Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society

What Now? AI

Alumni

Artificial Intelligence

CIFAR

Computer Science

Faculty of Arts & Science

Faculty of Information

Faculty of Law

Geoffrey Hinton

Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

Startups

UUֱ�� Mississauga

Vector Institute

Subheadline

In What Now? AI, hosts Beth Coleman and Rahul Krishnan explore – and demystify – artificial intelligence and its impact on society with the help of leading experts

Rapid advances in artificial intelligence are posing profound questions about the future – and about us.

Can we ensure safety and alignment within AI systems? How might AI forever transform fields like health care? What ripple effects could AI have on jobs and livelihoods, including in creative industries?

UUֱ�� researchers Beth Coleman and Rahul Krishnan explore – and demystify – these and other topics by tapping into the knowledge of leading AI experts in What Now? AI, a new UUֱ�� podcast that launches this week.

It can be found on Apple, Spotify, Soundcloud, iHeartRadio and Amazon.

An associate professor at UUֱ�� Mississauga’s Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology and the Faculty of Information, Coleman says she hopes the episodes help audiences make sense of new AI tools and systems by cutting through “all the noisiness and controversy that has taken over the headlines.”

“It can be complex and technical, but it’s also social,” says Coleman, a research lead on AI policy and praxis at the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology & Society.

“What we do with AI makes a difference and more people need to be able to share that knowledge.”

Coleman’s own research centres around technology and society with a focus on data and cities, AI and policy, and generative arts. Inspired by Octavia Butler’s 1980 Xenogenesis trilogy, Coleman authored Reality Was Whatever Happened: Octavia Butler AI and Other Possible Worlds using art and generative AI.

Krishnan, meanwhile, is an assistant professor in UUֱ��’s department of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science and department of laboratory medicine and pathobiology in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine. A Canada CIFAR AI Chair at the Vector Institute and Canada Research Chair in computational medicine, Krishnan and his team focus on teaching neural networks about causality, building deep learning models that analyze cause and effect from data.

“I’m excited to co-host this podcast to explore and demystify for a broader audience AI through the lens of an accomplished and diverse set of experts,” says Krishnan, who is also a faculty affiliate at the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society and a faculty member at the Temerty Centre for AI Research and Education in Medicine (T-CAIREM).

What Now? AI picks up where the conversation started last year by Geoffrey Hinton, the cognitive psychologist and University Professor emeritus of computer science who is known as the “Godfather of AI.” After a lifetime spent developing a type of AI known as deep learning, Hinton stepped back from his role at Google to warn about the existential threats of unchecked AI development.

Since then, there have been ongoing advancements in AI research, technological applications and policy development.

Coleman and Krishnan will tackle these and other topics with guests:

Gillian Hadfield, professor of law and strategic management at the Faculty of Law and the Schwartz Reisman Chair in Technology and Society.
Roger Grosse, associate professor of computer science in the Faculty of Arts & Science and founding member of the Vector Institute.
Christine Allen, professor at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy and co-founder and CEO of Intrepid Labs Inc.
Andrew Pinto, a family physician at St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto, and associate professor in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.
Nick Frosst, co-founder of Cohere, singer in Good Kid band and a UUֱ�� computer science and cognitive science alumnus.

“The What Now? AI podcast highlights the incredible researchers at the UUֱ�� who are exploring the profound implications of this transformative technology,” says Leah Cowen, UUֱ��’s vice-president, research and innovation, and strategic initiatives. “These discussions tackle critical questions surrounding AI safety and alignment and its myriad implications across various domains.

“The university is committed to fostering informed discussions that will shape our collective understanding of AI’s role in our society and in our future.”

Coleman says she hopes listeners come away from the podcast feeling more grounded.

Krishnan, for his part, wants the audience to understand “that there is no one group that has ownership” over the technology” and that “the free exchange of ideas and open-source tools encourage people from all disciplines to come see how accessible AI can be, what AI can do for them and how they can advance the discourse in the field.”

Black Health Education Collaborative launches educational tool on racism and Black health in Canada

rahul.kalvapalle — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 18:13:47 +0000

Black Health Education Collaborative launches educational tool on racism and Black health in Canada

rahul.kalvapalle Thu, 03/21/2024 - 14:13

Cutline

L to R: Assistant Professor Onye Nnorom, Associate Professor OmiSoore Dryden from Dalhousie University and Assistant Professor Sume Ndumbe-Eyoh (supplied images)

Topic

Registration for the Black Health Primer opened Thursday

Subheadline

The Black Health Primer aims to address gaps in education and training on Black health and anti-Black racism in medicine and public health

Scholars from the UUֱ�� and Dalhousie University have created a set of online courses on Black health and anti-Black racism in the Canadian health-care system, which will be available to learners across Canada – a momentous step in helping advance equitable care for Black Canadians.

