Dr. Nick Pimlott interviews Dr. Melissa Nutik, a family physician and Undergraduate Education Lead in the Office of Education Scholarship and Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Nutik discusses the undergraduate curriculum in medical school, student interest in family medicine and the hidden curriculum .

Read Dr. Nutik's articles in the May 2021 issue of Canadian Family Physician (CFP):

"Defining the specialist generalist"
"Assessing undergraduate medical education through a generalist lens"

This topic is also discussed by Dr. Pimlott in his May CFP editorial, "Valuing our past, sustaining our future"

Symptoms drive patients to seek primary care, but the fact that up to half never lead to a diagnosis is a challenge; it’s also an opportunity to refresh how symptoms are viewed in family medicine. Dr Nick Pimlott hosts a discussion with Dr Thomas Freeman and Dr Moira Stewart about the implications of paying greater attention to symptoms for patient care, research, and teaching.

Check out their research on abdominal pain symptoms in the May 2023 issue of Canadian Family Physician: https://www.cfp.ca/content/69/5/341. Their informative essay on studying symptoms in family practice appeared in the March 2020 issue: https://www.cfp.ca/content/66/3/218.

When are sleep aids indicated? What is the evidence behind melatonin? Why do sedatives put patients at risk for pneumonia?

Learn all this and more in this week’s episode of the CFP Podcast. Drs Sarah Fraser and Nick Pimlott interview two pharmacists about the topic of insomnia and deprescribing sedatives. Dr David Gardner is a pharmacist and the Director of Research in Community Psychiatry at Dalhousie University and Dr. Stephanie Lynch is a pharmacist with a Family Health Team in the Department of Family Medicine at Queen’s University in Belleville, Ontario.

In this podcast, the guests share their expertise on the topic of insomnia. Topics covered range from the evidence on the effectiveness of sedatives, important side effects of these drugs, and approaches to deprescribing them for your patients.

Below you can find links to two of the resources mentioned by the guests:

https://mysleepwell.ca/

https://healthsci.queensu.ca/opdes/cpd/educational-programs-opportunities/insomnia

Have you ever heard of graphic medicine? Have you wondered what is the difference between a comic and a cartoon? And how is this related to your work in the clinic? In this episode of the CFP podcast, Drs Nick Pimlott and Sarah Fraser interview author Susan MacLeod about all things graphic medicine. We dive into Susan’s professional experiences in government health communications and her transition into becoming an internationally acclaimed author. She then defines graphic medicine, gives us an overview of why it’s important, and how it relates to compassion and burnout in the health care system. Finally, Susan walks Nick and Sarah through a brief graphic medicine exercise-do try this at home!

https://www.graphicmedicine.org/book-series/graphic-medicine-manifesto/

https://conundrumpress.com/product/dying-for-attention/

As a family medicine teacher or Program Director, have you ever had a highly capable resident learner fail the Simulated Office Oral (SOO) portion of the CCFP examination? Have you ever wondered why that might happen? In the September CFP Podcast, Editor Dr Nick Pimlott interviews Dr Kendall Noel from the University of Ottawa about his article in the September issue of the journal entitled Perennial post-examination surprises. Together they take a deep dive into Dr Noel’s work on clinical reasoning, dual process theory and his hypothesis that “the intermediate effect” might account for the perennial exam surprise.

Dr Sarah Fraser hosts a discussion on this challenging area of care with Dr Maureen Allen, a family physician in Antigonish, NS. Dr Allen shares insights that research in noninvasive neuroimaging has revealed about how the brain adapts to chronic pain and how we can reframe our thinking about chronic pain to enhance patient care.

This conversation was sparked by the “PEER simplified chronic pain guideline” published in CFP in March 2022. The other key article Dr Allen mentions was published in Brain: “Shape shifting pain: chronification of back pain shifts brain representation from nociceptive to emotional circuits.”

Dr. Nick Pimlott interviews Dr. Robert (Bob) Woollard, family physician, former Chair of the Department of Family Practice at UBC and winner of the 2019 W. Victor Johnston Award from the College of Family Physicians of Canada. Dr. Woollard discusses growing up in a small, rural community and how that has influenced his career in family medicine and his long-term commitment to social accountability, distributed medical education and rural and remote practice.

Join Dr. Nick Pimlott as he interviews Dr. Christina (Tina) Korownyk and Dr. Mike Allan, co-authors of a May 2019 Canadian Family Physician (CFP) Clinical Practice Guidelines article, “Managing opioid use disorder in primary care: PEER simplified guideline.”  In addition to discussing the current guideline, Dr. Pimlott will explore the origins of the PEER Group and how they became involved in the development of clinical practice guidelines for family physicians. Read the full article: www.cfp.ca/content/65/5/321

What is virtual care?  What are the different types? Are some forms of virtual care better than others, depending on whether it is through the public or private system? In this CFP podcast, Dr Sarah Fraser and Dr Nick Pimlott interview Dr Sheryl Spithoff. She is the lead author of an important Commentary in our combined November-December issue, entitled “A typology of virtual primary care in Canada: making the implications clear”. Co-authors of the article were Dr Ewan Affelck and Dr Lindsay Hedden. 

The care of 2SLGBTQ+ patients is a natural fit for family practices, yet many family doctors fear they lack relevant skills and instead refer patients to other providers. Dr Sarah Fraser discusses such barriers to care and how family physicians can create safe spaces for 2SLGBTQ+ patients with Drs Robyn Moxley, Andrew Organek, and Thea Weisdorf.

Join Dr Sarah Fraser in this podcast with 4^th year medical student Nusha Ramsoondar and Dr Alex Anawati. They discuss their recent publications in September’s issue of CFP, on the themes of social accountability and anti-racism in medicine.

You can find the original publications here:

https://www.cfp.ca/content/69/9/594

https://www.cfp.ca/content/69/9/630

Nusha Ramsoondar is a 4th year medical student at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine’s Thunder Bay campus. She hopes to practice in Northern Ontario.

Alex Anawati is a primary care and emergency room physician advancing social accountability as an equity-oriented health policy strategy. He is co-lead for the SAFE for Health Institutions Project at the Dr Gilles Arcand Centre for Health Equity. 

Hard truths about medical journals are examined with unflinching honesty in part 1 of this discussion with Dr Richard Smith, a well-known former editor of the BMJ. Hosts Dr Sarah Fraser and Dr Nick Pimlott get Dr Smith’s take on how physicians consume journal articles, research quality, and what publications should strive to do.

