President Biden: "I'm signing a presidential memorandum making it clear that we will protect our world-class scientists from political interference and ensure they can think, research, and speak freely and directly to me, the vice president, and the American people."
If
@picardonhealth
has left twitter because of personal attacks, then it is a sad day for our profession and health care in general. Calling on all physicians to stand for civil discourse- it is even more important to support the right of those you may not agree with to a voice.
Following this chant, the
#antimask
#antivaxx
protestors began directly addressing the children in line:
“Don’t listen to your parents! They are aren’t keeping you safe!”
Which is a weird message, considering their previous stance was emphasizing parental consent.
No flag at half staff for the 215 children who died in residential schools that Canada operated
@CanadianPM
Lower the flags and stop fighting First Nations kids and IRS survivors in court.
I'm an MD and I'm
#ReadyToVaccinate
people against
#COVID19
. Just tell me when and where I'll be there. If you're a health professional and want to pitch in, tell us what you do and that you're ready and willing. Please RT TY.
About 25 years ago, our respirologist told me that he thought there would be an effective treatment for
#cysticfibrosis
in
@NickMcdonald95
's lifetime. I didn't believe him. So happy to have been wrong.
Health Canada has approved Trikafta! Doctors can now prescribe it for people 12yrs+ with at least one F508del mutation. Our fight continues. But today is a good day – we're one big step closer to access!
#CFcantwait
As a Canadian pediatric neurosurgeon, I've struggled with whether to say anything about the gun violence, much of it involving children, that seems to be a daily event for our friends to the south.Thanks to
@JayWellons5
, all I need to say now is read this:
BC Public Health Officer
@DrBonnieHenry
and the other rock stars of infectious diseases and public health at the
@CDCofBC
and across Canada are making me second guess my decision to be a neurosurgeon- they have done more good in a week than I will do in my career
@bonniehenryfans
In these days of anxiety, I wanted to find a way to continue to share some of the music that gives me comfort. The first of my
#SongsOfComfort
: Dvořák – "Going Home”
Stay safe.
Join us for the 2022 Brain Awareness Week Annual Neuroethics Distinguished Lecture on March 15, 4:00-5:30 PM PDT!
Dr. Patrick McDonald will present on the topic of equitable access to advances in brain health. For more information, kindly RSVP at .
For those who've put up with my rants regarding access to
#trifkafta
in Canada and Manitoba, thank you. It has been a long, frustrating road we've dreamed about a day like this for 25 years. I'll return to random musings on ethics and neurosurgery.
Such sad news. Todd was a talented neurosurgeon, researcher, teacher and leader but more important than any of that, a humble and kind man. I was lucky to call him a friend.
We are deeply saddened to share with you that Dr. Todd Mainprize, Division Head of Neurosurgery at Sunnybrook, died Tuesday. We would like to share our sincere condolences on behalf of the entire Sunnybrook team, to his family, friends, and colleagues.
Thanks to
@G17Esiason
for sharing your story with Canadians- inspirational to all patients with cystic fibrosis and their families. Hoping this therapy is available in Canada ASAP!
@CFCanada
:
Today is global
#RareDiseaseDay
- 1 in 12 Canadians have a rare disease. I help take care of some of them as a pediatric neurosurgeon but my son Nicholas is also one of them
#CFCantWait
My mom who lives in BC had a good observation. During the recent BC election she received calls offering to drive her to the polls but no ride for seniors to get the vaccine.
Wow- an honour just to be nominated. It's time to build a new Children's Hospital- the people who work there, from cleaning staff, to porters, to physios/OTs, to docs and nurses are amazing. The building is one of the oldest in Canada. Our patients deserve better.
A Manitoba family is advocating for the province to cover a potentially life-changing treatment option for people living with Cystic Fibrosis.
#cfcantwait
#trikaftatoday
#cfgetloud
Amazing- problem identified, mistake admitted, problem fixed (well, maybe a small part of a much larger problem). A model example of leadership. Just when I was ready to give up on social media...
The CEO of
@UHN
, Dr. Charlie Chan, has sent a memo to staff about the grate outside Toronto General Hospital’s Emergency Department, saying it was a mistake. That's leadership!
The Section of Neurosurgery at the University of Manitoba has just posted a position for a cerebrovascular neurosurgeon to join our group of 10 neurosurgeons
I'm ashamed for
#Manitoba
. It is beyond cruel to make Manitoban's with
#cysticfibrosis
watch the rest of Canada celebrate access to
#trikafta
while their health deteriorates. Saying "stay tuned" while my son's health deteriorates is not enough
@AudreyGordonMB
- cover trikafta now!