The Black Health Primer was created in response to gaps in education and training on Black health and anti-Black racism in medicine and public health, say its creators Onye Nnorom, an assistant professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Temerty Faculty of Medicine, Sume Ndumbe-Eyoh, an assistant professor at Dalla Lana and OmiSoore Dryden, the James R. Johnston Chair in Black Canadian Studies at Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Medicine.

The courses are intended for students, faculty, educators and health-care practitioners alike and can be used for professional development at health-related institutions and organizations, the founders say.

The initiative was developed by the Black Health Education Collaborative (BHEC), a group of Black scholars and practitioners committed to transforming medical and health professional education in service of improving the health of Black communities across Canada.

“Black people in Canada experience health and social inequities rooted in anti-Black racism,” says Nnorom, who co-founded the BHEC with Dryden. “The historical impacts of slavery on this land affect Black people today and influence the stereotypes they experience in health care.

“By providing education on the issues that Black communities are facing in their everyday lives, the racism they encounter in health care and better anti-racist approaches to care, we – the Black Health Education Collaborative – believe the primer can improve the quality of care Black Canadians are receiving.

“Furthermore, these modules were designed to support the ‘unlearning’ of racism and learning racially just practices which improve health for all.”

The BHEC, with support from Dalla Lana, Temerty Medicine, and Dalhousie University, will launch the Black Health Primer on March 21 – the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination – at an online event titled, "Why Anti-Racist Healthcare Matters."

“The Public Health Agency of Canada has highlighted that ‘anti-Black racism and systemic discrimination are key drivers of health inequalities faced by diverse Black Canadian communities,’ and yet health-care professionals – from doctors to public health professionals – are not taught about the ways in which anti-Black racism negatively impacts the health of Black communities,” says Ndumbe-Eyoh, who is BHEC’s executive director.

“This is a significant failing which leads to health professionals practising without the knowledge and skills required to provide adequate care for Black patients and communities.”

“It is our hope that the medical students, doctors, nurses, and students who are in other health fields will complete the training and be inspired to provide better quality care,” says Nnorom, who hosts the Healthcaring Differently social media campaign.

COVID-19 took a mental health toll on mothers, young women and adolescent girls: Researchers

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 15 Mar 2024 19:31:22 +0000

COVID-19 took a mental health toll on mothers, young women and adolescent girls: Researchers

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 03/15/2024 - 15:31

Cutline

(photo by skynesher/Getty Images)

Chloe Panganiban

Topic

Breaking Research

COVID-19

Institute for Pandemics

Institutional Strategic Initiatives

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

Institutional Strategic Initiatives

Mental Health

Research & Innovation

Women

Subheadline

“The current road towards pandemic recovery needs to consider these at-risk populations. If not, there could be dire long-term consequences for the current generation and ones to come”

Two new studies supported by the Institute for Pandemics – a UUֱ�� institutional strategic initiative – show that the non-pharmaceutical public health measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with increased mental health visits for mothers with young children, young women and adolescent girls.

As governments around the world imposed public health measures to reduce viral transmission, including stay-at-home orders, travel restrictions, and school closures, experts raised concerns about the potential lasting impact on the mental health of individuals, especially those belonging to vulnerable and at-risk populations.

In particular, mothers with young children faced obstacles related to parenting and caregiving, while young women and adolescent girls experienced major disruptions to school, social and daily routines.

The new studies – which built on previous research showing the COVID-19 pandemic had a larger impact on the mental health of men compared to women – aimed to examine how these pandemic-related non-pharmaceutical interventions have impacted the mental health of these groups.

“This work raises concerns about how to contain and address this issue,” says Geoffrey Anderson, a professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health’s Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME) and lead of the pandemic recovery theme at the Institute for Pandemics.

“The current road towards pandemic recovery needs to consider these at-risk populations. If not, there could be dire long-term consequences for the current generation and ones to come.”

The research team also included: John Moin, a former post-doctoral researcher funded by the Institute for Pandemics; Shauna Brail, an associate professor at UUֱ�� Mississauga who directs the Institute for Management & Innovation; and Simone Vigod, head of the department of psychiatry at Women’s College Hospital and a professor in the department of psychiatry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

Both studies compared rates of doctor visits for mental health care in the pre-pandemic period from March 2016 to March 2020 to rates during the pandemic from April 2020 to November 2021.