As the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG) celebrates its 50th anniversary, Dr Nick Pimlott hosts Dr Vivian Ramsden in a chat about the organization’s success and plans for the future. Dr Ramsden, NAPCRG’s incoming president and the first nurse to serve in the role, shares insights about the evolution of patient-led research and the value of relationships in this work.

Read Dr Ramsden’s commentary, “Fiftieth anniversary of NAPCRG,” in the September 2022 issue of Canadian Family Physician.

Older people are using substances at a high rate, yet stigma and ageism often prevent them from obtaining appropriate and compassionate care. Dr Sarah Fraser chats with Dr Lara Nixon and Dr Cathy Scrimshaw about what physicians and the system at large can do to enhance access to services, reduce harm, and treat patients with dignity. Dr Nixon is an FP in Calgary and Dr Scrimshaw is Medical Director of the Collaborative Mentorship Network for Chronic Pain and Addiction with the Alberta College of Family Physicians.

Join Drs Nick Pimlott and Sarah Fraser as they co-host this CFP podcast on the new PEER Simplified Lipid Guideline: 2023 Update. They interview Dr Mike Kolber, lead author on the paper, which is published in October’s issue of the journal. They discuss the process of how he and his team developed these guidelines, and they take a deep dive into the evidence behind dyslipidemia screening, prevention, and treatment.

Read the guidelines in English: https://www.cfp.ca/content/69/10/675.

Access the guidelines in French: https://www.cfp.ca/content/69/10/e189.

Check out the systematic review that informed the guidelines: https://www.cfp.ca/content/69/10/701.

Concrete actions designed to ensure health care aligns with the needs of Indigenous people and communities are the focus of this conversation that Dr Nick Pimlott hosts with Drs Mandy Buss and Veronica McKinney. They discuss the CFPC’s Declaration of Commitment to cultural safety and humility, key resources that support related learning in family medicine, and new tools being developed. Drs Buss and McKinney are members of the CFPC’s Indigenous Health Committee.

Resources:

Declaration of Commitment

• English: https://www.cfpc.ca/CFPC/media/Resources/Indigenous-Health/Declaration-of-Commitment-signed.pdf
• French: https://www.cfpc.ca/CFPC/media/Resources/Indigenous-Health/HPGR-Declaration-Nov-9-2022-FRE-tabloid-final.pdf

CanMEDS–Family Medicine Indigenous Health Supplement

• English: https://www.cfpc.ca/CFPC/media/PDF/CanMEDS-IndigenousHS-ENG-web.pdf
• French: https://www.cfpc.ca/CFPC/media/PDF/CanMEDS-IHS-FRE-web.pdf

Join Dr Nick Pimlott for this episode of the CFP Podcast as he interviews Alex Crawley and Amy Soubolsky from the Rx Files Academic Detailing Program in Saskatchewan about the management of difficult-to-treat depression in primary care. The interview is based on an article published in the November issue of the journal entitled “Thoughtful prescribing for difficult to treat depression”. Mr. Crawley and Ms. Soubolsky are co-authors of the article with their colleague Jessica Visentin. Together they discuss a case-based careful step wise approach to this challenging area of clinical practice.

In this Third Rail edition of the podcast, Dr. Sarah Fraser interviews Chris Cull a two-time cross Canada cyclist, filmmaker, motivational speaker and founder of Inspire By Example, on his recovery from an eight year addiction to opioids. Using his personal experience with opioid addiction, Chris has advised numerous institutions and organizations in the prevention and treatment of substance abuse.

Family Medicine in the COVID-19 Global Pandemic

A Podcast Partnership Between the Besrour Centre and Canadian Family Physician

Using the Besrour Centre’s network of international partners, Dr. Christine Gibson interviews family physicians around the world who are helping to manage this pandemic, finding the common thread of humanity between those on each side of the mask. 

These stories are introduced by Dr. Nick Pimlott, Scientific Editor of Canadian Family Physician.

Dr. Gibson is a family physician in Calgary, Alberta and is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary.  Dr. Gibson is an international consultant for family medicine development and capacity building. Dr. Gibson is the Co-Lead of the Narrative Working Group of the Besrour Center at the College of Family Physicians of Canada. As Dr. Gibson writes:

“This is a timely opportunity to learn from our global partners on the front line of the Covid outbreak. Family physicians worldwide are stepping up to help their communities battle this illness as best we can. People are yearning for stories, whether for professional or personal reasons. Stories of hope and of communities in grief, stories of authentic experiences that we can all learn from and through. This is a unique experience in the history of humanity – a pandemic that is truly shared worldwide, revealing our interconnectivity in heroic and tragic ways. Now is the time for collective healing.”

We hope listeners find these stories compelling and healing.

This podcast was recorded on June 1st, 2020.

Dr. Gibson's website: www.christinegibson.net 

Meseret Zerihun is one of the first cohorts of residents to graduate as a family physician in her country of Ethiopia. She was enrolled in the first family medicine training program established in Ethiopia in 2013 at Addis Ababa University. She is now working as an assistant professor at Addis Ababa University, where she is involved in teaching, mentoring, educating, and supervising residents. She has demonstrated positive leadership skills and determination, which enabled her to be appointed as the Program Director and department head of the family medicine program at Addis Ababa University. Meseret has also been involved in delivering health care to underprivileged communities and is passionate about mentoring and encouraging future female leaders. and hopes to play a vital role in strengthening the primary care system in her country. She would like to pursue her PHD in global health and implementation science.

Read Dr. Gibson's accompanying blog post at https://www.cfp.ca/blog

Join CFP Editor, Dr. Nick Pimlott, and Deputy Editor, Dr. Sarah Fraser, as they interview Dr. Allan Peterkin on the release of the 25^th anniversary edition of the book “Staying Human During Residency Training: How to Survive and Thrive after Medical School”, which he co-authored with Dr. Derek Puddester. They discuss topics ranging from the pervasiveness of burnout in medicine, the value of the medical humanities and narrative medicine, continuing to find meaning in medicine, and why the book, now in its seventh edition, remains a valuable resource on being and staying well, not just for residents, but for all physicians.

