Raw Talk Podcast

#66: Investing in Tomorrow: Why Are You Voting Science?

On October 21, we will be voting in an important federal election that will determine the next 4 years of Canadians' lives. While voters have many concerns they want addressed, one topic that does not often get the spotlight is science. In this week's episode, we turned to leading Canadian science advocates for advice on how we can speak up for science. Dr. David Naylor, former President of the University of Toronto and chair of the recent Fundamental Science Review (throwback to episode 65), spoke to us about the importance of fostering a science culture and the misuse of science by politicians. Dr. Molly Shoichet, University Professor at U of T and former Ontario Chief Scientist, shared with us her views on the politicization of science, the vitality of science evidence in providing policy solutions for the future, and the inclusion of scientists into the decision-making process. You'll also hear from Dr. Imogen Coe, Founding Dean of Science and Professor at Ryerson University, as well as a champion for equity, diversity and, inclusion programs in Canada. She further illustrated the importance of active science communication to improve contributions to science. We spoke to Farah Qaiser, President of the science advocacy organization Toronto Science Policy Network and Graduate Student at U of T, who provided us with a student's perspective on these vital issues in addition to discussing the ongoing Vote Science campaign - a great and easy way for everyone and anyone to get involved in the world of science policy. Last, but certainly not least, Dr. Amanda Veri, a Research associate at U of T shared her inspiring example of science advocacy we hope will light a fire in you as we approach election day.

Written by: Frank Telfer and Tsukiko Miyata

Vote Science
Toronto Science Policy Network
Evidence4democracy
Canadian Science Policy Conference
Science Outside the Lab North
Canada's Fundamental Science Review
Political Party Platforms

#65 Investing in Knowledge: The Life Cycle of Research

On this episode, we explore the life cycle of research: from seeking funding to sharing findings that inspire. Grace spoke to Dr. David Naylor about science culture in Canada and the Fundamental Science Review panel that he chaired. This review reported on the science funding ecosystem in Canada and was key to Federal research budget increases in 2018. Stephania also sat down with Dr. Alan Bernstein, President of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) and former President of the Canadian Institute for Health Research (CIHR). He shared what makes a grant application great and more likely to be awarded funds, as well as the collaborative research that CIFAR is leading. We also spoke with Dr. Orli Bahcall, a Senior Editor at Nature, who gave us her perspective on publishing, the value of preprints, and impact factor as a measure of publication success. Finally, we dived into what we can do to advocate for more research funding and engage with the public about science. From inspirational ideas to a published article, the research process is an extensive and expensive one.

Written by: Zeynep Kahramanoglu

Dr. Ben Mudrak on Preprints
CIFAR
Fundamental Science Review
The Impact Factor
Guide to Scholarly Metrics
Illinois Library: Scholarly Metrics
CIHR Grants and Award Expenditures
CIHR In Numbers

 

#64: All Consuming: The Science and Stories Behind Eating Disorders

Food is a part of our everyday lives and is essential for us to survive and thrive. For many of us, food is also a source of joy. We share stories, make memories, and plan our lives around meals. Photos and smells of food often bring nostalgic memories to mind and a smile to our faces. But what happens when your relationship with food impacts your life negatively? On this week's episode, we aimed to gain a greater perspective on Eating Disorders with the help of several guests. Tracie Burke and Holly Dickinson are two Registered Dietitians working with the Eating Disorders Program at Toronto General Hospital, who guide us through the steps their patients take in the program. You'll also hear from Candice Richardson who shares her lived experience with eating disorders. Candice and her colleague Ary Maharaj also work with the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC), conducting outreach and providing support to and information for patients and their families. Finally, we dive into the latest research on eating disorders with Dr. Allan Kaplan, Senior Scientist and Psychiatrist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health who investigates the psychobiological factors of Eating Disorders and Shauna Solomon-Krakus, a PhD Candidate whose thesis focuses on the relationship between personality, emotions, and eating disorders. Tune in to hear our guests debunk myths and common misconceptions surrounding eating disorders and shed light on these poorly studied diseases.