The first, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) Open, found a rapid increase in doctor visits by mothers of young children for mental health care during the pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period, with most of the care for mood, anxiety, depressive disorders and alcohol and substance abuse.

In the second study, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) Open, the team found an increase in doctor visits for adolescent girls and women aged 14 to 24 for mental health care largely driven by care for mood, anxiety and depressive disorders. Additionally, there was an increase in hospital visits for eating disorders for adolescent girls and women aged 14 to 19. There was no increase in doctor visits or hospitalizations for boys or young men.

Both studies show that the implementation of public health measures during the pandemic was associated with increased usage of mental health services among mothers of young children, young women and adolescent girls, and point to potential lessons for future public health crises.

“Our research raises concerns about the mental health impacts of public health measures on vulnerable women,” says Anderson. “We need to address these impacts as key part of any effective and equitable pandemic recovery strategy and we need to pay more attention to these consequences in future public health crises”.

"We saw the rapid and ongoing application of non-pharmaceutical interventions as public health measures throughout the pandemic,” says Moin, who was the lead author of both studies. “We also now know that they were associated with abrupt and prolonged changes in the utilization of mental health services. This association should be considered for future public health planning and strategy.”

Renzo Calderon, another post-doctoral fellow funded by the Institute for Pandemics, is leading a team that is further exploring this observed trend.

Despite nearly four years having passed since the beginning of the restrictions, the pandemic continues to alter the landscape of mental health. Hence, the researchers’ focus is not solely on exploring the overarching trends but also on better understanding if there are specific socio-demographic groups of women who were particularly affected.

Preliminary results indicate that the demand for mental health services around specific issues such as eating disorders and substance abuse, especially among young women, has not yet diminished.

Such a targeted approach aims to uncover nuanced insights into how the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these problems and lead to more effective interventions.

Mpox DNA can persist in the body for up to four weeks: Study

rahul.kalvapalle — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 20:04:03 +0000

Mpox DNA can persist in the body for up to four weeks: Study

rahul.kalvapalle Tue, 03/12/2024 - 16:04

Cutline

A sign containing information about monkeypox is seen in International Airport Treviso A. Canova, in Treviso, Italy, on Nov. 30, 2022 (photo by Manuel Romano/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Betty Zou

Topic

Breaking Research

EPIC

ihpme

St. Michael's Hospital

Sunnybrook

Subheadline

The study is one of several projects supported by the mpox rapid research response launched by UUֱ��'s Emerging and Pandemic Infections Consortium (EPIC) and its hospital partners

DNA from the mpox virus can be found in different parts of the body for up to four weeks after symptom onset, according to a study led by researchers at Unity Health Toronto, the Sunnybrook Research Institute and the UUֱ��.

The researchers analyzed samples from 64 men who contracted mpox, including participants from the Mpox Prospective Observational Cohort Study led by Darrell Tan, an infectious disease physician at St. Michael’s Hospital, part of Unity Health Toronto – where some of Toronto’s first patients with mpox were identified and cared for – and associate professor in the department of medicine and the Institute of Medical Science at UUֱ��'s Temerty Faculty of Medicine and in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME) at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

They found that persistence of mpox virus DNA varied depending on where the samples were taken from. Among the key findings was that the DNA was detectable in nearly half of genital skin swabs and one in five skin swabs from other sites a week after symptoms had resolved.

The study, which was published in Open Forum Infectious Diseases, is one of several projects supported by the mpox rapid research response launched by the Emerging and Pandemic Infections Consortium (EPIC), an institutional strategic initiative, and its hospital partners during the global outbreak of mpox – previously known as monkeypox – in 2022.

According to the World Health Organization, nearly 94,000 confirmed cases of mpox, including 179 deaths, have been reported from 117 countries since January 2022. As of September 2023, 1,515 cases have been confirmed in Canada, mostly in Ontario and Quebec.

“Even though we’ve known about mpox for over 70 years, it was new to us because we hadn’t seen it outside the endemic regions,” said Robert Kozak, one of the study’s authors and a clinical microbiologist at Sunnybrook Research Institute and assistant professor in the department of laboratory medicine and pathobiology at Temerty Medicine. “There was still a lot about the virus and disease that we didn’t know,”

To answer key questions about viral shedding, Kozak teamed up with Tan and Sharmistha Mishra, an infectious disease physician at St. Michael’s Hospital and associate professor in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s department of medicine and Institute of Medical Science and IHPME.