Dr. Peterkin is a Professor of psychiatry and family medicine at the University of Toronto, where he founded the Program in Health, Arts and Humanities. He is also a Distinguished Fellow of the Canadian Psychiatric Association and Senior Fellow at Massey College, co-founder of Creating Space-Canada’s annual medical humanities meeting, a co-founder of the award-winning Canadian literary journal Ars Medica, and has been a humanities editorial consultant to CMAJ and Medical Humanities (BMJ). Links to Drs. Peterkin and  Puddester’s book can be found at https://utorontopress.com/9781487555474/staying-human-during-residency-training/. More information about Dr. Peterkin’s work in narrative medicine can be found at https://narrativebasedmedicine.ca/.

Join CFP Deputy Editor, Dr. Sarah Fraser, and Editor, Dr. Nick Pimlott, as they interview Dr. Samantha Green and Dr. Ilona Hale about the concept of planetary health and the role that family doctors can and must play in ensuring it. Dr. Green is an academic family doctor in Toronto and the President-Elect of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE). Dr. Hale is a rural family physician in Kimberley, BC with a longstanding interest in and commitment to planetary health. The interview is based on a Commentary that Drs. Green and Hale co-authored with Dr. Meghan Davis and Dr. Jessica Nowlan entitled “Planetary health lens for primary care: considering environmental stability offers benefits to patients and providers” in the April issue of Canadian Family Physician.

Flaws in the peer review process and opportunities for improvement are covered in part 2 of our interview with Dr Richard Smith, a well-known former editor of the BMJ. Hosts Dr Sarah Fraser and Dr Nick Pimlott ask Dr Smith about discrimination in peer review and the future of open access publishing.

Family Medicine in the COVID-19 Global Pandemic

A Podcast Partnership Between the Besrour Centre and Canadian Family Physician

Using the Besrour Centre’s network of international partners, Dr. Christine Gibson interviews family physicians around the world who are helping to manage this pandemic, finding the common thread of humanity between those on each side of the mask. 

These stories are introduced by Dr. Nick Pimlott, Scientific Editor of Canadian Family Physician.

Dr. Gibson is a family physician in Calgary, Alberta and is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary.  Dr. Gibson is an international consultant for family medicine development and capacity building. Dr. Gibson is the Co-Lead of the Narrative Working Group of the Besrour Center at the College of Family Physicians of Canada. As Dr. Gibson writes:

“This is a timely opportunity to learn from our global partners on the front line of the Covid outbreak. Family physicians worldwide are stepping up to help their communities battle this illness as best we can. People are yearning for stories, whether for professional or personal reasons. Stories of hope and of communities in grief, stories of authentic experiences that we can all learn from and through. This is a unique experience in the history of humanity – a pandemic that is truly shared worldwide, revealing our interconnectivity in heroic and tragic ways. Now is the time for collective healing.”

We hope listeners find these stories compelling and healing.

This podcast was recorded on April 25th, 2020.

Dr. Gibson's website: www.christinegibson.net 

Dr. Hui Pan is an attending physician, vice director, Longhu Rehabilitation Center, and vice director, the Department of Healthcare Quality Control at the Longhu Hospital, the First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, Guangdong, China. He worked on infectious diseases as a research assistant at the University of Oxford in 2009 and a research associate at the Shantou-Oxford Clinical Research Unit during 2010-2016. He got trained for family medicine in Manitoba, Canada (2016-2018) and obtained his Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of Manitoba, Canada in 2018. His research interests include family medicine, community/public health, population/community-based studies, infectious diseases, and social science.

Read Dr. Gibson's accompanying blog post at https://www.cfp.ca/blog

Almost 1 year after the Russian invasion of his country, Ukrainian family physician Dr Oleksii Korzh shares his experiences with host Dr Sarah Fraser. Dr Korzh talks about how medical needs and care have changed during the conflict. Find out why family doctors have never been more important to Ukraine’s health care system in this special episode of the CFP Podcast. Dr Korzh is Head of the Department of General Practice and Family Medicine at the Kharkiv Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education.

Read Dr Korzh’s related CFP blog post.

The consensus statement has been endorsed by the Canadian Association of General Surgeons (CAGS), the College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC), the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada (SRPC), the Association of Canadian University Departments of Anesthesia, the Canadian Association of Midwives, the Canadian Medical Association, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, and the Canadian Association of Surgical Chairs.

Dr. Nick Pimlott interviews Dr. Neil Bell and Dr. Philip Jacobs. Dr. Bell is a professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Alberta and Dr. Jacobs is Emeritus Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Alberta.

In this episode, Drs Bell and Jacobs discuss their article from the November issue of Canadian Family Physician (CFP):

"Can you afford to keep practising? Family medicine finances transformed by COVID-19 in Alberta"

Canadian Family Physician is pleased to bring listeners the last “Planet Family Doc" Podcasts hosted by Dr Clayton Dyck. “Planet Family Doc” is a production of the Besrour Center, formerly at the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

In a two-part podcast Dr Dyck interviews Dr Sonya Tsukagoshi about integrative medicine.  Dr Tsukagoshi is a family physician practicing in London, UK. She is the former EYFDM (European Young Doctors) Liaison Officer and the former Chair of the Royal College of GPs (RCGP) Junior International Committee (JIC). She has completed a Masters in Medical Anthropology at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) Dr Tsukagoshi is the Chair of the WONCA special interest group on integrative medicine.

In part one Dr Dyck and Dr Tsukagoshi discuss what integrative medicine is, what it is not, and how it differs around the globe. They discuss the fascinating origins of her interest in traditional and integrative medicine, her journey to practicing it and why it can be a natural fit for family medicine.

The Rourke Baby Record, used across Canada today, is an early example of a clinical resource developed by family physicians for family physicians. Your host Dr Nick Pimlott chats with Drs Leslie and James Rourke about the tool’s origins, challenging aspects of its evolution, and its next iteration coming in 2024. Read the related commentary, “Knowledge mobilization for primary care,” in the October 2022 issue of Canadian Family Physician.

Dr. Nick Pimlott interviews Dr. Chris Frank about his article in the January 2022 issue of CFP, "Dementia care in acute care settings" and the Geriatric Gems series.  Dr. Frank is a family physician specializing in care of the elderly and palliative care at Queen's University in Kingston, ON. 

Read Dr. Frank's article in the January issue of Canadian Family Physician (CFP): Dementia Care in acute settings

Alongside his work as a physician in the UK, Dr. Sandell worked as a barrister, specializing in health-related human rights law.