Written by: Tsukiko Miyata

Research at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
The Eating Disorders Program at UHN
The National Eating Disorder Information Centre
Dr. Allan Kaplan's Website
Article: Maladaptive perfectionism in eating disorders
Article: Disordered eating and fitspiration on Instagram
Article: High vs low calorie foods: food preference in anorexia nervosa
Article: Genetics suggest metabo-psychiatric origins for anorexia nervosa

 

#63: Artificial Intelligence in Medicine: Future & Ethical Considerations

Where do you see medicine in 20 years? Does it involve Artificial Intelligence? We think it does, which is why this summer we hosted our second annual live event entitled Medicine Meets Machine: The Emerging Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare! This episode is all about the future and ethical considerations of AI in medicine. Our panelists come from diverse backgrounds and share their unique opinions on what should be feared and what the public has wrong about AI. We will hear from Alison Paprica, Christopher Hammill, Sunit Das as well as moderator Allan Miranda about the path we must take to ensure a productive future with AI.

Written by: Nazanin Ijad

 

#62: Artificial Intelligence: Where Are We Now?

Raw Talk recently hosted their second annual live event, entitled Medicine Meets Machine: The Emerging Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Healthcare. Today's episode with Grace and Stephania shares the discussion from our first panel of experts focusing on current applications and limitations of AI in medicine. Our speakers share perspectives from healthcare, academia, industry, and policy development. You'll hear from Dr. Oren Kraus, Dr. Jason Lerch, Dr. Marzyeh Ghassemi and Dr. Joanna Yu, as well as moderator Dr. Shreejoy Tripathy about the realities of AI and the challenges involved, as well as the implications of AI for their own work.

Written by: Grace Jacobs

#61: Alternative Facts, Pseudoscience, Real Debate

Within the last couple of years, the concept of "fake news" has generated much interest in mainstream media. Currently, our generation has access to more information than at any other time in human history. But what are we doing to stay critical of all the information we receive? How do we separate the fact from the fiction? On today's episode, our team explores the state of science literacy, current initiatives aimed at improving science literacy, and how medical practice has changed in this "information" era. Melissa and Anton took it to the streets of Toronto to get a sense of where the general public gets their science information and how they decide whether to believe what they hear. Next, Richie spoke with Dr. Vince Stendardo, a family doctor in Toronto, about how the abundance of information available to patients online has changed his practice. Melissa also spoke with Jesse Hildebrand, a University of Toronto alum and founder of Science Literacy Week, to discuss his work with science promotion and outreach. Lastly, Amber sat down with Dr. Roger Riendeau, professor in the writing and rhetoric program at the University of Toronto, to talk about the illusions and reality of evidence, and how people process evidence in order to reach conclusions. So before you fall prey to the next big "fake news" story, tune in to find out how you can be more science literate. Until next time, keep it raw!

Written by: Anton Rogachov

Canada Most Science Literate Country in the World (CBC Article)
Science Literacy Week
Roger Reindeau's Teaching and Writing Site

#60: Forensic Psychiatry: Mental Health Meets the Law

Crime shows are ubiquitous these days. A common theme in the genre is violence committed by individuals who are mentally ill. These events are oftentimes sensationalized, drawing attention to the nature of the crime, and blurring the circumstances and neurobiology that played a role in setting the stage. Today's episode explores the intersection of violence and mental illness, and among other things, talks about how crime in this context could be interpreted as a symptom of inadequate care. To start, we sat down with Dr. Hy Bloom, a forensic psychiatrist and lawyer, and part-time staff member in the Complex Mental Illness/Forensic Services Program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). With one foot in the medical world, and another in the legal realm, he talked about the legal nuances of forensic psychiatry. Next was Dr. Sandy Simpson, a clinician-scientist and the Chief of Forensic Psychiatry at CAMH. Dr. Simpson talked about his international research in the field, and emphasized the need for more community-based services. Finally, Dr. James Cantor, a clinical psychologist and Director of the Toronto Sexuality Centre, spoke to us about his practice and research in the field of pedophilia and paraphilias. Tune in for an episode as riveting as any true crime story you have listened to. Until next time, keep it raw!