(L-R) Robert Kozak, Sharmistha Mishra and Darrell Tan (supplied images)

The researchers used a technique called quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to determine the persistence of mpox virus DNA. Samples were taken from six different sites on the body — genital region, nasal cavity, semen, skin, throat and urine — and over an extended period of time.

On average, mpox DNA was detected in skin swabs from the genital and perianal region and from other skin sites at 30 and 22 days after symptom onset, respectively. These findings are consistent with the sexually transmitted nature of mpox during the recent global epidemic, which primarily affected gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men.

The researchers were unable to detect viral DNA in a large proportion of semen samples and nasal cavity swabs taken when individuals first presented with symptoms, whereas in urine and throat swab samples, mpox DNA persisted for roughly two weeks after symptom onset.

Interestingly, the researchers did not observe a difference in the length of viral DNA persistence between people who received the antiviral drug tecovirimat and those who did not. Tan noted that while study participants were not randomly assigned to receive the drug, these results underscore the uncertainty around tecovirimat’s effectiveness in treating mpox infections.

He added the study provides several key learnings for his clinical colleagues. “First, we’ve documented the breadth of clinical samples in which mpox DNA can be identified and therefore can be used to confirm a diagnosis. Our findings also reinforce that it’s worthwhile for clinicians to collect such samples in individuals where an mpox diagnosis is being considered, even after symptoms of feeling unwell are gone," Tan said.

The researchers caution that just because mpox DNA can be detected up to four weeks after symptom onset, it doesn’t mean that individuals are infectious for that long.

“We don’t know for sure whether the presence of detectable viral DNA necessarily means that the virus is transmissible to other people, so more research definitely needs to be done to determine definitively the period of infectiousness,” Tan said.

To that end, Jacklyn Hurst, a postdoctoral fellow in Kozak’s lab, recently started work in the Toronto High Containment Facility to look for live virus in the same samples from which mpox DNA was detected. The researchers are also using the facility’s biobank of mpox patient samples to identify biomarkers that could predict whether a person will have a mild or severe infection.

“Without the Toronto High Containment Facility, we wouldn’t be able to do any of this. Having that facility will help us answer a lot of questions about this virus and how to stop it,” said Kozak.

He acknowledged the immense contributions of the patient community to this work. “A huge thank you to all the study participants. We wouldn’t be able to do this work without their sacrifice and commitment.”

UUֱ�� Entrepreneurship Week 2024: 10 startups to watch

rahul.kalvapalle — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 20:00:17 +0000

UUֱ�� Entrepreneurship Week 2024: 10 startups to watch

rahul.kalvapalle Fri, 03/01/2024 - 15:00

Cutline

HDAX Therapeutics, a startup that grew out UUֱ�� Mississauga’s department of chemical and physical sciences, is developing a drug that could prevent nerve damage caused by chemotherapy (photo by Matthew Volpe)

Rahul Kalvapalle

Topic

Entrepreneurship Week

UUֱ�� Entrepreneurship

Alumni

Artificial Intelligence

Computer Science

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Entrepreneurship

Faculty of Arts & Science

Innovation & Entrepreneurship

Startups

Sustainability

ThisIsThePlace

Translational Research Program

UUֱ�� Mississauga

UUֱ�� Scarborough

Preventing nerve damage caused by chemotherapy. Using artificial intelligence to help people who are Deaf communicate with machines through sign language. Accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles in urban communities.

These are some of the innovations being advanced by members of the UUֱ��’s thriving entrepreneurship community.

Ranked among the top five university business incubators in the world, UUֱ�� Entrepreneurship is preparing to celebrate these and other startups during the eighth annual Entrepreneurship Week from March 4 to 7. The week-long celebration includes more than 15 events, including pitch competitions, startup showcases, workshops and more.

Here are 10 exciting UUֱ��-affiliated startups to keep an eye on in 2024:

HDAX Therapeutics

(photo by Matthew Volpe)

Chemotherapy kills cancer cells, but it can also cause irreversible nerve damage that results in pain, loss of sensation and even paralysis. HDAX Therapeutics, co-founded by alumnae Pimyupa Manaswiyoungkul and Nabanita Nawar, is looking to tackle the problem with a preventative drug that has delivered promising results in pre-clinical studies.

