LEAP DAY: An Evening with Dr. Adam Kassam

 At the core of the evolution of our profession lies the process of innovation.

Sometimes innovation takes hold too early, sometimes it comes too late.

What has your experience been with the pace of innovation in medicine?

How does the process of innovation work, from brain cells to bedside?

You are invited to spend the evening with former OMA President Dr. Adam Kassam, as he shares with us his insights on medical innovation from the perspective of his journey as Executive Director, Office of Health Innovation & Strategy at Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Medicine.

24/1/24 Let's Talk: An Evening With CAMH Physician Leaders

 Mental illness is one of the most pressing health care issue of our time. People with mental health care deserve a seamlessly connected mental healthcare system.

Imagine a truly connected mental health and addictions healthcare system where people with mental/physical health conditions receive compassionate, effective, and high-quality care and treatment, no matter their point of entry into the health care system.

 Please join us for a conversation with our guests from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health about CAMH’s next strategic plan and strengthening the connections between all physicians and CAMH teams.

Confirmed guest at this time are:

Dr. Sanjeev Sockalingam, Chief Medical Officer and Vice President CAMH Education,

Dr. Daniel Blumberger, Co-Chief of the General Adult Psychiatry and Health Systems Division,

Dr. Leslie Buckley, Chief of the Addictions Division,

Dr. Louise Gallagher, Chief of the Child, Youth and Family Mental Health Division.

Please join us for an open and thoughtful discussion as we begin the 20^th year of the Doctors’ Lounge series doing what we have been doing for the past two decades: imagining a healthier future.

December 12: an Evening with Dr. Jennifer Stellar

 How do we transcend our own self-focus to care about other people, groups, and society as a whole?

Please join us as we explore this question with Dr. Jennifer Stelllar, Director/Principal Investigator of HEAL (Health, Emotions & Altruism Laboratory) at the University of Toronto.

December, with its holiday atmosphere and culture of gift giving, is a wonderful time to consider giving yourself the gift of self-transcendence.

Please join us in the collegial atmosphere of the Doctors’ Lounge as we end 2023 on a positive note with an expert in the positive emotions.

November 13: Annual Remembrance Day Program with Dr. Janet Ellis

In these troubling times, where the conflicts reported daily in the news are becoming harder to bear, you are invited to spend an evening exploring how people heal from emotional trauma.

 

In honour of the Remembrance Day weekend, we will begin the evening by exploring innovative programs designed to help those who have worked to protect our freedoms through their military service. We will also focus on what we have learned in helping veterans return to civilian life.

 

In the latter half of the evening, we will open up for an “ask me anything” session on the subject of trauma and recognizing and treating PTSD in our patients, ourselves and veterans.

 

Our guide for the evening is Dr. Janet Ellis.

Dr. Ellis is Professor in Veteran Mental Health at the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine.

She brings to this role her expertise as a psychiatrist with experience in trauma and oncology.

Please join us.

 

October 16: An exploration of menopause - An Evening with Dr. Michelle Jacobson

 How comfortable are you diagnosing and managing perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms?

You are invited to spend an evening increasing your comfort level by virtually participating in our upcoming October  Doctors’ Lounge event.

Our guide for the evening  will be Dr. Michelle Jacobson. Dr. Jacobson is an OBGYN with expertise in managing menopause. She is a member of the medical advisory board of the Menopause Foundation of Canada.

Should we be “celebrating menopause” or seeing it as a disability requiring accommodation?

You are invited to explore the topic of menopause in the collegial environment of the Doctors’ Lounge, a place to share your experiences and clinical expertise with colleagues.

Women may experience over half of their lifetime in the perimenopausal/menopausal state.

Wouldn’t it be wise to spend two hours of your time trying to better understand it?

Please join us as we mark World Menopause Awareness Month.

September 18 An exploration of academic freedom

 September marks the traditional start to the school year.

Whether it is elementary school or medical school, places of learning should be dedicated to developing healthy minds capable of adapting to a rapidly changing world and new truths as they emerge.

The search for new truths can often collide with the powers of those in authority, motivating truth seekers to pursue justice on behalf of emerging concepts.

Sometimes progress is made. Sometimes chaos ensues.

In recent years in the world of academia, priorities seem to be shifting from the traditional pursuit of truth as the highest value to the pursuit of justice as the exclusive top priority.

This deeply troubles our guest speaker, especially after recently becoming personally entangled in the conflict.

You are invited to spend an evening with Dr. Laurence Klotz, a thought leader who, by questioning authority, became an authority, changing the way we all practise medicine by pioneering the idea of active surveillance of prostate cancer.   He received the Order of Canada for his work in prostate cancer.

Dr. Klotz is presently concerned about the threats to the academic freedom required to germinate new ideas necessary to advance our profession.

It is for that reason why he is encouraging faculty members of academic institutions to join the University of Toronto Heterodox Academy community, and for non-academics to support the cause by understanding what is happening at our institutions of higher learning.

Please join us as he guides us in an exploration of what it means to embrace the ideals of viewpoint diversity, open inquiry and constructive disagreement from a medical perspective.

JUNE 12: The Toronto Mayoral Election

With all the hype surrounding the race to become mayor of Toronto, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that the mayor has just one of 26 votes at City Council. Does it really matter who the mayor is with regards to local health care issues? Do the goings on at City Hall make any difference to our health and the health of our patients?

You are invited to spend an evening with Chris Moise, one of Toronto’s City Councilors and Chair of the Board of Health, to explore these questions.

Learn about some of Toronto’s health issues here .

This election is an opportunity to think about and raise questions about health from the local perspective, from climate change to road safety, from housing issues to sheltering the unhoused, from food insecurity to healthy eating options for all, from the opioid crisis to, well, the list goes on and on once you start thinking about it.

How does city government work? How can we as physicians work with our elected officials to improve the health of our fellow citizens beyond the mayoral election?

Please join us to examine the possibilities.