In Our VoICES

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In Our VoICES is an ICES podcast that takes you beyond the data to meet the people – and hear the stories – that help shape health and healthcare, for all of us.

2025-12-17

Leading with Data, Guided by Purpose: Reflections from Dr. Michael Schull

How do you guide a research and data analytics institute through massive growth, a pandemic, and the rise of AI? In this episode, Michael Schull shares insights from 12 years as CEO of ICES, celebrating its achievements and outlining the opportunities he sees for ICES to advance health care and health research in Ontario. Michael Schull, MSc, MD, FRCPC, is a nationally recognized leader with a track record of driving digital transformation, building national and international research and data partnerships, and organizational growth and sustainability. Prior to joining the Digital Research Alliance of Canada, he served for 12 years as CEO and Senior Scientist at ICES, Canada’s leading health services research and data analytics institute. He is a founding member of Health Data Research Network Canada (HDRN), a pan-Canadian network of health data and research centres seeking to facilitate and enable pan-Canadian research, and past co-director of the International Population Data Linkage network. During his tenure at ICES, Michael led major initiatives related to expanding researcher access to new data types, creating a virtual data platform for linked datasets and launching a health AI data and analysis platform. He also engaged the public and communities in the work of ICES to ensure alignment with public values and strengthened relationships with Indigenous partners. Michael is a Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto and a Senior Scientist at the Sunnybrook Research Institute. His research areas include health service utilization, quality of care, health system integration and patient outcomes, and evaluation of health policy. His work has focused on strengthening Ontario and Canada’s health research infrastructure for the analysis of large, routinely collected data sets, and creation of new data access models for research and health system evaluation. Fluent in both English and French, Michael was born in Montreal and raised in Québec before relocating to Ontario, where he earned a BA and M.D. from Queen’s University. He later completed an MSc in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from McGill University and a Harkness Fellowship with the Commonwealth Fund in the US. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada. He is currently based in Toronto. More information about ICES and DRAC ICES | About Us | Community of Research, Data & Clinical Experts ICES | Applied Health Research Questions | AHRQ ICES | Public and Community Engagement at ICES ICES | Partnerships & Collaborations | Indigenous Partnerships, Data and Analytics Digital Research Alliance of Canada EPISODE CREDITS: Produced, edited and mixed by Will Mcintyre, Richard Villeneuve and Pop Up PodcastingArtwork designed by Stella-Luna HaMusic licensed through Melodie Music LINKS: Be sure to follow and tag ICES on Bluesky, X, Instagram and LinkedIn. To find out more about our organization, visit us at ices.on.ca

39 min
2025-12-10

Putting Housing First with Dr. Stephen Hwang, George Da Silva, and Kefa Omori Mogoncho

What does the Housing First program reveal about ending homelessness in Canada— and what challenges remain? In this episode, we explore how the Housing First program fits into the bigger picture, why long-term stability goes beyond shelter, and what comprehensive supports are needed to address the root causes of homelessness. Dr. Stephen Hwang is Director of St. Michael’s Hospital’s MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Canada’s largest research centre focused on health equity and the social determinants of health. He is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto and has worked as a physician serving patients experiencing homelessness for more than 3 decades. Dr. Hwang is a Senior Adjunct Scientist at ICES and a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Homelessness, Housing and Health, leading a research team that develops and evaluates interventions to end chronic homelessness and improve the health of homeless individuals. George Da Silva is a 61-year-old gay male who has been living with HIV for over 25 years. His 18-year relationship culminated in marriage but ended in divorce after suffering years of intimate partner violence. For over 30 years George worked as a director for a major insurance company but felt unable to disclose his HIV status or seek help for his marital issues. Stress and fear cost him dearly but he has since reached out for support and care that changed his life for the better. George draws strength from his community and is empowered by being open and upfront about his HIV status. He is a peer research associate on multiple studies, an advocate, a volunteer and supports others living with HIV by sharing his life experiences. Kefa Omori Mogoncho is a multidisciplinary professional whose work spans finance, community development, and public health research. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from KCA University (Kenya) and a Diploma in Community Developmental Service Work from Oxford College (Canada), combining financial acumen with a deep commitment to social impact, addressing poverty and community empowerment. Kefa is a dedicated peer researcher who leverages his knowledge and lived experience to inform research, advocacy, and program design aimed at addressing homelessness. His primary interests focus on homelessness prevention, immigrant homelessness, and mental health. He has contributed as a peer researcher to different initiatives focused on housing, health equity, and the social determinants of health. Currently, he is sharing his lived experiences towards the design of a Recuperative Health Space project for unhoused patients discharged from the hospital, as well as providing his feedback on research and evaluation projects especially from the Homelessness, Housing and Health team at MAP. Beyond research and advocacy, Kefa is an active member of Toronto Street Soccer, an initiative that fosters inclusion and community among individuals experiencing social and economic exclusion, including those who are unhoused and newcomers. Driven by a strong sense of justice, Kefa identifies as a passionate human rights advocate, committed to promoting social equity, financial inclusion and amplifying the voices of marginalized populations, particularly people experiencing homelessness. ICES Research you heard about ICES | Housing and support intervention and mortality among homeless adults with mental illnesses: a secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial ICES | The long-term effects of a Housing First intervention on primary care and non-primary care physician visits among homeless adults with mental illness: a 7-year RCT follow-up ICES | Effect of a housing intervention on major cardiovascular events among homeless adults with mental illness EPISODE CREDITS: Produced, edited and mixed by Will Mcintyre, Richard Villeneuve and Pop Up PodcastingArtwork designed by Stella-Luna HaMusic licensed through Melodie Music LINKS: Be sure to follow and tag ICES on Bluesky, X, Instagram and LinkedIn. To find out more about our organization, visit us at ices.on.ca