Read Dr. Sandell's Third Rail article in the September 2021 issue of CFP, "I'm a GP"

The Third Rail is the rail on a train track with a live current running through it, dangerous to the touch. This section in Canadian Family Physician and the CFP Podcast deals with topics that are "Third Rail": controversial and taboo in family medicine.

Lifestyle medicine is an innovative form of primary care that could help shift our system to focus on wellness and prevention rather than disease. Dr Sarah Fraser hosts a chat with Dr Sheila Lakhoo about the benefits of this approach as well as barriers that exist in accessing and practising lifestyle medicine.

Dr Lakhoo is a family physician in Toronto, Ont, who received a diploma in lifestyle medicine from the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine in 2020. 

Family Medicine in the COVID-19 Global Pandemic

A Podcast Partnership Between the Besrour Centre and Canadian Family Physician

Using the Besrour Centre’s network of international partners, Dr. Christine Gibson interviews family physicians around the world who are helping to manage this pandemic, finding the common thread of humanity between those on each side of the mask. 

These stories are introduced by Dr. Nick Pimlott, Scientific Editor of Canadian Family Physician.

Dr. Gibson is a family physician in Calgary, Alberta and is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary.  Dr. Gibson is an international consultant for family medicine development and capacity building. Dr. Gibson is the Co-Lead of the Narrative Working Group of the Besrour Center at the College of Family Physicians of Canada. As Dr. Gibson writes:

“This is a timely opportunity to learn from our global partners on the front line of the Covid outbreak. Family physicians worldwide are stepping up to help their communities battle this illness as best we can. People are yearning for stories, whether for professional or personal reasons. Stories of hope and of communities in grief, stories of authentic experiences that we can all learn from and through. This is a unique experience in the history of humanity – a pandemic that is truly shared worldwide, revealing our interconnectivity in heroic and tragic ways. Now is the time for collective healing.”

We hope listeners find these stories compelling and healing.

This podcast was recorded on March 18, 2020.

Dr. Gibson's website: www.christinegibson.net 

Dr. Baraa Alghalyini, graduate of Toronto Family Medicine and School of Public Health, is the Chair of Family and Community Medicine at Alfaisal University Riyadh.

Read Dr. Gibson's accompanying blog post at https://www.cfp.ca/blog

In this two-part “Planet Family Doc” podcast Dr Clayton Dyck interviews Dr Jane Philpott about her new book “Health For All” and her life-long work to make health care more socially accountable and to strengthen primary care.

In part 1 of the podcast Dr Dyck and Dr Phillpott discuss her work as the Dean in the Faculty of Medicine at Queen’s University, the ways to strengthen primary care in Canada by considering our current challenges, but also the things we can learn by looking globally at other primary care systems. They also discuss how Dr Philpott’s experience as a politician has influenced the work she is doing now.

The untapped benefits of using psychotherapy techniques in everyday practice drive this conversation between Dr Sarah Fraser and Dr Peter MacKean in Part 1 of this podcast. A semi-retired family physician in PEI, Dr MacKean aims to raise awareness and uptake of these methods in family medicine training and practice.

This podcast builds on his article “Potential of a cognitive-behavioural approach to improve patient symptoms in a primary care setting,” published in the February 2022 issue of CFP.

The book mentioned in this episode is Using CBT in general practice: the 10 minute CBT handbook, by Lee David.

Dr. Nick Pimlott interviews Dr. Samantha Green, a family physician at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto and Faculty Lead in Climate Change and Health in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Green discusses the health benefits of cycling as well as its impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Read Dr. Green's article in the October issue of Canadian Family Physician (CFP):

"Cycling for health: Improving health and mitigating the climate crisis"

Family Medicine in the COVID-19 Global Pandemic

A Podcast Partnership Between the Besrour Centre and Canadian Family Physician

Using the Besrour Centre’s network of international partners, Dr. Christine Gibson interviews family physicians around the world who are helping to manage this pandemic, finding the common thread of humanity between those on each side of the mask. 

These stories are introduced by Dr. Nick Pimlott, Scientific Editor of Canadian Family Physician.

Dr. Gibson is a family physician in Calgary, Alberta and is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary.  Dr. Gibson is an international consultant for family medicine development and capacity building. Dr. Gibson is the Co-Lead of the Narrative Working Group of the Besrour Center at the College of Family Physicians of Canada. As Dr. Gibson writes:

“This is a timely opportunity to learn from our global partners on the front line of the Covid outbreak. Family physicians worldwide are stepping up to help their communities battle this illness as best we can. People are yearning for stories, whether for professional or personal reasons. Stories of hope and of communities in grief, stories of authentic experiences that we can all learn from and through. This is a unique experience in the history of humanity – a pandemic that is truly shared worldwide, revealing our interconnectivity in heroic and tragic ways. Now is the time for collective healing.”

We hope listeners find these stories compelling and healing.

This podcast was recorded on April 16th, 2020.

Dr. Gibson's website: www.christinegibson.net 

Dr. Ichsan, M.Sc. is a researcher at the Medical Research Unit, Lecturer at Medical Faculty of Syiah Kuala University, Banda Aceh Indonesia. He is the Coordinator in the Syiah Kuala University Covid-19 Prevention Task Force. He’s also the Head of Promotive and preventive of Covid-19 Expert with the Board of Indonesia Medical Association in Aceh, Indonesia.

Read Dr. Gibson's accompanying blog post at https://www.cfp.ca/blog

Dr. Nick Pimlott interviews Dr. Ross Upshur, author of a paper for Associated Medical Services Healthcare entitled,  “Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and the Potential Impacts of the Practice of Family Medicine: A Briefing Document”.  Ross presented his paper at the CFPC’s 2019 Leaders’ Forum and the topic was part of the July 2019 editorial in CFP, “Family physicians of the future redux.  The robot will see you now?”.

Read the July 2019 CFP editorial:  https://www.cfp.ca/content/65/7/454

Read Dr. Upshur’s discussion paper: https://www.cfpc.ca/uploadedFiles/About_Us/Discussion-Paper-AI-Impacts-on-FM-AMS-CFPC-May2019.pdf

Family Medicine in the COVID-19 Global Pandemic

A Podcast Partnership Between the Besrour Centre and Canadian Family Physician

Using the Besrour Centre’s network of international partners, Dr. Christine Gibson interviews family physicians around the world who are helping to manage this pandemic, finding the common thread of humanity between those on each side of the mask. 