Waabi

(photo by Polina Teif)

Waabi is a self-driving technology startup founded by Raquel Urtasun, a professor of computer science in UUֱ��’s Faculty of Arts & Science and co-founder of the Vector Institute who headlined the Desjardins Speaker Series at last year’s Entrepreneurship Week. Her company operates at the intersection of autonomous driving, AI and commercial transportation. In September, it announced a 10-year strategic partnership with Uber Freight to accelerate the adoption of autonomous technologies in the trucking industry.

Kiwi Charge

(supplied image)

Kiwi Charge is looking to boost the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) via a charging-as-a-service model that caters to people living in apartments and condos. Founded by Abdel Ali, Kiwi Charge helps building owners offer EV charging amenities while avoiding hefty infrastructure costs, allowing tenants to enjoy a hassle-free charging experience. The startup was part of the 2023 cohort of the Nobellum Innovator Program, which provides support and capital to Black founders. Kiwi Charge will be at the True Blue Expo on March 7.

BlueDot

(photo by Matthew Volpe)

BlueDot is using AI to detect infectious disease outbreaks, carry out risk assessment and provide actionable insights to clients in public health, the pharmaceuticals and life sciences industries and global companies more generally. The company was founded by Kamran Khan, a scientist at Unity Health Toronto and professor in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine and the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. Khan is scheduled to speak at Entrepreneurship Week, where he will take part in a panel discussion about mental health and wellness for startup founders.

Deaf AI

(photo by Alyssa K Faoro)

Deaf AI is using AI to train machines in sign language to improve human-machine communication for people who are Deaf or have hearing impairments. The company made an impression at the Desjardins Startup Prize Pitch Competition at Entrepreneurship Week 2023, winning first-place in the late-stage category as well as the Dongjun Wang Family True Blue Prize (People’s Choice Award). It was co-founded by Azadeh Bojmehrani, who earned a master of health science degree in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s translational research program (which is hosting a networking lunch event for health-care innovators and entrepreneurs on March 8 to cap off this year’s Entrepreneurship Week action).

Transcrypts

(supplied image)

TransCrypts, too, has enjoyed success at UUֱ�� Entrepreneurship pitch competitions, taking home the second-place prize in the later-stage category for the UTE Startup Prize during Entrepreneurship Week 2022. Co-founded by Ali Zaheer and Zain Zaidi, the company aims to enhance digital privacy and security by automating document verification – ultimately giving users ownership and access to their own data. The pair have participated in the Y-Combinator accelerator in Silicon Valley and raised more than $3-million in funding from investors that include Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA Dallas Mavericks and a “shark” on Shark Tank.

Genecis

(photo by Matthew Volpe)

Genecis is a climate-focused biotech startup that converts organic waste into sustainable and biodegradable plastics. Founded by CEO Luna Yu, who earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UUֱ�� in only four years, Genecis aims to provide plastic manufacturers with competitively priced bio-plastics, while helping waste management companies save on their organic material disposal costs. Since competing in UUֱ�� pitch competitions back in 2017, Genecis has raised more than $22 million.

Reeddi

(photo by Polina Teif)

Founded by UUֱ�� Engineering alumnus Olugbenga Olubanjo, Reeddi is bringing affordable and clean electricity to under-resourced communities by renting out solar-powered energy capsules that can power household devices and appliances. Currently based in Nigeria, Reeddi aims to eventually expand its presence to other countries in Africa and beyond. The company was a finalist in Prince William’s Earthshot Prize, which recognizes efforts to tackle environmental problems.

Erthos

(photo by Matthew Volpe)

Co-founded by alumnae Nuha Siddiqui and Kritika Tyagi, Erthos is helping tackle the global plastic pollution crisis with its novel plant-based resin, which serves as a sustainable alternative to single-use plastics. After starting with a focus on packing peanuts, Erthos has expanded its offerings to include cutlery, clothes hangers and packaging for consumer products, among others. In September, the company announced $6.5 million in Series A funding.

Ardra Bio

(photo by Matthew Volpe)

Co-founded by alumnus Pratish Gawand and Radhakrishnan Mahadevan, a professor of chemical engineering and applied chemistry in UUֱ��’s Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, Ardra Bio is developing technologies to produce sustainable biochemicals and novel food products including heme, a plant-based product that matches the flavour, colour and iron nutrients of meat, and leaf-aldehyde, which is used as a flavouring ingredient for foods and beverages and as an ingredient in the fragrance industry.