44 min
2025-11-26

A Decade of Partnership: First Nations Data Governance in Ontario with Dr. Jennifer Walker and Carmen Jones

How has First Nations data governance in Ontario transformed over the past decade? In this episode, Jennifer Walker and Carmen Jones discuss how the ICES and Chiefs of Ontario partnership has evolved—reflecting on its origins, its current impact, and the goals shaping its future. Edit at 9:55: There were 137 boil water advisories at one time across Canada, not across Ontario. Dr. Jennifer Walker is a member of Six Nations of the Grand River with a Ph.D. in Community Health Sciences (Epidemiology) from the University of Calgary. She holds a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Health Data and Aging at McMaster University and is a Professor in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact. Dr. Walker has demonstrated significant national and international leadership in aging and dementia research as well as Indigenous data sovereignty and governance. She is co-Lead for the Indigenous Cognitive Health Program within the Canadian Consortium for Neurodegeneration in Aging, a national CIHR-funded dementia research network. Her research program has contributed to significant advancements in culturally safe approaches for dementia prevention and diagnosis, including the validation and implementation of the Canadian Indigenous Cognitive Assessment tool, and a new transformative project on decolonizing wholistic brain health assessment. Carmen Jones is a member of the Serpent River First Nation and was raised on the Garden River Reserve where her parents live. She has been with the Chiefs of Ontario for 10 years. Previous to becoming the Director of Research and Data Management she held the position as Health Director and Research for the Chiefs of Ontario. She oversees the new Research and Data Management Sector and is overseeing the development of the First Nation Information Governance Centre for Ontario supported by the Chiefs in Assembly. Here portfolio includes implementing the First Nation Data Governance Agreement with ICES and oversees work in research and data. Carmen is a Board Member of First Nations Information Governance Centre, and she has a ministerial appointment to the Ontario Health Data Council. Early in her career she spent many years working with First Nation communities in the remote north and with Indigenous organizations. She also worked with the Ontario government for about 14 years in various positions in community development, strategic planning, policy development and constitutional matters. Carmen is co-investigator on various research projects such as: Unlocking Health Information for Older First Nations Populations, First Nation Opioid Surveillance, the First Nations Chronic Disease Surveillance study and the Intergenerational impacts of diabetes among First Nations mothers and their children. OCAP Principles Training The First Nations Principles of OCAP® - The First Nations Information Governance Centre Learn more about the COO and the ICES/COO partnership Research and Data Management - Chiefs of Ontario ICES | Partnerships & Collaborations | Indigenous Partnerships, Data and Analytics ICES | Applied Health Research Questions | AHRQ EPISODE CREDITS: Produced, edited and mixed by Will Mcintyre, Richard Villeneuve and Pop Up PodcastingArtwork designed by Stella-Luna HaMusic licensed through Melodie Music LINKS: Be sure to follow and tag ICES on Bluesky, X, Instagram and LinkedIn. To find out more about our organization, visit us at ices.on.ca

36 min
2025-11-12

Abortion Access in Canada with Dr. Liz Darling, Dr. Laura Schummers, and TK Pritchard.