These stories are introduced by Dr. Nick Pimlott, Scientific Editor of Canadian Family Physician.

Dr. Gibson is a family physician in Calgary, Alberta and is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary.  Dr. Gibson is an international consultant for family medicine development and capacity building. Dr. Gibson is the Co-Lead of the Narrative Working Group of the Besrour Center at the College of Family Physicians of Canada. As Dr. Gibson writes:

“This is a timely opportunity to learn from our global partners on the front line of the Covid outbreak. Family physicians worldwide are stepping up to help their communities battle this illness as best we can. People are yearning for stories, whether for professional or personal reasons. Stories of hope and of communities in grief, stories of authentic experiences that we can all learn from and through. This is a unique experience in the history of humanity – a pandemic that is truly shared worldwide, revealing our interconnectivity in heroic and tragic ways. Now is the time for collective healing.”

We hope listeners find these stories compelling and healing.

This podcast was recorded on June 22, 2020. This is the last episode in this series.

Dr. Gibson's website: www.christinegibson.net 

This episode features Dr. Sadok Besrour, Professor Mohamed Jouini (MD) and Dr. Ahmed Maherzi.

Read Dr. Gibson's accompanying blog post at https://www.cfp.ca/blog

Dr. Sweet is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Michigan. Dr. Sweet provides insight on the sociologic aspects of gaslighting applied to a medical context. 

You can read Dr. Sweet's work: "The Sociology of Gaslighting" in the American Sociological Review. Her upcoming book, “The Politics of Surviving: How Women Navigate Domestic Violence and Its Aftermath" will come out in November.

Read Dr. Fraser's Third Rail article in the May 2021 edition of CFP, "The toxic power dynamics of gaslighting in medicine"

The Third Rail is the rail on a train track with a live current running through it, dangerous to the touch. This section in Canadian Family Physician and the CFP Podcast deals with topics that are "Third Rail": controversial and taboo in family medicine.

Dr. Nick Pimlott interviews Dr. John Bosomworth, author of a June 2019 Canadian Family Physician Clinical Review article entitled “Normal-weight central obesity: Unique hazard of the toxic waist”. Read the full article here: https://www.cfp.ca/content/65/6/399 

Family Medicine in the COVID-19 Global Pandemic

A Podcast Partnership Between the Besrour Centre and Canadian Family Physician

Using the Besrour Centre’s network of international partners, Dr. Christine Gibson interviews family physicians around the world who are helping to manage this pandemic, finding the common thread of humanity between those on each side of the mask. 

These stories are introduced by Dr. Nick Pimlott, Scientific Editor of Canadian Family Physician.

Dr. Gibson is a family physician in Calgary, Alberta and is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary.  Dr. Gibson is an international consultant for family medicine development and capacity building. Dr. Gibson is the Co-Lead of the Narrative Working Group of the Besrour Center at the College of Family Physicians of Canada. As Dr. Gibson writes:

“This is a timely opportunity to learn from our global partners on the front line of the Covid outbreak. Family physicians worldwide are stepping up to help their communities battle this illness as best we can. People are yearning for stories, whether for professional or personal reasons. Stories of hope and of communities in grief, stories of authentic experiences that we can all learn from and through. This is a unique experience in the history of humanity – a pandemic that is truly shared worldwide, revealing our interconnectivity in heroic and tragic ways. Now is the time for collective healing.”

We hope listeners find these stories compelling and healing.

This podcast was recorded on March 20, 2020.

Dr. Gibson's website: www.christinegibson.net 

Dr. Innocent Besigye is the Program Director for Family Medicine training at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.

Read Dr. Gibson's accompanying blog post at https://www.cfp.ca/blog

Join CFP Editor Dr. Nick Pimlott as he interviews Dr. Alan Katz and Dr. Alex Singer, family physicians and family medicine researchers at the Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. Dr. Katz is a Professor in the Departments of Community Health Sciences and Family Medicine. Dr. Singer is an Associate Professor and the Director for the Office of Research & Quality Improvement, and the Director of the Manitoba Primary Care Research Network. The interview is based on a Commentary article in the March issue of the journal entitled “The Future of Family Medicine in Canada”. Together they discuss four key ways to address the current crisis in Canadian family medicine to strengthen primary care.

Solutions to the health care crisis exist if political will can be found to change. Dr Rick Glazier shares inspiring insights on both the challenges and opportunities before us in this conversation with your host, Dr Nick Pimlott.

Among his many roles, Dr Glazier is a family physician in Toronto, Ont, a renowned researcher, and a Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. Read his related commentary in the January 2023 issue of Canadian Family Physician.

Join Dr. Nick Pimlott and Dr. Sarah Fraser as they interview Dr. Iona Heath, the 2023 Dr. Ian McWhinney Lecturer at the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University.

Dr. Heath’s McWhinney Lecture was published in the December 2023 issue of the journal. They discuss Dr. Heath’s discovery of Ian McWhinney’s “Quality of Mind” – the title of her lecture – when she first read his Textbook of Family Medicine as a young general practitioner, his lifelong influence on her thinking and practice, and how his ideas about the essential values of family medicine can help guide the profession through one of most challenging periods in its recent history.

Dr. Heath’s September 20^th, 2023 Dr. Ian McWhinney Lecture can accessed here:

https://www.schulich.uwo.ca/familymedicine/about_us/dr_ian_mcwhinney_lecture_series/2023.html

The published lecture can be accessed here:

https://www.cfp.ca/content/cfp/69/12/821.full.pdf

Read the article from the February issue of Canadian Family Physician (CFP):

"Clinician acceptability of self-collected human papillomavirus swabs as a primary cervical cancer screening method"

Providing preventive care can be time consuming, and potential benefits have to be weighed against risks and costs. Dr Nick Pimlott interviews Drs Roland Grad, Donna Reynolds, and Guylène Thériault about their work on a new guideline on screening for fragility fractures and how the concept of “time needed to treat” is gaining importance in guideline development.

Read their Prevention in Practice review article in the August 2023 issue of Canadian Family Physician in English (https://www.cfp.ca/content/69/8/537) or French (https://www.cfp.ca/content/69/8/e165).
Access the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care’s Fragility Fracture Decision Aid at: https://frax.canadiantaskforce.ca/.

