Raw Talk Podcast

Your favourite medical science podcast is making the most of ‘the new normal’ - this year’s Raw Talk Live event was broadcast entirely on YouTube! Over 8 weeks, we spoke to researchers all across Canada about all things COVID-19. Our third instalment features Dr. Rima Styra, an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and clinician-investigator at the University Health Network, and Donna Alexander, social worker at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, former Vice-President of the Black Health Alliance and Board Member of Black Mental Health Canada and the Community Advisory Committee for Children’s Aid Society of Toronto. We will discuss how our mental health is impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the specific psychological effects experienced by healthcare workers and the Black community, and what changes should be made in our mental health systems in response to the “new normal.” Guest - Dr Rima Styra Guest - Donna Alexander Watch this stream on YouTube U of T Alumni Offers from our sponsors TD Insurance & MBNA COVID Decoded Feedback survey Mental Health Resources: The Star: Canada could face a mental health ‘echo pandemic’ in the aftermath of COVID-19 The Star: Here’s what you actually feel: Two Toronto doctors explain the psychology of pandemic CTV News: Half of Canadians report worsening mental health, experts say woes just beginning WNYC News: Advice on Getting Through COVID Isolation From Two Doctors Who Worked Through SARS 2004 SARS control and psychological effects of quarantine COVID-19 Mental Health Services (City of Toronto) Black Mental Health Resources/Services/Organizations: Mental health resources for the Black community in Toronto 8 Mental Health Practices for People of African Descent while Isolated Substance Abuse Program for African Canadian and Caribbean Youth (SAPACCY) Black Health Alliance Black Youth Helpline Black Mental Health Canada Black Mental Health Day WellNest Psychotherapy Services Mental Health Services for Healthcare Workers: CAMH Resources for health care workers during COVID-19 St. Joe's COVID-19: Mental Health Services for HCW Free Psychological Services for Frontline Workers (Canadian Psychological Association) Mitigating the psychological effects of COVID-19 on health care workers Impact on health care workers employed in high-risk areas during the Toronto SARS outbreak  

Your favourite medical science podcast is making the most of ‘the new normal’ - this year’s Raw Talk Live event was broadcast entirely on YouTube! Over 8 weeks, we spoke to researchers all across Canada about all things COVID-19. Our second instalment features Dr Sharmistha Mishra, infectious disease physician and mathematical modeler, and Linwei Wang, senior epidemiologist, both at St. Michael’s Hospital, to learn about the questions, data, and assumptions behind mathematical models of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Guest - Dr Sharmistha Mishra Guest - Linwei Wang Watch this stream on YouTube U of T Alumni Offers from our sponsors TD Insurance & MBNA COVID Decoded Feedback survey

Your favourite medical science podcast is making the most of ‘the new normal’ - this year’s Raw Talk Live event was broadcast entirely on YouTube! Over 8 weeks, we spoke to researchers all across Canada about all things COVID-19. Our first instalment features Dr. Karen Mossman, molecular virologist and Vice President of Research at McMaster University. Dr. Mossman discusses how coronaviruses, particularly SARS-CoV-2, infect human cells and cause disease, and shares interesting insights from her current research. Guest - Dr Karen Mossman Watch this stream on YouTube U of T Alumni Offers from our sponsors TD Insurance & MBNA COVID Decoded Feedback survey

Discover the journey of pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum in this episode. Guests include Madeleine Springate-Combs, a midwife discussing the philosophy of midwifery, and Lauren Wattam, a midwife with Médecins Sans Frontières, sharing her experience in global health outreach. Dr. John Kingdom discusses complications in pregnancy, while Jane Francis focuses on providing accessible breastfeeding support. Topics include midwifery care, high-risk pregnancies, maternal healthcare disparities, challenges during COVID-19, and increasing breastfeeding support for marginalized mothers.

Dr. Kaajal Abrol, a Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Specialist, discusses causes of infertility, freezing eggs, embryo genetic screening, and more. Amira Posner, a therapist with personal experience with infertility, shares her journey and the importance of emotional support. Four mothers also share their diverse paths to pregnancy and the challenges they faced. Stay tuned for part two on being pregnant and the postnatal period!

The podcast explores the progress and challenges of trans health in Canada, including legal protections, access to healthcare, and transgender activism. It discusses the concepts of gender identity and expression, as well as the experiences of older individuals and trans youth. The chapter also highlights the improvements in access to healthcare and the creation of specialized trans health services, such as the first public hospital-based surgical program in Canada. The podcast emphasizes the need for comprehensive care and support for trans individuals.