What does the story of mifepristone reveal about healthcare equity in Canada? This episode explores how one medication reshaped care, the barriers that persist, and what it reveals about equity in reproductive health. Dr. Liz Darling is a professor and the assistant dean, midwifery at McMaster University, an adjunct scientist at ICES, and a registered midwife with graduate training in epidemiology and population health. Her research expertise includes midwifery services, novel care models, health equity, access to care, mixed methods, and administrative health data, and she has particular expertise in the midwifery data collected in Ontario’s perinatal registry (BORN-Ontario). Her CIHR-funded research program focuses on how the expansion of midwifery in Canada can help improve equitable access to sexual and reproductive healthcare for equity-deserving groups. Dr. Laura Schummers is an epidemiologist and health policy researcher and Assistant Professor in the Collaboration for Outcomes Research and Evaluation in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She completed her doctorate in Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in 2018 and a postdoctoral fellowship with the British Columbia Ministry of Health and UBC’s Contraception and Abortion Research Team from 2018-2021. Dr. Schummers’s program of research uses population-based health administrative data and draws heavily on causal inference methods to evaluate impacts of health policy and practice changes on service use, access, and health outcomes. TK Pritchard (they/them) is the Executive Director of Abortion Care Canada. TK was previously the Executive Director of a regional Planned Parenthood and has held several leadership roles in related sectors. In other notable work, TK has authored educational curricula, including sexual health and anti-human trafficking programs, and served as a consultant related to trans and disability inclusion. TK is queer/trans/non-binary, physically disabled, neurodivergent, a survivor of sexual violence, a parent and active community member, and brings this lens to all of their work. Research you heard about ICES | Trends in abortion rates in Ontario, Canada ICES | Changes in local access to mifepristone dispensed by community pharmacies for medication abortion in Ontario: a population-based repeated cross-sectional study ICES | Abortion safety and use with normally prescribed mifepristone in Canada Mifepristone Access Through Community Pharmacies When Regulated as a Routine Prescription Medication | Health Policy | JAMA Network Open | JAMA Network Learn more about Abortion Care Canada Home - Abortion Care Canada EPISODE CREDITS: Produced, edited and mixed by Will Mcintyre, Richard Villeneuve and Pop Up PodcastingArtwork designed by Stella-Luna HaMusic licensed through Melodie Music LINKS: Be sure to follow and tag ICES on Bluesky, X, Instagram and LinkedIn. To find out more about our organization, visit us at ices.on.ca

46 min
2025-10-22

Transforming Gender Affirming Care with Dr. June Lam and Dr. Tori Anderson

What does affirming, respectful, and safe health care look like for transgender and gender diverse individuals- and why does it matter now more than ever? In this episode, we discuss the importance of gender-affirming care and how we can make health care safer and more inclusive for transgender and gender diverse individuals. Dr. June Lam, MD, PhD, FRCPC is an Associate Scientist with the Institute for Mental Health Policy Research at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. He is also a psychiatrist working in the CAMH emergency department and the Gender Identity Clinic. He completed a Bachelor of Science Honours Pharmacology program at UBC, his medical training at McGill University, and his psychiatry residency at the University of Toronto. He also completed a transitional age youth and transgender health research and clinical fellowship, as well as a PhD program in Clinical Epidemiology and Health Care Research (at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation or IHPME) at the University of Toronto. Dr. Lam's academic and clinical focus is on care for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, particularly using health services research to examine and improve access to mental healthcare for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people. He has developed expertise in mixed methods research, uniquely integrating health administrative data and qualitative research to leverage the strengths of participant lived experience and population-level data. Dr. Victoria “Tori” Anderson (she/her) is a resident physician, educator, and advocate passionate about creating inclusive, affirming mental health care for gender diverse youth and their caregivers. She is a senior resident in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry subspecialty program at the University of Toronto. She completed her general psychiatry training at the University of Toronto, where she was recognized with a departmental award for her achievements in scholarship in the areas of sexual and gender diversity in mental health care. ICES research you heard about ICES | From crisis to silence: systemic failures in mental healthcare for transgender and gender diverse people in Ontario ICES | Characteristics of transgender individuals with emergency department visits and hospitalizations for mental health ICES | Exploring mediators of mental health service use among transgender individuals in Ontario, Canada ICES | Physician follow-up among transgender and gender diverse individuals after psychiatric emergency department visits and hospitalizations: a retrospective population-based cohort study EPISODE CREDITS: Produced, edited and mixed by Will Mcintyre, Richard Villeneuve and Pop Up PodcastingArtwork designed by Stella-Luna HaMusic licensed through Melodie Music LINKS: Be sure to follow and tag ICES on Bluesky, X, Instagram and LinkedIn. To find out more about our organization, visit us at ices.on.ca