Dr. Nick Pimlott interviews Dr. Allan Grill, family physician and Physician Advisor at the College of Family Physicians of Canada.  Dr. Grill has also been a contributing author to Canadian Family Physician.  Dr. Grill discusses his leadership roles in family medicine, why he became a family physician, his career influences, participation in the Ontario Renal Network, and tips for other family physicians on how they can take on a larger leadership role.

Dr. Grill’s most recent article in CFP, Approach to the detection and management of chronic kidney disease, appeared in the October 2018 issue. https://www.cfp.ca/content/64/10/728

Join Editor Dr Nick Pimlott and Deputy Editor Dr Sarah Fraser for their year-end review of some of the best and most interesting content in Canadian Family Physician for 2024. Sarah and Nick each chose half a dozen (okay, well Nick cheats just a bit) of their favorite articles to review and discuss why they think they are a worth a second look for CFP readers. Together the articles cover everything from practical clinical content, to research, to more reflective commentary and interviews. Below are the links to the articles Nick and Sarah discussed:

1. https://www.cfp.ca/content/70/1/10
2. https://www.cfp.ca/content/70/5/325
3. https://www.cfp.ca/content/70/7-8/476
4. https://www.cfp.ca/content/70/4/259
5. https://www.cfp.ca/content/70/10/617
6. https://cfppodcast.libsyn.com/quality-of-mind-an-interview-with-the-2023-ian-mcwhinney-lecturer-dr-iona-heath
7. https://www.cfp.ca/content/70/7-8/491
8. https://www.cfp.ca/content/70/3/212
9. https://www.cfp.ca/content/70/5/303
10. https://www.cfp.ca/content/70/1/7
11. https://www.cfp.ca/content/70/11-12/689
12. https://www.cfp.ca/content/70/5/329
13. https://www.cfp.ca/content/70/11-12/753

Family Medicine in the COVID-19 Global Pandemic

A Podcast Partnership Between the Besrour Centre and Canadian Family Physician

Using the Besrour Centre’s network of international partners, Dr. Christine Gibson interviews family physicians around the world who are helping to manage this pandemic, finding the common thread of humanity between those on each side of the mask. 

These stories are introduced by Dr. Nick Pimlott, Scientific Editor of Canadian Family Physician.

Dr. Gibson is a family physician in Calgary, Alberta and is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary.  Dr. Gibson is an international consultant for family medicine development and capacity building. Dr. Gibson is the Co-Lead of the Narrative Working Group of the Besrour Center at the College of Family Physicians of Canada. As Dr. Gibson writes:

“This is a timely opportunity to learn from our global partners on the front line of the Covid outbreak. Family physicians worldwide are stepping up to help their communities battle this illness as best we can. People are yearning for stories, whether for professional or personal reasons. Stories of hope and of communities in grief, stories of authentic experiences that we can all learn from and through. This is a unique experience in the history of humanity – a pandemic that is truly shared worldwide, revealing our interconnectivity in heroic and tragic ways. Now is the time for collective healing.”

We hope listeners find these stories compelling and healing.

This podcast was recorded on April 1st, 2020.

Dr. Gibson's website: www.christinegibson.net 

Read Dr. Gibson's accompanying blog post at https://www.cfp.ca/blog

Dr. Nick Pimlott interviews Dr. David Ponka, family physician and Director of The Besrour Centre at the College of Family Physicians of Canada.  Dr. Ponka discusses global health and the role of the Besrour Centre at the CFPC and its role in primary care in low and middle income countries.  Dr. Ponka also talks about his experiences practicing family medicine with Doctors Without Borders.

Dr. Ponka is the lead author of a paper that appears in the December 2019 CFP, entitled ‘Contrasting current challenges from the Brazilian and Canadian national health systems” https://www.cfp.ca/content/65/12/890 

As mentioned in this episode, If you have any feedback for Dr. Ponka, you can email him at dponka@cfpc.ca

In this Podcast, Canadian Family Physician Scientific Editor Dr. Nick Pimlott, interviews Dr. Cindy Shen and Dr. Vinita Dubey, authors of a March 2019 CFP clinical review article, "Addressing vaccine hesitancy. Clinical guidance for primary care physicians working with parents". To read the full article:

https://www.cfp.ca/content/65/3/175

The importance of language to the care of 2SLGBTQ+ patients, the discrimination that 2SLGBTQ+ health care professionals face, and the current political climate shape part 2 of this conversation that Dr Sarah Fraser hosts with Drs Robyn Moxley, Andrew Organek, and Thea Weisdorf.

 These podcast guests and Toronto-based family doctors contributed the following articles to the June 2023 issue of Canadian Family Physician:

• “Supporting 2SLGBTQ+ patients in your practice”: https://www.cfp.ca/content/69/6/377
• « Soutenir les patients 2SLGBTQ+ dans votre pratique »: https://www.cfp.ca/content/69/6/379
• “Affirming pregnancy care for transgender and gender-diverse patients”: https://www.cfp.ca/content/69/6/407
• “Should all family physicians provide gender-affirming primary care?”: https://www.cfp.ca/content/69/6/415

Continuous, longitudinal care results in better patient outcomes and health care savings, so how can this evidence be leveraged to address the crisis in family medicine? Dr Nick Pimlott Interviews Drs Michael Kolber, Tina Korownyk, and Jennifer Young about the case for investing in primary care.

Read their article in the April 2023 issue of Canadian Family Physician: https://www.cfp.ca/content/69/4/269. 

Family Medicine in the COVID-19 Global Pandemic

A Podcast Partnership Between the Besrour Centre and Canadian Family Physician

Using the Besrour Centre’s network of international partners, Dr. Christine Gibson interviews family physicians around the world who are helping to manage this pandemic, finding the common thread of humanity between those on each side of the mask. 

These stories are introduced by Dr. Nick Pimlott, Scientific Editor of Canadian Family Physician.

Dr. Gibson is a family physician in Calgary, Alberta and is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary.  Dr. Gibson is an international consultant for family medicine development and capacity building. Dr. Gibson is the Co-Lead of the Narrative Working Group of the Besrour Center at the College of Family Physicians of Canada. As Dr. Gibson writes:

“This is a timely opportunity to learn from our global partners on the front line of the Covid outbreak. Family physicians worldwide are stepping up to help their communities battle this illness as best we can. People are yearning for stories, whether for professional or personal reasons. Stories of hope and of communities in grief, stories of authentic experiences that we can all learn from and through. This is a unique experience in the history of humanity – a pandemic that is truly shared worldwide, revealing our interconnectivity in heroic and tragic ways. Now is the time for collective healing.”

