. Shelly Sarwal, chose Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD). But before undergoing MAiD she forged a path to rewrite policies and ensure her organs would be donated.Dr. Linkins is a hematologist and associate professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.She wrote a Humanities Encounters article published in CMAJ called "Shelly, MAiD and the purple parade."To read the article: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.190082To read Dr. Shelly Sarwal's obituary: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/en-ca/obituaries/halifax-ns/shailini-sarwal-7977443-----------------------------------Music: Heartbreaking, YouTube audio library-----------------------------------For more stories like this one, get your copy of CMAJ’s Encounters Book. This anthology of prose and poetry of some 100 Canadian authors including Drs. David Goldbloom, Shane Neilson, Allan Peterkin and Monica Kidd, has been specially curated and includes a study guide. shop.cma.ca/products/encounters-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Overcast, Instacast, or your favourite app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts.Comments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

Jun 10, 2019 • 35min
Assessing suicide risk for insurance
In this interview, Dr. Dorian Deshauer chats about the history of suicide risk assessment for insurance companies. In the past, the process included a group of physicians but over time physicians got replaced by a more cost-effective process called automated underwriting. He also explains how the first Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) influenced risk assessment.Dr. Dorian Deshauer is a psychiatrist and assistant professor at the University of Toronto. He is also an associate editor for CMAJ but was not involved in the decision-making process for this article.His Medicine and Society article is titled “Suicide risk: automated underwriting versus medical experts.” The article is published in CMAJ: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.181058-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Overcast, Instacast, or your favourite aggregator. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts.Comments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

Jun 10, 2019 • 15min
Marijuana and fertility
In this interview, Dr. Sara Ilnitsky talks about the latest evidence around how smoking marijuana affects fertility. She discusses the pharmacology and physiology behind it, how edibles are different, how the effect is different in men versus women and more.Dr. Ilnitsky is a reproductive endocrinology and infertility fellow at Western University in London, Ontario. She will be starting her practice at the Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine in Edmonton, Alberta. She co-authored a practice article with Dr. Stan Van Uum published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Full article: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.181577----------------------------------------------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Audi Canada.The Canadian Medical Association has partnered with Audi Canada to offer CMA members a preferred incentive on select vehicle models. Purchase any new qualifying Audi model and receive an additional cash incentive based on the purchase type. Details of the incentive program can be found at www.audiprofessional.ca.-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Overcast, Instacast, or your favourite aggregator. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts.Comments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

Jun 3, 2019 • 10min
Encounters — A medical student doesn't recognize her own body
In this narrative, Dr. Sumedha Arya reflects back on a time while she was in medical school when her body felt foreign. Dr. Arya is an internal medicine resident at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario.She wrote a Humanities Encounters article published in CMAJ called "Ego and id."To read the article: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.181581-----------------------------------Music: Evening Fall Harp by Kevin MacLeod, YouTube audio library-----------------------------------For more stories like this one, get your copy of CMAJ’s Encounters Book. This anthology of prose and poetry of some 100 Canadian authors including Drs. David Goldbloom, Shane Neilson, Allan Peterkin and Monica Kidd, has been specially curated and includes a study guide. shop.cma.ca/products/encounters-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Overcast, Instacast, or your favourite app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts.Comments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

Jun 3, 2019 • 28min
Organ donation after MAiD
In this interview, Dr. James Downar and Dr. Jennifer Hancock take listeners through some of the ethical considerations of having a patient who requests medical assistance in dying (MAiD) or withdrawal of life-sustaining measures (WLSM) and who is also requesting to have his or her organs donated. Dr. James Downar is head of the division of palliative care at the University of Ottawa and is a critical care physician at The Ottawa Hospital. He is one of the authors of the guidance for policy.Dr. Jennifer Hancock is an intensive care physician in Halifax and is involved with Nova Scotia's organ donation organization, Legacy of Life. She was also the physician handling organ donation for a patient who underwent MAiD. A guidance for policy article was published in the Canadian Medical Association. Dr. James Downar is one of the authors. This guidance document was developed on behalf of Canadian Blood Services in collaboration with the Canadian Critical Care Society, the Canadian Society of Transplantation, and the Canadian Association of Critical Care Nurses.The guidance for policy is published in CMAJ. Full article: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.181648-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Overcast, Instacast, or your favourite aggregator. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts.Comments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

May 29, 2019 • 31min
Doctors Without Borders on winning the Nobel Peace Prize — An interview from our archives
In this interview from our archives, Dr. John Hoey has a fascinating discussion with Dr. James Orbinski. The interview was first published in February of the year 2000. At the time, Dr. John Hoey was editor-in-chief of CMAJ and Dr. James Orbinski was international president of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders, or MSF). Dr. Orbinski had just accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of MSF’s pioneering humanitarian work in several countries around the world.Dr. Orbinski and Dr. Hoey talk about war, humanitarian medicine, refugees, genocide, and more. These themes are just as relevant today as they were 19 years ago.----------------------------------------------------------------------This podcast episode is brought to you by Audi Canada.The Canadian Medical Association has partnered with Audi Canada to offer CMA members a preferred incentive on select vehicle models. Purchase any new qualifying Audi model and receive an additional cash incentive based on the purchase type. Details of the incentive program can be found at www.audiprofessional.ca.-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Overcast, Instacast, or your favourite aggregator. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts.Comments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions

May 27, 2019 • 9min
Encounters — An internist thinks she is delivering good news
In this narrative, the Dr. Ellen Feld reflects back on a patient she encountered many years ago. Dr. Feld delivered what she thought was good news about her diagnosis, but the patient felt otherwise. Dr. Feld is a general internist, professor, and medical director of the physician assistant program at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.She wrote a Humanities Encounters article published in CMAJ called "Good news."To read the article: www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.190041-----------------------------------Music: Impromptu in Quarter, YouTube audio library-----------------------------------For more stories like this one, get your copy of CMAJ’s Encounters Book. This anthology of prose and poetry of some 100 Canadian authors including Drs. David Goldbloom, Shane Neilson, Allan Peterkin and Monica Kidd, has been specially curated and includes a study guide. shop.cma.ca/products/encounters-----------------------------------Subscribe to CMAJ Podcasts on Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Overcast, Instacast, or your favourite app. You can also follow us directly on our SoundCloud page or you can visit www.cmaj.ca/page/multimedia/podcasts.Comments or questions? Text us.Join us as we explore medical solutions that address the urgent need to change healthcare. Reach out to us about this or any episode you hear. Or tell us about something you'd like to hear on the leading Canadian medical podcast.You can find Blair and Mojola on X @BlairBigham and @DrmojolaomoleX (in English): @CMAJ X (en français): @JAMC FacebookInstagram: @CMAJ.ca The CMAJ Podcast is produced by PodCraft Productions