Raw Talk Podcast

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a debilitating and misunderstood disease that affects 20 million people globally. Raw Talk had the chance to attend a screening of the award-winning documentary, Unrest. Unrest explores the personal journey of Jennifer Brea from ME/CFS patient to advocate to storyteller. Join Grace and Melissa as they reflect on the compelling documentary and share the unique perspectives of the event moderator, Scott Simpson, co-founder of Millions Missing Canada; as well as panelists Dr. Wilfred de Vega, ME/CFS scientist; Larissa Fan and Kirsten Dahlin Nolan, ME/CFS patients and advocates; and Dr. Sarah Selke, physician specializing in ME/CFS. We explored everything from proposed causes of ME/CFS, to diagnostic criteria, to treatments and coping mechanisms. Press play to learn more about the millions that medicine left behind. A big thank-you to Laura Best and SciComm Toronto for bringing this topic to our attention. Written by: Melissa Galati Unrest (film) Ca

While cancer is still a scary word, roughly 75% of people diagnosed with cancer will survive long-term. But how are these patients supported in the long term, as they deal with late side effects from their treatments? Join Kat and Melissa as they sit down with Dr. Jennifer Jones, Director of the Cancer Rehabilitation & Survivorship Program and Senior Scientist at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, to discuss the importance of caring for patients throughout the entire disease process, how she developed an integrated clinical and research survivorship program, and the 3 focus areas of her research (i.e., descriptive, intervention development, knowledge translation). Eryn chats with Lloyd Davidson, a Hodgkin's lymphoma survivor, who chronicles his cancer journey and his experience with the survivorship program. Until next time, keep it raw! Written by: Eryn Tong

The focus in childhood cancer is often solely on treating the disease, but what about the costs - both health and financial - that patients and their families must bear? Join Melissa as she sits down with Dr. Sumit Gupta, Paediatric Oncologist in the Division of Haematology/Oncology at SickKids, Chair of the Unit for Policy and Economics Research in Childhood Cancer (PERCC), Associate Chair of the Lancet Oncology Commission on sustainable pediatric cancer care and a member of the Children's Oncology Group acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) committee, to talk about the long-term effects of childhood cancer and its treatment, and his work on building an investment case for childhood cancer treatment in low and middle-income countries. Dr. Vicky Forster, a cancer researcher and survivor of acute lymphoblastic leukemia, chats with Kat about her experience as a cancer survivor and the need to involve patients and families in cancer research. Kat also breaks down the cost, and cost effectiveness of running a childh

Living in a dense urban jungle is not without its risks, and cities in Canada are no exception. Toronto is regarded as the most polluted city in Canada, but what could this be attributed to? How do global events shape the quality of the air we breathe? In this episode, Kat sits down with Dr. Chung-Wai Chow, a lung transplant physician and leading researcher at UHN, to discuss the effects of environmental air pollution on respiratory health, techniques to assess pollution levels and Dr. Chow's journey as a clinician scientist.  We also hear from Marija and students across campus who delve deeper into perceptions on exposure, ways to increase awareness and how to minimize our ecological footprint. Until next time, keep it raw! Written by: By Marija Zivcevska

You've spent your entire life wiring your brain to make you ... you! So, if your brain changes, you change - right? On this episode, Melissa and Swapna chat with Dr. Carmela Tartaglia, a Clinician-Investigator at the Krembil Neuroscience Centre at Toronto Western Hospital, to shed light on a form of early onset dementia - frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). Dr. Tartaglia is also the Marion and Gerald Soloway Chair in Brain Injury and Concussion Research and she brings to light some common misconceptions about the diagnosis, prevalence, and treatment of concussion. In hopes of understanding how exercise can benefit those with neurodegenerative disease, James sits down with Dennis Hunkin, and learns how he has taken up boxing to fight back in his battle against Parkinson's. Finally, Anton explores a taboo, yet prevalent societal issue of intimate partner violence induced concussions, with leading expert Dr. Eve Valera from Harvard Medical School. Definitely one you won't want to miss! Until next time, kee

Repairing the damaged brain is the one of the holy grails of neuroscience. On this episode, Grace and Melissa sit down with Dr. Freda Miller, a Senior Scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children, who firmly believes that studying the developing brain can give us insights into how to rebuild it in circumstances of damage or degeneration. Dr. Miller is a Canada Research Chair in Developmental Neurobiology, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute International Research Scholar. She discusses her transition from biochemistry to neuroscience, gives advice to budding scientists, and explains why she engages in science communication. She also talks about how her research has finally led her to several clinical trials in children with brain injury. Our hosts also catch up with Dr. Donald Mabbott, Clinical Psychologist and Neuroscientist, to discuss how some of Dr. Miller's findings with a drug called metformin resulted in a pilot clinical trial for children with acquired brain i