We hope listeners find these stories compelling and healing.

This podcast was recorded on June 16th, 2020.

Dr. Gibson's website: www.christinegibson.net 

Yagya Pokharel is an Assistant Professor of General Practice and Emergency Medicine at Patan Academy of Health Sciences, where he is involved in their rural medical training for medical students and GP residents. He is also an Executive Member of General Practice and Emergency Medicine Association of Nepal.

Read Dr. Gibson's accompanying blog post at https://www.cfp.ca/blog

Dr. Nick Pimlott interviews Dr. Roland Grad, a family physician and an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McGill University in Montreal. He is also a member of the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care. Dr. Grad is the lead author of an article in the August issue of CFP from the Prevention in Practice series entitled, “Age to Stop  - Appropriate Screening in Older Patients”.  Read the full article here: https://www.cfp.ca/content/65/8/543

Read Dr. Grad’s blog that was mentioned in the interview, “Family Medicine and The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care: Are we up for the challenge?” https://www.cfp.ca/news/2019/09/10/09-10

In this Third Rail edition of the podcast, Dr. Sarah Fraser interviews Dr. Ewan Affleck. Dr. Affleck is a family physician and health informatician who has worked in Canada’s north for the last 30 years. He has received the Order of Canada for his work in health informatics in the Northwest Territories and is also a writer and filmmaker.

Dr. Nick Pimlott interviews Dr. Jacqueline Kueper. Dr. Kueper is CFPC-AMS TechForward Fellow at the College of Family Physicians of Canada and a PhD candidate in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the Department of Computer Science at Western University.

Read Dr. Kueper's commentary from the December issue of Canadian Family Physician (CFP):

Primer for artificial intelligence in primary care

In this episode of the podcast, Dr Sarah Fraser interviews Dr Shayna Watson about CBT for insomnia. They delve into the ins and outs of a non-pharmacologic approach to insomnia management, including the things you can do to help patients in your busy family medicine clinic.

Family Medicine in the COVID-19 Global Pandemic

A Podcast Partnership Between the Besrour Centre and Canadian Family Physician

Using the Besrour Centre’s network of international partners, Dr. Christine Gibson interviews family physicians around the world who are helping to manage this pandemic, finding the common thread of humanity between those on each side of the mask. 

These stories are introduced by Dr. Nick Pimlott, Scientific Editor of Canadian Family Physician.

Dr. Gibson is a family physician in Calgary, Alberta and is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary.  Dr. Gibson is an international consultant for family medicine development and capacity building. Dr. Gibson is the Co-Lead of the Narrative Working Group of the Besrour Center at the College of Family Physicians of Canada. As Dr. Gibson writes:

“This is a timely opportunity to learn from our global partners on the front line of the Covid outbreak. Family physicians worldwide are stepping up to help their communities battle this illness as best we can. People are yearning for stories, whether for professional or personal reasons. Stories of hope and of communities in grief, stories of authentic experiences that we can all learn from and through. This is a unique experience in the history of humanity – a pandemic that is truly shared worldwide, revealing our interconnectivity in heroic and tragic ways. Now is the time for collective healing.”

We hope listeners find these stories compelling and healing.

This podcast was recorded on March 25, 2020.

Dr. Gibson's website: www.christinegibson.net 

Dr. Kenneth Yakubu is a family physician from Nigeria who is currently living in Australia. He is currently studying for his PhD with The George Institute for Global Health, and the University of New South Wales.

Read Dr. Gibson's accompanying blog post at https://www.cfp.ca/blog

In this Third Rail edition of the CFP Podcast, Dr. Sarah Fraser interviews family physician Dr. Stephanie Hart. Using examples from Dr. Hart's own experiences as a patient, Drs Hart and Fraser discuss the systemis issues and stigma in the care and treatment of obese patients. Is it time to rethink obesity? Dr. Hart worked in rural primary care in Alberta for over a decade before pivoting to a focused practice in sexual medicine. She is also passionate about medical care for obese patients. 

Contributing editor Dr. Sarah Fraser interviews Dr. Shane Neilson, the first contributor to Canadian Family Physician's (CFP)’s new Third Rail section.  The Third Rail is the rail on a train track with a live current running through it, dangerous to the touch. This new section deals with topics that are “Third Rail”: controversial and taboo in family medicine. 

In the interview Sarah and Shane discuss disability and COVID-19.

Dr. Neilson’s article, "Why I won’t see you on the barricades - Disability and COVID-19", appears in the June 2020 CFP. Link: https://www.cfp.ca/content/66/6/449

In this two-part “Planet Family Doc” podcast Dr Clayton Dyck interviews Dr Jane Philpott about her new book “Health For All” and her life-long work to make health care more socially accountable and to strengthen primary care.

In part 2 of the podcast Dr Dyck and Dr Philpott discuss more personal issues such as the role of spiritual health in maintaining resilience as a physician in the Canadian context; why family physicians make for great leaders; and her advice to young family physicians interested in developing their leadership skills. Finally, Dr Philpott gives her recommendation on what to bring to the “Planet Family Doc” potluck dinner.

The success of an innovative nurse-led program points to a way to rethink how family practices help patients manage chronic noncancer pain. Dr Nick Pimlott interviews Dr Hillel Finestone about the initiative and how other clinics could adopt this approach.

Dr Finestone is a Professor in the Division of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Ottawa and a physiatrist at Élisabeth Bruyère Hospital. Read his article in the March issue of Canadian Family Physician and go to the CFPlus tab to access the tools highlighted in this episode: https://www.cfp.ca/content/69/3/e52.

With polypharmacy common among older patients, proper administration of medications and avoidance of drug-food interactions are extremely important. Dr Nick Pimlott interviews pharmacists Alex Crawley and Erin Yakiwchuk about everyday pitfalls, practical tips, and the value of team-based care in addressing these issues.

Alex Crawley is Associate Director and Erin Yakiwchuk is a member of the RxFiles Academic Detailing Program at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. Read their article, “Improper administration. Silent culprit of drug therapy problems,” in the February 2023 issue of Canadian Family Physician.

Editorial Fellow Dr. Sarah Fraser interviews Dr. Onye Nnorom on Afrocentric approaches to screening in primary care.