54 min
2025-10-08

AI, Big Data, and the Future of Healthcare with Dr. Amol Verma and Nicole Yada

How is GEMINI using AI to turn routine hospital records into tools for national healthcare reform? In this episode we discuss how AI and health data can be harnessed to improve healthcare and how we ensure these tools are used responsibly. Amol Verma is a physician and scientist in General Internal Medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital and the Temerty Professor of AI Research and Education in Medicine at the University of Toronto. He is a health services researcher, studying and improving hospital care using electronic clinical data. Dr. Verma co-founded and co-leads GEMINI, Canada’s largest hospital clinical data research network, which is collecting data from >35 hospitals in Ontario. He also co-founded and co-leads VITAL, a multi-provincial clinical data platform. Dr. Verma completed medical training at the University of Toronto, a Masters degree at the University of Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, and research fellowships through the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the Canadian Frailty Network, and AMS Healthcare. He served on the Council of Canadian Academies Expert Panel on Health Data Sharing, is a Provincial Clinical Lead for Quality Improvement in General Internal Medicine with Ontario Health, and is the Chair of the Researcher Council and a Board Member of the Digital Research Alliance of Canada and AMS Healthcare. He received the 2022 Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Early Career Leadership Award, the 2022 Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s early career Trailblazer Award in Population and Public Health Research, and the 2023 Canadian Society of Internal Medicine’s New Investigator Award. Nicole Yada is the Director of the VITAL Platform at GEMINI. Prior to joining the GEMINI team, Nicole was the inaugural Program Director for the Accelerating Clinical Trials Consortium and oversaw business development for ICES. She holds a master's degree in health informatics from McMaster University and is completing her PhD in Health Services Research at the University of Toronto. Ms. Yada trained as a graphic designer in Tokyo, Japan and has a background in marketing and research journalism. Research you heard about Characterizing medical patients with delirium: A cohort study comparing ICD-10 codes and a validated chart review method - PubMed Learn more about GEMINI ICES | New data partnership to expand insights on hospital care in Ontario https://geminimedicine.ca/ EPISODE CREDITS: Produced, edited and mixed by Will Mcintyre, Richard Villeneuve and Pop Up PodcastingArtwork designed by Stella-Luna HaMusic licensed through Melodie Music LINKS: Be sure to follow and tag ICES on Bluesky, X, Instagram and LinkedIn. To find out more about our organization, visit us at ices.on.ca

40 min
2025-09-24

Aging in Place with Dr. Derek Manis and Dilys Haughton

Does assisted living adequately balance older adults’ need for independence and regulated medical care? In this episode we shed light on assisted living—its benefits, shortfalls, and why so many Canadians prefer to age in place. Dr. Derek Manis is an interdisciplinary health services and policy researcher and epidemiologist who has expertise in population-level analytics, observational and quasi-experimental study designs, causal inference, and mixed methods. He primarily uses health system administrative data that are linked at the level of the individual to examine health care quality, models of care, and health outcomes among older adults with an emphasis on older adults in residential care facilities (e.g., nursing homes, assisted living facilities, etc.) Dilys Haughton is an advocate for patient centered care and has experience caring for a family member in assisted living. She is a retired Primary Care Nurse Practitioner and healthcare executive who has practiced clinically in primary care practices, long-term care homes, and hospital settings. With a lifelong passion for care of the elderly, she was instrumental in demonstrating the effectiveness of the Nurse Practitioner role in the first wave of Primary Care Team models in Paris, Ontario (late 90's) and implementing a model of care for the elderly in a network of long-term care homes in Hamilton, Ontario. As a health executive, Dilys has led system collaboration and improvement initiatives, and championed research in long-term care and home care. ICES research you heard about ICES | Do assisted living facilities that offer a dementia care program differ from those that do not? A population-level cross-sectional study in Ontario, Canada ICES | Association between dementia care programs in assisted living facilities and transitions to nursing homes in Ontario, Canada: a population-based cohort study ICES | Transitions to nursing homes among residents of assisted living and community-dwelling home care recipients ICES | Clinical comorbidities and transitions between care settings among residents of assisted living facilities: a repeated cross-sectional study ICES | Clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of new residents of assisted living: a nested case-control study ICES | Addressing long-term care's "dark matter" ICES | Rates of hospital-based care among older adults in the community and residential care facilities: a repeated cross-sectional study Meeting the needs of older adults in residential care settings EPISODE CREDITS: Produced, edited and mixed by Will Mcintyre, Richard Villeneuve and Pop Up PodcastingArtwork designed by Stella-Luna HaMusic licensed through Melodie Music LINKS: Be sure to follow and tag ICES on Bluesky, X, Instagram and LinkedIn. To find out more about our organization, visit us at ices.on.ca