Learn more about UUֱ�� Entrepreneurship Week

UUֱ�� prof aims to inspire diversity in health care through mentorship and social media

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 16:14:59 +0000

UUֱ�� prof aims to inspire diversity in health care through mentorship and social media

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 02/20/2024 - 11:14

Cutline

(photo by Ashiqur Rahman Rean)

Gabrielle Giroday

Topic

Outreach

Subheadline

"Not everyone has a family member or mentor in medicine. What I realized is that I can be an auntie to people who are interested in medicine or health careers"

Onye Nnorom says a significant hurdle to entering the health-care profession for students from underrepresented communities is often the absence of a family member or other mentor already in the field – someone who can provide encouragement and advice.

It’s a gap that she’s now aiming to bridge using the power of social media.

“What I realized is that I can be an auntie to people who are interested in medicine or health careers,” says Nnorom, an assistant professor in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine’s department of family and community medicine and at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

Starting today, Nnorom is launching a series of Instagram Live sessions that aims to encourage teen and young adults from underrepresented backgrounds to consider a career in medicine or other health professions. It’s part of an outreach effort called Healthcaring Differently, which will also include career information for first-year medical students.

Nnorom, who is also the co-lead of the Black Health Education Collaborative, recently spoke with writer Gabrielle Giroday about the inspiration behind the initiative and what she hopes it will ultimately achieve.

How will the initiative work?

Healthcaring Differently is social media outreach that encourages young people from diverse backgrounds to consider careers in medicine and health care.

It comprises two parts. One is Instagram Live sessions – every Tuesday at 7 p.m. EST, starting Feb. 20 – that feature health-care experts talking about their careers, including both physicians and other health leaders who are nurses or researchers. The spring series will go from February to April, and then there will be another series this fall. We’re at @healthcaringdifferently.

The second component will be a newsletter, where people who are interested can get more information about diversity pathways in medical schools and other health professional schools, scholarship information and jobs or research opportunities.

Who is your target audience, and why?

One thing I realized when I was in medical school was that a lot of people had a parent or family member to ask for guidance, or other mentors in their life. That person provides a lot of information around how to think like a physician, how to prepare for the MCAT or how to obtain research opportunities. That helps a person get into medical school and thrive once they’re there.

But not everyone has a family member or mentor in medicine. What I realized is that I can be an auntie to people who are interested in medicine or health careers.

I can be your auntie, I can come to the table – the Instagram table – and I can bring the biscuits and spill some tea, and bring my diverse friends with me.

There’s three key groups I am hoping to reach with this initiative. One is high school students – who might not even be thinking about medicine or health care as a career – to plant the seed of an idea. The second key group are young people in college, or in their undergraduate studies, who are thinking about medicine but don’t know about the resources available to them.

Lastly, I also want to reach first-year medical students because it can be such a jarring time for people. I spoke to first-year students and they told me when they were trying to get into medical school, they thought that was the top of the mountain. But, once they made it in, they realized there are three more mountains: CARMS (Canadian Resident Matching Service), your fellowship and your career beyond that. So, it can just feel very daunting.

I am hoping this initiative will help support first-year students and help them think about different specialties in medicine and different ways of approaching health care.

What inspired this initiative?

Healthcaring Differently is an initiative, or a movement, to encourage my colleagues – those who are diverse and under-represented in medicine – to mentor out loud. Personally, in my life right now, I am trying to live out loud and share more about my life so that people can see a Black female doctor who is in Canada being an advocate.

So many of my friends are so talented and doing amazing work in health care, and deserve more attention. I also want more young people to be aware of all the pathways that exist into medicine and careers in health care.

Why is the timing of this initiative important?

It's a critical time in health care right now. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been massive burnout for health-care workers.

The pandemic also showed us that there are so many groups that are not being adequately served by our health-care system.

In my work, in my advocacy, I already knew this – I have been doing Black health advocacy work for a decade. But the COVID-19 pandemic really brought a greater public awareness that our health-care system needs to change if we want diverse communities to be well.

The other thing that I noticed is that for a lot of my friends and my colleagues, despite the challenges in health care, they’re still doing all this really cool and innovative work in the community, with Indigenous communities, Black communities and LGBTQ+ communities.

However, young people weren’t always seeing this, especially people who are part of under-represented or diverse groups. They weren’t seeing the magic. So I asked myself, “How can I help to bridge this?” And I decided it’s a great time to boost inspiration about the fantastic work my colleagues are doing.

There’s also another element. After the tragedy of the murder of George Floyd and the resulting activism, a lot of medical schools and professional health schools developed more diversity pathways – in particular pathways for Black and Indigenous students, as well as other diverse groups, across the country.