Dr. Nnorom is a family physician and Preventive Medicine Specialist in Toronto, Associate Program Director of the Public Health and Preventive Medicine Residency Program at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

Read Dr. Nnorom's article in the November 2021 issue of CFP, Afrocentric screening program for breast, colorectal, and cervical cancer among immigrant patients in Ontario.

Family Medicine in the COVID-19 Global Pandemic

A Podcast Partnership Between the Besrour Centre and Canadian Family Physician

Using the Besrour Centre’s network of international partners, Dr. Christine Gibson interviews family physicians around the world who are helping to manage this pandemic, finding the common thread of humanity between those on each side of the mask. 

These stories are introduced by Dr. Nick Pimlott, Scientific Editor of Canadian Family Physician.

Dr. Gibson is a family physician in Calgary, Alberta and is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary.  Dr. Gibson is an international consultant for family medicine development and capacity building. Dr. Gibson is the Co-Lead of the Narrative Working Group of the Besrour Center at the College of Family Physicians of Canada. As Dr. Gibson writes:

“This is a timely opportunity to learn from our global partners on the front line of the Covid outbreak. Family physicians worldwide are stepping up to help their communities battle this illness as best we can. People are yearning for stories, whether for professional or personal reasons. Stories of hope and of communities in grief, stories of authentic experiences that we can all learn from and through. This is a unique experience in the history of humanity – a pandemic that is truly shared worldwide, revealing our interconnectivity in heroic and tragic ways. Now is the time for collective healing.”

We hope listeners find these stories compelling and healing.

This podcast was recorded on May 1st, 2020.

Dr. Gibson's website: www.christinegibson.net 

Dr. Vincent K. Cubaka is a family physician. For the past fourteen years he practiced as a rural clinician, then served as a lecturer and researcher and head of the Department of Primary Health Care at the University of Rwanda (UR). He recently joined Partners in Health Rwanda (PIH-IMB) to hold the position of Director of Research and Training. He trained as a specialist in Family and Community Medicine at UR. He also holds a doctorate in medicine from the University of Aarhus in Denmark. His doctoral work explored patient-provider communication in primary health care in Rwanda.

Read Dr. Gibson's accompanying blog post at https://www.cfp.ca/blog

In this Third Rail edition of the podcast, Dr. Sarah Fraser interviews Dr. Sheri Klassen a family physician from Edmonton Alberta. Dr. Klassen is currently pursuing a masters in rehabilitation medicine at the University of Alberta and has written a Third Rail article called: “Doctor and parent: Thinking differently about difference”, in the May issue of Canadian Family Physician. In the episode, Dr. Fraser and Dr. Klassen discuss how doctors think about and treat patients with disability.

In this episode of the CFP Podcast, join Deputy Editor Dr Sarah Fraser and Editor Dr Nick Pimlott in a wide-ranging discussion about health data, health informatics and digital health with Dr Rashaad Bhyat, a family physician and Senior Clinical Leader at the Centre for Clinical Innovation in Digital Health, a branch of Canada Health Infoway.

How to use cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to address medically unexplained symptoms is explored in part 2 of this discussion between Dr Sarah Fraser and Dr Peter MacKean. They examine the 5 areas of CBT that family doctors should be attuned to and how applying CBT principles can also benefit physicians—including prevention of burnout.

Do you struggle with knowing when and how to apply screening guidelines as part of providing preventive care? Dr Nick Pimlott digs into the challenges associated with teaching and learning these skills with 3 authors of “Going against the status quo in screening: call to action to improve teaching in preventive health care” from the May 2022 issue of Canadian Family Physician.

This topic is particularly timely given discussions about perceived backlogs in screening tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hear intriguing insights from Dr Viola Antao, Associate Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto in Ontario; Dr Roland Grad, Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at McGill University in Montréal, Que; and Raphael Rezkallah, a medical student at McGill University.

New research shows that family practices were open and seeing patients at the height of the second wave of the pandemic—despite media reports to the contrary. Dr Nick Pimlott interviews Dr Tara Kiran about her important findings and opportunities to rethink how primary care is organized in Canada. Read the article in the November 2022 issue of Canadian Family Physician and share your thoughts on this episode at cfppodcast@cfpc.ca.

In this Third Rail edition of the podcast Dr. Sarah Fraser has a conversation with Dr. Shane Neilson about mental illness in physicians as well as Dr. Neilson's new book Saving: A Doctor's Struggle to Help His Children.

Shane Neilson is a physician, poet, and critic from New Brunswick, now practising in Guelph, Ontario. He published Saving: A Doctor's Struggle to Help His Children, a memoir about intergenerational disability in conversation with professional medical practice, with Great Plains Publishing in 2023. Shane completed his Ph.D at McMaster where his dissertation on the representations of chronic pain in Canadian literature received the Governor-General's Gold Medal. An adjunct professor of family medicine at the Waterloo Regional Campus of McMaster University, Shane's academic interest concerns disability, non-neurotypicality, and chronic illness in the profession of medicine.  

The popular narrative about newer cohorts of family physicians working less than their predecessors is disputed by data published in 2022. In this Third Rail edition of the CFP Podcast, Dr Sarah Fraser interviews Dr Ruth Lavergne, a researcher at Dalhousie University, about her findings and ideas for strengthening primary care—which include supporting longitudinal care, addressing administrative workloads, and moving away from the unhelpful focus on generational differences.

Read Dr Lavergne’s research article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal at https://www.cmaj.ca/content/194/48/E1639. 

Canadian Family Physician is pleased to bring listeners the last “Planet Family Doc" Podcasts hosted by Dr Clayton Dyck. “Planet Family Doc” is a production of the Besrour Center, formerly at the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

In a two-part podcast Dr Dyck interviews Dr Sonya Tsukagoshi about integrative medicine.  Dr Tsukagoshi is a family physician practicing in London, UK. She is the former EYFDM (European Young Doctors) Liaison Officer and the former Chair of the Royal College of GPs (RCGP) Junior International Committee (JIC). She has completed a Masters in Medical Anthropology at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) Dr Tsukagoshi is the Chair of the WONCA special interest group on integrative medicine.

In part two Dr Dyck and Dr Tsukagoshi discuss some of the difficult questions around integrative medicine – from how to address the spectrum of opinion, engender trust in patients, evaluate and share the evidence and avoid appropriation from different cultural traditions.