33 min
2025-09-10

Opening the Front Door of the Healthcare System: Primary Care with Dr. Tara Kiran and Sandra Epp

Does the answer to improving the primary care system lie in the ideas of patients and the public? In this episode we discuss Canada’s primary care crisis and how the OurCare project is involving the public in reimagining primary care. A family doctor and renowned primary care researcher, Tara Kiran investigates how changes in the health care system impact patients, particularly the most vulnerable. In her research and practice, she develops and tests solutions to make health care more inclusive and more effective. Much of Tara’s research has evaluated how primary care reforms have impacted quality of care. She also leads research to directly improve quality of care including initiatives to measure and reduce care disparities, engage patients in health service improvement, and support physicians to learn from data. In 2022, Tara launched OurCare—a national initiative that engaged nearly 10,000 people across Canada over 16 months to co-create a blueprint for a stronger and more equitable primary care system. She is also the creator and host of Primary Focus, a new podcast that shares stories and innovations from Canada and around the world to inspire a stronger primary care system. Tara holds the Fidani Chair of Improvement and Innovation at the University of Toronto. She practices family medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital, Unity Health Toronto where she is also a Scientist at the MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions. She is the Vice Chair for Quality and Innovation in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto, a Senior Adjunct Scientist at ICES and an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Medicine and the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto. You can learn more about her research at https://maphealth.ca/kiran/ Sandy Epp is a Patient Engagement Advisor in Manitoba and Project Analyst (Quality Assurance) in the healthcare space. Sandy is also a mother of two young adults and the daughter of two aging parents. Over the past 5 years she has been tasked with helping her loved ones find care for a host of serious issues relating to mental and physical health, and found the struggle to get them timely and adequate care nearly overwhelming. Sandy decided to become a Patient Advisor to provide her loved ones with a voice in the care they received, in the hopes that changes could be made to our healthcare system for all Manitobans. The first phase of OurCare launched in the Fall of 2022 with a survey of 9000 people. The second phase included priority panels with ~35 members of the public in five provinces. They gathered to learn about primary care and deliberated with each other about shared values that should underlie the system, important issues, and recommendations. Participants wrote their own reports and presented these to key stakeholders. The third phase included 10 community round tables, two in each of five provinces, in partnership with community organizations who had established relationships with members of marginalized communities—for example, members of Indigenous communities, Black communities, newcomer groups, the LGBTQ+ community, and people with disabilities. To find out more, visit: https://www.ourcare.ca/ ICES research you heard about: https://www.ices.on.ca/publications/journal-articles/family-physicians-in-focused-practice-in-ontario-canada/ EPISODE CREDITS: Produced, edited and mixed by Will Mcintyre, Richard Villeneuve and Pop Up PodcastingArtwork designed by Stella-Luna HaMusic licensed through Melodie Music LINKS: Be sure to follow and tag ICES on Bluesky, X, Instagram and LinkedIn. To find out more about our organization, visit us at ices.on.ca

35 min

4.6

out of 5

5 Ratings

In Our VoICES is an ICES podcast that takes you beyond the data to meet the people – and hear the stories – that help shape health and healthcare, for all of us.

Creator

ICES
Years Active

2024 - 2025
Episodes

16
Rating

Clean
Show Website

In Our VoICES