For example, Ike Okafor, founder and strategic lead of access and outreach at Temerty Medicine’s Office of Access and Outreach, has helped make tremendous strides with programs like Community of Support, which has been implemented at other Canadian medical schools.

But, a lot of people don’t know about these pathways, especially in other provinces. So, this initiative can highlight the fantastic work my friends are doing beyond Ontario and make their work more visible. To that end, I am also planning a newsletter to let people know about these opportunities.

What is your hope for this initiative?

For people who come from marginalized communities, you will hear us say this: You need to see it to know that you can be it.

And for me – there has been a lot of learning, too – I am working with 21-year-old student Mathushan Ambida, who is helping with social media.

My hope is that this through this initiative we can harness the power of social media to expose young people to all of the diverse and creative ways that I and my colleagues approach health care.

That way, people who have an interest can be connected to a pathway program to pursue medicine or nursing, or whatever heath field they are curious about.

Quitting smoking at any age brings big health benefits – fast: Study

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 18:46:34 +0000

Quitting smoking at any age brings big health benefits – fast: Study

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 02/12/2024 - 13:46

Cutline

(photo by Javier Zayas Photography/Getty Images)

Jim Oldfield

Topic

Breaking Research

Research & Innovation

Smoking

People who quit smoking see major gains in life expectancy after just a few years, researchers at Unity Health and the UUֱ�� have found.

The study, published in NEJM Evidence, shows that smokers who quit smoking before age 40 can expect to live almost as long as those who never smoked. Those who quit at any age return close to never-smoker survival 10 years after quitting, and about half that benefit occurs within just three years.

Prabhat Jha (photo courtesy of the Centre for Global Health Research)

“Quitting smoking is ridiculously effective in reducing the risk of death and people can reap those rewards remarkably quickly,” said Prabhat Jha, executive director of the Centre for Global Health Research at Unity Health Toronto and a professor at UUֱ��’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

The observational study included 1.5 million adults in four countries (the U.S., U.K., Canada and Norway), followed over 15 years. Smokers between the ages of 40 and 79 had an almost three-fold risk of dying compared to those who never smoked, meaning on average they lost 12 to 13 years of life.

Former smokers lowered their risk of death to 1.3-fold (or 30 per cent higher) compared to never smokers. Stopping smoking at any age was associated with longer survival, and even those who quit for less than three years gained up to six years in life expectancy.

“Many people think it’s too late to quit smoking, especially in middle age,” said Jha. “But these results counter that line of thought. It’s never too late, the impact is fast and you can reduce risk across major diseases, meaning a longer and better quality of life.”

In particular, the researchers found that quitting smoking reduced the risk of dying from vascular disease and cancer. Former smokers also reduced their risk of death from respiratory disease, but slightly less so – likely due to residual lung damage.

There are currently about 60 million smokers in the four countries involved in the study and over a billion worldwide. The global rate of smoking has fallen by more than 25 per cent since 1990, but tobacco is still a leading cause of preventable death.

Jha said the findings should add urgency to efforts by governments to support people who want to stop smoking.

“Helping smokers quit is one of most effective ways to substantially improve health. And we know how to do that, by raising taxes on cigarettes and improving cessation supports.”

Canada is long overdue for an increase in the federal excise tax on cigarettes, and many other countries could lower smoking rates by raising taxes, Jha said. Cessation supports can include clinical guidelines and patient resources such as helplines, but also a whole-health-system approach.

“When smokers interact with the health-care system in any way, physicians and health professionals can encourage them to quit, pointing out how well quitting works,” Jha said. “This can be done with concern and without judgement or stigma, recognizing that cigarettes are engineered to be highly addictive.”

The research was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

Do you have questions about children's vaccines? A new phone line has the answers

Christopher.Sorensen — Mon, 05 Feb 2024 14:18:11 +0000

Do you have questions about children's vaccines? A new phone line has the answers

Christopher.Sorensen Mon, 02/05/2024 - 09:18

Cutline

(photo by SDI Productions/Getty Images)

Ishani Nath

Topic

Centre for Vaccine Preventable Diseases

Pediatrics

Hospital for Sick Children

Vaccines

Subheadline

The SickKids Vaccine Consult Service (VCS) aims to answer caregivers’ questions about all pediatric vaccinations

Canada is in the midst of respiratory illness season, yet the number of individuals getting the updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines remains low. The number of children receiving routine vaccinations has also dropped since the pandemic.

For the past few years, questions about vaccines dominated headlines and internet searches. Is this vaccine safe? Will it work? Who needs to get vaccinated?

