I was talking to a senior physician and policy analyst recently about how we really need to support the next gen of health policy experts who are also practitioners—people who can integrate the often disparate worlds of policy and practice in the way colleagues like @IrfanDhalla.

Learning about the structural determinants of health includes understanding how the health system is funded and how to advocate for changes to address what we see on the ground—including wait times, connection to primary care, access to specialist care and testing.

Similarly, understanding how our own biases may impact the care we provide to patients enhances our expertise as physicians and the quality of care we can provide.

Recognizing the interaction between social and physical environments and health does not devalue our medical expertise as physicians, it enhances it.

Woman Wearing Beaded Amautik.by Eva Talooki Aliktiluk.Image via

Closing health gaps for Indigenous peoples in Canada requires an understanding of their root causes i.e of the historic and ongoing impacts of colonization. With this lens, interventions to close the gaps can focus on self-determination and health transformation agreements.

RT @drandrewb: “In Finland, the number of unhoused people has fallen sharply. The reason: The country applies the Housing First concept. Th….

It takes only an hour of rounding on the General Internal Medicine wards to realize that for physicians to provide high-quality health care, we must understand the structural/social determinants of health in addition to knowing the latest expert guidelines for our areas of.

Untitled .Shuvinai Ashoona .Image via

Untitled (Parts of Bird) .by Carl Beam.Image via

RT @BoggildLab: Honoured to be co-leading the @uoft_oao Mentor to Mentor (M2M) program for PIs again this year along with #IkeOkafor & Matt….

RT @OnyeActiveMD: @thebpao @DrLisaRobinson Please we must Take notice! We must Celebrate! This is a historical moment in Canada! .Congratul….

RT @SaleemRazack: This speaks to and pleads for more qualitative and integrative forms of assessment. Of course, these are also fraught wit….

RT @thorsley_handle: Funding! Conducting #Meded research that advances specialty medical education? Apply by March 21st, 2024. Guideline….

RT @uoftmedicine: We're thrilled to announce that @DrLisaRobinson has been appointed as the dean of #TemertyMed! . Prof. Robinson will assu….

I am excited to finally share our virtual hub for Ganawishkadawe —The Centre for Wise Practices in Indigenous Health—which we launched on Winter Solstice. Lots of resources & readings here about Indigenous health. Hope it is helpful! @WCHospital .

My last post here was October 9th—my sister’s birthday. Hard to believe it has been over six months since she died. I continuously imagine what her reflections on the events around the globe and at home would be. And to savour the love, wisdom and laughter with which she moved.

RT @uoftmedicine: As we bear witness to the terrifying and devastating events unfolding in Israel, we stand firmly with the international c….