Sports play an important role in our culture, from the individual level where many participate in recreational activities for exercise and social benefits, to the national and international levels where professional sports are a huge industry worth billions. Sports can strongly unite people, but athletes of every level from the weekend warrior to the professional athlete can face challenges that remind us that there is a team behind the team - helping maintain their mental and physical health! In this episode we hear from inspiring speakers sharing their insights from the worlds of medicine, research and professional athlete development. Dr. Doug Richards kicks things off, he is the Medical Director and Staff Physician practicing sport and exercise medicine at the David L. MacIntosh Sport Medicine Clinic, Chief Medical Officer at the Canadian Sport Institute of Ontario, and Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education at the University of Toronto. Next up to the plate is Dr. Gretchen Kerr, the Vice Dean of Programs at the School of Graduate Students and Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education at the University of Toronto specializing in athlete maltreatment. Karl Subban earns the hat trick with his inspirational personal experiences as an educator and in raising five elite children, including the development of 3 NHL Players. In the spirit of teamwork, this episode was created in collaboration with Medicine in Motion. Until next time, #keepitraw Written by: Stephanie Nishi Medicine and Motion Podcast Athlete Maltreatment Among National Athletes Prevalence Study Athlete Maltreatment Among National Athletes Prevalence Summary NCAA Athlete Mental Health

Music, we listen to it when waking up, while in transit, at work, and with friends. It is a form of entertainment, but also has the potential to provide so much more. Music is a universal language with the ability to connect and reach people on social, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual levels. It can bring us joy and motivate us, accompany us through difficult times, evoke nostalgia, and alleviate our worries. These qualities allow music to be applied to improving physical, emotional, and mental well-being. In this episode, we invite you to join us as we explore the science of music therapy. We hear from five music therapists working in various aspects of the field: Dr. Michael Thaut, Canada Research Chair in Music and Health Sciences; Dr. SarahRose Black, Music Therapist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Kensington Health; Priya Shah, Music Therapist at Journey Home Hospice, Fudger House, and the Music Therapy Centre; Dr. Corene Hurt-Thaut, Assistant Professor of Music and Health Sciences at the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto, and Program Director of the Academy of Neurological Music Therapy; and Bernice Chu, Neurologic Music Therapy Fellow in the United Kingdom at the Royal Hospital for Neuro-disability. In addition to our guests' insights, they also shared musical snippets of their work with their clients, which may tug at your heart strings and inspire. You'll want to stay tuned to the very end! We hope this episode opens your ears and heart to the role of music in health and wellbeing, and inspires you to listen and explore the power of music. Until next time, keep it raw! Written by: Stephanie Nishi Music Therapy Association of Ontario (MTAO) The Academy of Neurologic Music Therapy UHN Music Therapy Inpatient Resource Certification Board for Music Therapists Canadian Association of Music Therapists Music Heals

While humans have struggled for millennia with the spread of contagious diseases, rapid global movement of people and food now magnifies the risks of outbreaks, requiring better monitoring and faster response than ever before. Completely by coincidence, during the making of this episode, the 2019 novel coronavirus spread from Wuhan to the rest of Asia, Europe, and North America. The World Health Organization has officially upgraded this outbreak to the status of Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). While many infectious disease specialists were busy dealing with this outbreak, we were fortunate to speak with several key experts about outbreak science, monitoring, response, and prediction. First, we spoke with Dr. Kamran Khan, a physician, academic, and scientist at St. Micheal's Hospital and University of Toronto. Dr. Khan is an Associate Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases and the Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. He also founded BlueDot, a company specializing in machine learning models to predict the timing and trajectory of infectious disease outbreaks. We also spoke with Dr. Ross Upshur, a professor at the University of Toronto in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. Dr. Upshur is a specialist in public health medicine, and Head of the Clinical Public Health Division at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Join us as we discuss the pressing issues of outbreaks, and track one in real time, on this week's episode of Raw Talk. Written by: Amber-Anne Mullin JHU COVID-19 Dashboard BlueDot Naming New Viruses: Something Catchy? History of Outbreaks in Canada Public Health Agency of Canada CDC Outbreak Monitoring WHO Disease Outbreaks Monitoring WHO Handbook on Epidemics Dr Margaret Chan speaks at the 70th World Health Assembly MSF (Doctors Without Borders) Against Malaria Foundation Evidence Actions's Deworm the World

Our genetic information makes us who we are. "Hacking" into such an essential part of nature used to be something that happened only in science fiction. However, technology and scientific knowledge are evolving rapidly and "bio-hacking" has gone from sci-fi to reality. In fact, scientists and doctors around the world are conducting studies to see whether genetic engineering techniques could be used as interventions for various diseases like sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia. On this week's episode, we explore what our future could look like if we start to modulate our own biology at the genetic level. Dr. Josiah Zayner, CEO of the ODIN and promoter of DIY biology, shared his passion for hands-on science, learning from self-experimentation and genetic engineering in his own home. The techniques and the potential of genetic engineering were further explained by Andrew Hessel, a "genomic futurist" and co-lead of the Genome Project-Write. We also spoke with Dr. Michael Szego, Clinical Ethicist and Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine and Molecular Genetics at the University of Toronto, to weigh in on the role of ethics in genetic engineering. Finally, our team reflected on how we envision "biohacking" in the future. Are you ready to biohack yourself? Tune in to find out! Written by: Tsukiko Miyata Raw Talk Listener Survey! Open Insulin NEO.LIFE: Online Magazine Josiah Zayner: STAT News Op-Ed The Odin Andrew Hessel's Website New York Times Op-doc: "Gut Hack" Genome Project-Write Humane Genomics Dr. Michael Szego Article: Gene therapy clinical trials worldwide to 2017: An update Article: CRISPR'd babies: human germline genome editing in the 'He Jiankui affair' Article: Where will we draw the line? Public opinions of human gene editing