What do comics and medicine have in common? A lot more than you may think! In this episode, Dr. Shelley Wall, Assistant Professor in the Biomedical Communications program, chats with Jabir about the power of the visual narrative, how graphic medicine contributes to the generation of knowledge, and traces her own journey from a PhD in romantic literature to becoming a biomedical communicator. Swapna and Kat visit the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library to sit down with Alexandra Carter, the librarian of the history of science and medicine, to trace the evolution of medical illustration. The gals also chat with Teva Harrison, award-winning writer and visual artist, about her graphic memoir chronicling her experience with being diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. Written by: Kat An and Swapna Mylabathula

If there's one aspect of your learning you could simulate, what would that be? In this episode, Jabir sits down with Dr. Ryan Brydges, Director of Research at the Allan Waters Family Simulation Centre, and health professions education scientist at the Wilson Centre, to explore how simulation can impact health policy and patient care. Dr. Brydges also talks about his journey into simulation research, the meaning behind health professions education, and what it takes to build a successful research program. Plus, Eryn meets the simulation team at the Alan Waters Family Simulation Centre to debunk common misconceptions, highlight recent case scenarios, and predict the future state of the field. They also surprise Eryn and Jabir with a simulation experience during their visit. Until next time, keep it raw! Written by: Jabir Mohamed and Eryn Tong

On this episode of Raw Talk, we focus on a topic that affects us so intimately: sleep. Join Jabir as he sits down with sleep physiologist and author, Dr. Richard Horner, to discuss why we and other living things sleep, how the brain changes during sleep, and what makes sleep different from anesthesia. The two also speak in great detail about Dr. Horner's book, The Universal Pastime: Sleep & Rest Explained, and his thoughts on a second project. Finally, Swapna and Anton draw our attention to the consequences of sleep deprivation and the impact of general anesthesia on patients and medical care, with the help U of T students and faculty. Special thanks to Dr. Beverly Orser, a clinician-scientist and long-time collaborator of Dr. Horner, for her valuable insights. Until next time, keep it raw! Written by: Jabir Mohamed

Although the relief of pain and suffering is inherent in all fields of medicine, there's one specialty in particular where this aspect of care is truly the focus. While you may be unfamiliar with the field of palliative care, which aims to improve quality of life and provide comfort to patients and loved ones, it has made great strides in the last few decades. In this episode, Eryn and Kat sit down with Dr. Camilla Zimmermann, Head of the Division of Palliative Care at the University Health Network. Dr. Zimmermann debunks some of the myths surrounding palliative care and discusses its past and current clinical and research landscape. She also shares her personal training journey and details the recent development of the new Royal College subspecialty training program in palliative medicine. Eryn also met with Dr. Mitali Vatsraj, one of the program's first residents, who shares the story of how she became inspired to work in this field. Until next time, keep it raw! Written by: Eryn Tong

What do sex and gender have to do with neuroscience? Join Jabir as he sits down with Dr. Gillian Einstein, neuroscientist in the Department of Psychology and the Wilfred and Joyce Posluns Chair of Women's Brain Health and Aging, to find out! Hear about her transition from studying art history to systems neuroscience, how the fields of sex/gender research and neuroscience intersect, the importance of a "situated" approach to neuroscience, and get a taste of the diverse research going on in Dr. Einstein's lab, from exploring sex differences in dementia to untangling the interactions between estrogen, cognition, and aging in women. Tune in to hear about the groundbreaking study that found the link between hormones, brain development, and behaviour, in our "Journal Club" segment. Until next time, keep it raw! Written by: Kat An

What structure holds the three smallest bones in the body? If you guessed the ears, you're right! Kicking off 2018, the first episode of this year is all about our auditory system, and its influence on brain development. In this episode, Jabir sits down with Dr. Karen Gordon, a scientist, audiologist, and Director of Research in Archie's Cochlear Implant Laboratory at Sick Kids Hospital. They discuss the different types and causes of hearing loss, the consequences of hearing loss on language and learning and how the brain adapts when hearing is restored. We also hear from Marija, who speaks with Noah, one of Dr. Gordon's patients. Noah shares his incredible story of what every day is like living with two cochlear implants and how devices have changed over the years. Until next time, keep it raw! Written by: Marija Zivcevska  