While
@AudreyGordonMB
and the
@MBGov
dangle coverage for a life-saving drug
#trikaftanow
just out of reach of CF patients, I had to carry my son’s laundry up to his 3rd floor apartment because he was coughing too much and too out of breath. What is MB waiting for?
@CFCanada
I will remember his technical mastery and attention to detail no matter how "simple" the case, but most of all, I will remember his kindness and compassion.
Canadian Neurosurgery lost a giant this past weekend. Master surgeon, teacher, mentor, husband, father and friend. His legacy lives on in his trainees across Canada and the world. Sincere condolences to Dr. Fred Gentili's family, friends and all whose lives he touched.
While working in Kenya, I took out a tuberculoma from the brain of a patient. Local surgeon said "bet you've never seen that before". Showed him my case log that night- had done a dozen TB related brain procedures in children- all from northern Manitoba or Nunavut.
The pCPA has announced they’ve reached a funding agreement for Trikafta. It’s critical that provinces list the drug on their public drug plans for all who can benefit, without delay, so Canadians can finally get access to the life-saving treatment they have waited too long for.
I was in medical school at
@uoftmedicine
when Lap-Chee Tsui was part of the team that discovered the CF gene. Although I sensed it was a big deal, I had no idea the impact CF, and the gene discovery would have on my life. No CF gene discovery, no
#Trikafta
so thanks!
Leading the way for lifesaving drug discoveries, John Bergeron argues the discovery of the CF gene and drugs to treat the rare disease should receive a Nobel Prize nomination
@ConversationCA
Everyone I have spoken to who has visited
@CMHR_News
on a trip to
#Winnipeg
has raved about the museum. It is a wonderful addition to the city, province and country.
Just got my first ten dollar bill with Winnipeg’s Canadian Museum for Human Rights on it. It’s beautiful. Rare to see a piece of modern architecture on a national currency.
My dad passed away my PGY-2 year while I was on a heavy neurosurgery rotation- I was away for four days, back for call on a Saturday. A very senior resident doing a neuropathology rotation saw me and said, "go home and be with your family- I'll do your call". Will never forget
I didn’t let on that my dad had been diagnosed with cancer 6 wks into my PGY-1 year, until I was mortified to start crying during end-of-day scan review. Hadn’t dreamed senior would say, immediately: “Go home, book a flight, we’ll sort out your call.” Thanks again,
@westernu_nsx
.
Imagine there was an effective treatment for
#COVID19
and your government refused to negotiate with the manufacturer. That is what our government has done with life saving treatments for Canadians with
#cysticfibrosis
. We deserve better than this
@PattyHajdu
@JustinTruedeau
For 50 years, Mark Tremblay, an adult living with
#cysticfibrosis
, and his family waited for a treatment like Trikafta. Today, Mark shares how CF has impacted his journey, and what Trikafta means to him.
today I published an article about the new Paw Patrol movie trailer meanwhile my dad published this article on the ethics of using advanced neurotechnologies to treat kids with drug-resistant epilepsy... same thing right?
An open letter from Cystic Fibrosis clinicians across Canada imploring elected officials to ensure immediate access to
#Trikafta
for Canadians with CF. Every lung transplant and death that could have been avoided is now on you
@PattyHajdu
@JustinTrudeau
Please read if you have a minute and share this with your provincial health minister. We are so close to having
#Trikafta
available to Canadians with
#cysticfibrosis
!
@AudreyGordonMB
#Vancouver
is the LEAST friendly running city of any I’ve lived in. A wave, nod, or good morning (from a safe distance) can go a long way during this period of isolation. Let’s raise the curve on kindness while we flatten the
#COVID19
curve.
The process of prescribing Kaftrio in Ireland has now officially commenced.
The logistical task of prescribing Kaftrio is significant as many of our members are potentially eligible for this new and innovative drug therapy.
Read the full update on
Trikafta: “Real-world data from more than 16,000 U.S. patients, unveiled at JPM, which show the drug cut the risk of lung transplant by 87%, led to 77% fewer pulmonary exacerbations and slashed the risk of death by 74%”
I’ll take it!
This might be my favourite chat ever with Dr.
@BogochIsaac
because:
🩺 He answers your Covid19 questions
🥒We both learn about Pickle Ball
❤️His wife makes a surprise cameo
😊Dr. blushes
Many times over the past year, I have contemplated leaving
@twitter
- following
@DrNadiaChaudhri
makes me glad I have not. Her courage and grace have been inspirational.