Shaun Morris, a clinician scientist at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and an associate professor of pediatrics in the UUֱ��’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine, and Pierre-Philippe Piché-Renaud, who is pursuing a clinical and research fellowship at SickKids and graduate studies at UUֱ��’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health, routinely field these types of questions from parents and caregivers.

Both are members of the Centre for Vaccine Preventable Diseases (CVPD) at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

Shaun Morris and Pierre-Philippe Piché-Renaud (supplied images)

To help boost confidence in vaccination through easy access to reliable, evidence-based information, Morris and Piché-Renaud have launched a new pilot project running until the end of March.

The SickKids Vaccine Consult Service (VCS), part of a larger project funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), is offering a phone service staffed by nurses to answer caregivers’ questions about all pediatric vaccinations. The intent is to make vaccine information more accessible and, ultimately, help parents make the best, most informed decision for their child, Piché-Renaud says.

Building on previous success

The pilot project builds off the success of a COVID-19-specific VCS phone line that ran from October 2021 to March 2023. The COVID-19 VCS received more than 2,700 calls from caregivers asking about COVID-19 vaccines for children. The phone line was staffed by health-care professionals who provided information tailored to each individual circumstance, including living situation or medical history – answers that could not typically be found on the internet.

The nurses fielding calls were trained to create an open and safe environment, explains Julia Orkin, the SickKids COVID-19 VCS medical lead and an associate professor in UUֱ��’s department of paediatrics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

“It wasn’t, you know, ‘you must do this,’ it was really a shared supportive conversation,” she says. After calling in, 83 per cent of caregivers surveyed said their questions and concerns were addressed, and more than 60 per cent said they would proceed with vaccination.

The new phone service expands beyond the COVID-19 VCS by fielding questions not only about COVID-19 vaccines but all childhood immunizations. The service is open to anyone in Ontario, with a specific focus on patients with existing medical concerns and equity-deserving populations throughout the Greater Toronto Area.

Insurance coverage and internet access aren’t required to book a VCS consultation and translation services are available.

Piché-Renaud says that the conversations are about “taking it one step at a time, meeting parents where they are, and addressing their concerns.”

Research has shown that COVID-19 vaccine uptake was lower among certain groups – for instance, certain racialized and lower income populations. To reach these communities, Morris and Piché-Renaud are working with organizations like Black Creek Community Health Centre, Taibu Community Health Centre and the Paediatric Alliance of Ontario.

“The messaging is going to come through the people that [caregivers in these communities] already know and work with,” says Piché-Renaud.

Meeting an urgent need

Providing information on the importance of childhood vaccinations is particularly urgent.

“Immunization coverage for a variety of diseases is lagging behind, leaving kids susceptible to infections and outbreaks that are completely preventable. It’s essential to provide parents with clear, individually tailored messaging from a trusted source to enable them to make informed decisions for their children,” says Shelly Bolotin, director of the Centre for Vaccine Preventable Diseases and an associate professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

During the pandemic, routine childhood immunizations for preventable diseases like meningitis, measles and polio were set back to levels not seen since 2008. The proportion of Canadians who view vaccines as important for children also dropped from 91 to 82 per cent, according to UNICEF’s 2023 State of the World’s Children report. Canada has since seen cases of pertussis (whooping cough) and other vaccine preventable diseases.

“We’re still seeing kids who show up at SickKids and other paediatric hospitals with vaccine preventable illnesses, like certain types of meningitis,” says Piché-Renaud.

The physicians hope that through the VCS phone line and a related project working with SickKids pediatricians and patients, they will be able to better understand why some children are not getting vaccinated. With this information, they can then develop resources such as educational websites, or improve access to vaccination sites.

Making trusted vaccine information more accessible

Morris and Piché-Renaud encourage Ontario parents wondering about childhood vaccines to book a consultation appointment at SickKids VCS.

For Morris, empowering patients and families to make the best health decisions for themselves is one of the most important aspects of his job. Services like the VCS phone line help achieve that goal by “enabling people to connect to trusted sources of information and navigate through the quagmire of not good information, which is probably more common in the realm of immunization than in most areas.”

How AI will – and won’t – change health care in 2024

Christopher.Sorensen — Wed, 24 Jan 2024 18:54:54 +0000

How AI will – and won’t – change health care in 2024

Christopher.Sorensen Wed, 01/24/2024 - 13:54

Cutline

(photo by Sean Anthony Eddy/Getty Images)

Adina Bresge

Topic

Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation

Artificial Intelligence