Written by: Alexandra Mogadam

Dr. Hy Bloom's Workplace.Calm
Dr. Bloom's Department of Psychiatry profile
Dr. Bloom's Faculty of Law profile
Dr. James Cantor's website
Toronto Sexuality Centre
(Article) White Matter Deficiency in Men who are Pedocphilic. By Dr. Cantor
(Documentary) I, Pedophile

#59: Let's Get Personal

Have you ever had a bad reaction to a medication? Or realized that it just wasn't helping at all? The way someone responds to a particular drug - how effective it is and whether they experience any side effects - can vary greatly between individuals, and it's becoming apparent that a personalized approach is needed when treating many conditions. This is especially true for several psychiatric conditions, where finding the right medication for someone has relied heavily on trial and error. In this episode, we talked to Dr. James Kennedy and Dr. Daniel Mueller, clinician scientists at CAMH and co-principal investigators of the IMPACT study, which aims to personalize the treatment of several psychiatric conditions. Catherine Virelli, a student in the Translational Research Program working with Dr. Kennedy, told us about the steps and challenges involved with bringing predictive tools produced by programs like IMPACT into clinical use. We also sat down with Dr. Christine Bear, senior scientist at Sick Kids and director of CFIT - the Program for Individualized Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Therapy. She told us about why an individualized approach is necessary for treating CF and how the CFIT program can be useful for discovering new personalized therapies for patients.

Written by: Thamiya Vasanthakumar

The IMPACT Study
Dr. Daniel Mueller's Pharmacogenetics Research Clinic
SickKids Foundation Cystic Fibrosis Page
MJ (A CF patient) visits Dr. Christine Bear's lab
CFIT
Register for our Live Podcast Event!

#58 Our Aging Population: The Silver Tsunami or Red Herring?

Aging is a biological process that acts on all of us, from the day we're born until the day we die. And for many people, it is a cause for concern. In fact, some scientists believe aging should be classified as a disease. Memory loss, aches and pains, wrinkles, loneliness - there are a lot of reasons for why one might fear getting old. On this episode of Raw Talk, we talk to memory expert Dr. Morris Moscovitch to unpack how and why our memory suffers as we age and discuss the ways in which memory loss can be delayed. Richie explains some of the molecular mechanisms surrounding aging. Finally, we spoke with Dr. Esme Fuller-Thomson, who shares why we may not need to be as worried about our aging population as we thought. She also voices her thoughts on creative considerations to improve healthcare for older adults as well as how to make our cities more age-friendly. Written by: Melissa Galati

Written by: Melissa Galati

#57 Autism: Unraveling the Spectrum

In the past, the term autism was used to describe the symptoms of schizophrenia and was (incorrectly!) thought to have been caused by apathetic "refrigerator mothers". Today, we use the term autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to describe developmental conditions that affect the communication and behaviour of individuals, with a wide range of symptoms and severities. Clearly, ASD is a complex condition and our understanding of it is constantly evolving. In this episode, you'll hear from two clinician-scientists at CAMH, Dr. Meng-Chuan Lai and Dr. Stephanie Ameis, who cover all the basics on ASD, and some newer research topics like sex and gender differences in autism. Dr. Stephen Scherer, a senior scientist at The Hospital for Sick Children, told us about his work on MSSNG, an exciting collaboration with Google and Autism Speaks, to uncover the genetic basis of ASD. You'll also hear from Connie Putterman, telling the story of her son's ASD diagnosis and how she came to be an advocate for autism research, as well as Rouya Botlani, who shares what she's learned through her work with students who have autism, at U of T Accessibility Services.

Written by: Thamiya Vasanthakumar

MSSNG
POND Network
Connie Putterman's The Parent Link
Connie Putterman's TedX Talk