Now that I have 100K followers, I want to talk about
#OvarianCancer
. Specifically my gritty story. The goal is awareness. I hope you find this narrative informative.
My colleague and
@BCChildrensHosp
@BCCHresearch
's own Mandeep Tamber is lead author on this important study:
Temporal trends in surgical procedures for pediatric hydrocephalus: an analysis of the Hydrocephalus Clinical Research Network Core Data Project
In the last week I’ve heard from several people with cystic fibrosis who have told me they are either applying to graduate school, taking a job they’ve never imagined, and working through family planning.
That’s what meaningful biomedical progress looks like for a rare disease.
"In the 30 years I've been a CF doctor, I've never seen something like this [Trikafta]" Watch Liz Tullis, head of the Toronto Adult CF Clinic at University of Toronto, interviewed on
@CHCHTV
about the restrictive criteria of
@CADTH_ACMTS
's recommendation
A helmet has saved me a couple of times, once when I was doored, and the second getting caught in a street car track. I've operated on too many cyclists (adults and children) who likely wouldn't have needed an operation if they had been wearing helmets.
When our son was diagnosed with
#cysticfibrosis
we dreamed of the day a life saving treatment would be found but didn't think it would come. That day is here but Canadians with CF cannot access it. Time for
@justintrudeau
and
@pattyhadju
to step up.
The good news just keeps coming, Alberta and Saskatchewan have both announced they will start funding Trikafta for eligible patients!
AB press release here:
SK press release here:
This is a very different CF Awareness Month for our family-
#trikafta
has had a life changing impact on
@NickMcdonald95
and returned him to normal lung function and a more normal life. Continuing to fight for all to have access to this incredible breakthrough.
During the month of May, CF Awareness Month, let’s go
#FurtherTogether
! Take five minutes to help change the lives of thousands of Canadians children and adults by sending a letter to your elected official using our quick and easy to use letter template.
I do not consider myself and my family to be pawns
@DonDavies
- we are struggling to understand why our government is not working with us to bring life saving medications for
#cysticfibrosis
to Canadians who need them. If 20 other countries can do it, why can't ours?
#CFCantWait
Brazen blackmail using patients as pawns. PMPRB changes will reduce drug prices and increase transparency. THAT’S why Big Pharma doesn’t like them. It’s time the fed’l govt stands up and defends patients. If Big Pharma won’t act on their patents, we will.
The family of Ryan Saulnier has asked us to honour his memory by "getting loud" about lack of access to
#Trikafta
.
@JustinTrudeau
and
@PattyHajdu
bear some responsibility for for this death and every CF related death going forward by their inaction
I'm still not sure why the Medical Council of Canada even exists- we end up needing to pass specialty certification exams, either through
@Royal_College
or
@FamPhysCan
- may have played a role when you could get a license after internship but this hasn't been the case since 1993.
Why does the
@MedCouncilCan
seem to have an endless number of ridiculous rules? No menstrual products, no accommodations for people with disabilities, enforced silence *before* exams...It’s all so 1950s macho.
#ableism
#MedEd
Why aren't people with disabilities front of the line for the Covid-19 vaccine?
@KristaCarrNB
, Executive VP
@InclusionCA
, says people with disabilities represent 22% of the population, are more likely to get sick and die, but they are never a priority.
I remember operating on a case of brain TB in East Africa and the local neurosurgeon saying "Bet you've never seen that before". Alas, I had and continue to see it in Canada. We must do better! Thanks for the work you've done
@janephilpott
@picardonhealth
@kellygrant1
@jackhauen
@globeandmail
Our most recent clinical fellow was from Saudi Arabia. Among the most technically gifted, hard working and compassionate people I have ever worked with. Will bring his skills as a paediatric neurosurgeon to an under serviced part of Saudi.
Mixed feelings to see tweets like this-so happy for those with access to
#Trikafta
whose lives have been changed. Heartbreaking to watch Canadians with CF continue to suffer,deteriorate and die while our government does nothing
#CFCantWait
@JustinTrudeau
9 months ago I was learning to walk & function again then my CF took a drastic decline leaving me in a wheelchair & on continuous oxygen barely able to function. Now my body is capable of hiking/walking 12km. I owe it all to
#Kaftrio
#Trikafta
#mymiracle
#vertex
Congratulations! We are trying to do the same here in Canada
#lifeunlimited
#CFCantWait
.
@JustinTrudeau
has said "where you live should not determine whether you live" and yet, a patient with CF in the UK if now far more likely to live a full life span than one in Canada.