October 22: An Evening with Professors Michael Heller & James Salzman

“Breath after breath, breath in, breath out, everything can be understood by understanding the ownership of a breath”

-Ecclesiastes 1:2*

 As Thanksgiving approaches, adopting a mindset of gratitude can be challenging in a world that is increasingly filled with strife, both locally and globally. A significant source of those conflicts can be traced to the concept of ownership. To help you understand the complexities of that topic, you are invited to spend an evening with the authors of arguably one of the best books written for the public on the subject: Mine! How The Hidden Rules of Ownership Control Our Lives.

We are privileged to have these two world-renowned teachers guide us on a journey that you have been on for your entire life.

Please join us. Bring a guest. Begin a discussion. After all, that is what the Doctors’ Lounge series is all about.

 * This dynamic translation of the original Hebrew  הֲבֵ֥ל הֲבָלִ֖ים הַכֹּ֥ל הָֽבֶל   is attributed to the Potzker Rebbe.

RESCEDULED TO TUESDAY AUGUST 20: An Evening with Dr. Eugene Lipov

Innovation in medicine often seems to either have a very long thinkubation period*or explode into clinical use almost overnight.

Other effective treatments seem to languish in silos of enthusiastic acceptance by select practitioners, despite positive outcomes for the patients receiving those treatments.

You are invited to spend an evening exploring one of those treatments.

Our guide will be Dr. Eugene Lipov, a pioneer in the use of stellate ganglion block (SGB) to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

His success in doing so has also made him an advocate for changing the language we use in creating labels for our patients’ conditions, as labels have the power to either help or hinder the healing process .He has suggested replacing the term Disorder with the word Injury, to create the treatable condition PTSI. By doing so, he invites the possibility of hope of recovery through a change in our use of language.

You are invited to join us for an exploration of the power of innovative off-label prescribing through the lens of almost two decades of Dr. Lipov’s experience refining a potentially life- altering procedure. As always, your insights are welcomed to enrich the learning experience.

*thinkubation period: the time between inspiration, perspiration and implementation

Wednesday May 22: An Evening with Dr. Adil Shamji

Victoria Day is a good time to start thinking about parks and gardens.

It is also a good time to the think about Queen’s Park, which is named in honour of Queen Victoria.

Given the complexities of the bureaucracies of government can one person make a difference?

You are invited to explore that possibility with our guest for the evening, Dr. Adil Shamji, the only physician sitting in the Ontario Legislature.

The concept of medicine as a calling, or anything being described as a calling can be seen as antiquated.

Yet, every one of of our patients calls us for help.

Sometimes, something bigger calls.

Please join us as Dr. Shamji explains his calling, and hear from your colleagues on their experiences with the power within each of us to move the world in a positive direction.

April 25: An Evening with Dr. Robert Pearl

Medicine is a culture of caring, and it is unlikely that we as physicians can ever be replaced by artificial intelligence or robotics.

If you believe either of those two premises, you are invited to challenge yourself by spending an evening in the Doctors’ Lounge with Dr. Robert Pearl, author of the book Uncaring: How the Culture of Medicine Kills Doctors & Patients, as well as the upcoming book ChatGPT, MD: How AI-empowered patients and doctors can take back control of American medicine.

In his latest book, Dr. Pearl argues that AI technologies will become as integral and essential to future physicians as the stethoscope was for centuries. The future may see AI serve as a colleague for healthcare professionals and as a source of expertise for patients, empowering both in ways previously unimaginable. Used by doctors and patients together, ChatGPT will be able to improve health, ease demand on physicians, and generate the time clinicians need to restore the doctor-patient relationship. Or, it may become the stuff of dystopian nightmares. You are invited to learn from a professor at the Stanford University Schools of Medicine and Business and share your own insights about the not-too-distant future.

Tuesday March 26: The Narrative Imperative: Our Annual Medical Storytelling Evening

In the 4 years since COVID changed the world, uncertainty has permeated our lives.

As a Professor of Emergency Medicine with a love for the humanities, Dr. Jay Baruch  long ago embraced that uncertainty into his professional life, and has channeled it into his award-winning writing, most recently in his latest book Tornado of Life.

Dr. Baruch is also an international advisory board member of University of Toronto’s Narrative-Based Medicine Lab.

You are invited to  spend an evening with him and your colleagues reflecting on the messiness of life, and the power of storytelling to bring some order to that chaos, during our annual Doctors’ Lounge  Festival of Medical Storytelling.

Please join us for an evening dedicated to sharing stories, poems, songs and artwork about our experiences as physicians within the health-care system, whether as  providers or recipients of medical care.

You, as a potential presenter, are asked to keep your contribution to less than 5 minutes. We welcome creative efforts in pieces of one minute or less. In the past, some of these shorter presentations have been quite moving. It is amazing what can be conveyed in a few words!

Even if you are not prepared to be a presenter, feedback from audience members will hopefully make this once again a fully interactive experience (even though it will be held on Zoom).

Dr. Rex Kay of Ars Medica: A Journal of Medicine, The Arts and Humanities will be on hand to give insightful feedback on the creative efforts presented.

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.