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, but what makes it so difficult to treat? What is tumor hypoxia and how can it influence biology to drive a poor prognosis? In this episode, Richie sits down with Dr. Brad Wouters, the Executive Vice President of Science and Research at UHN to discuss the vast advancement in the field and the need for collaborative integration between basic and clinical research in order to drive treatment and improve outcomes. In this episode we get to see an interesting perspective from both a researcher and a policy maker. Then we hear from Marija who delves deeper into what personalized medicine is, and how it fits into our current healthcare system. Until next time, keep it raw! Written by: Marija Zivcevska

Over the past decade, academics and media outlets alike have been telling us that stem cells are going to revolutionize regenerative medicine. But what does this really mean? What are stem cells, how do they work and why have they been generating so much public interest? On this episode, Richie sits down with Dr. Andras Nagy, world-renowned Senior Scientist at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital, to discuss his breakthroughs in stem cell research and the ethical challenges facing the field. We also hear from Anton and James, as they break down the history of stem cell research and where we stand today. They also speak on how stem cell hype can be harmful to patients. Written by: James Saravanamuttu and Anton Rogachov  

Throughout their many years of training, medical students will learn everything they need to know to provide adequate medical care. This curriculum includes specialized medical knowledge and skills, but also encompasses all the specific behaviours we consider to be "professional". On this episode, you'll hear from Dr. Shiphra Ginsburg, a clinician-educator at the Wilson Centre for Research in Education. Dr. Ginsburg is a staff respirologist at Mount Sinai Hospital, and Director of both the Eliot Phillipson Clinician-Educator Training Program as well as Education Research and Scholarship in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. On this episode we explore what Dr. Ginsburg refers to as a series of "happy accidents" that led her to study the understanding and assessment of professionalism in medical learners. She subsequently completed her PhD in medical education and discusses how this process led her to focus on the language used by clinical supervisors to assess medical learners in the work

By the time you are finished reading this, one person somewhere in world will take their own life - suicide is the second leading cause of death in young people, aged 15-29. This week, join Richie as he sits down with Dr. Sakina Rizvi, a neuroscientist in the Arthur Sommer Rotenberg (ASR) Suicide and Depression Studies Program at St. Michael's Hospital. In this episode, Dr. Rizvi outlines the complex relationship between suicide and depression, and how her team uses imaging to study brain biomarkers that put some individuals at higher clinical risk. Anton and Kat chat with Robb Johannes, who details his lived experiences with suicide, commitment to social activism, and how the two have shaped his perspective. Until next time, keep it raw! Written by: Anton Rogachov

Have you ever wondered what mathematical modelling can teach us about how and why HIV and sexually transmitted infections spread in various geographical areas? Or why it's important to engage the public when discussing research priorities? What about the serious implications of stigma and the language associated with it? In this episode of Raw Talk, Alex sits down with infectious disease clinician and scientist, Dr. Sharmistha Mishra to discuss the magic of mathematics, vulnerability and stigma, and what it really means to do community-centered research. We also hear from Steven Tingley, who talks openly with Jabir about living with HIV, managing his health, and trying to break the stigma. Until next time, keep it raw! Written by: Jabir Mohamed  

Many of us have experienced depression or have loved ones who have. Reaching out for help is never easy, and when frontline treatments don't work, the effect on quality of life can be devastating. On this week's episode, Kat sits down with MRI-Guided rTMS Clinic Co-Director Dr. Jonathan Downar from the Toronto Western Hospital. Dr. Downar shares his insights on rTMS as an intervention for treatment-resistant depression and other mental illnesses, and discusses recent transformative developments in rTMS procedures that could greatly increase accessibility to those who need it most. Kat and Grace poll the public about their knowledge of alternative treatments for depression and the challenges faced by those who suffer from it. Until next time, keep it raw! Written by: Grace Jacobs  

Hey Raw Talk listeners! The start of October also marks the start of Mental Illness Awareness Week, so we sat down with Dr. Robert Levitan, a clinician-scientist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. In this episode, Dr. Levitan talks about how his patients inspired him to pursue research on seasonal mood disorders, the role of both genetics and the social environment in causing mood disregulation, and what physicians and researchers can do to battle stigma around mental illness. Tune in to hear from Craig & Kat as they take to the streets of Toronto to find out what people think about the influence of technology on mental health. Written by: Kat An

Your favourite grad student science podcast is back for a second season! The crew welcomes its newest members, reflects on their journey in bringing the show to existence and the role social media has played in connecting with listeners. We also look ahead to what's in store for the upcoming season, including new topics, new segments and more stories from the biomedical research community at the University of Toronto. The episode concludes with previous guests sharing their feedback and words of wisdom. Until next time, keep it raw! Written by: Richie Jeremian