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.

2D AGO

Beyond Genetics: Understanding Hereditary Cancer with Dr. Raymond Kim, Tamara Braid, and Katie Lark

How can linked genetic and health data transform cancer research? In this episode, we explore how the Ontario Hereditary Cancer Research Network (OHCRN) works with patients and researchers to improve prevention and care, and how linking with ICES data supports a better understanding of hereditary cancers across Ontario. Dr. Raymond Kim is a Medical Geneticist and hereditary cancer syndrome researcher. He is the Medical Director of Cancer Early Detection at the Princess Margaret, University Health Network, and a staff physician at Mount Sinai Hospital and the Hospital for Sick Children. Dr. Kim’s research employs technologies like cell free DNA (cfDNA) and whole genome sequencing (WGS), with the overarching goal of advancing oncology diagnostics and therapeutics towards precision care, often through application of these genomics technologies. He serves as the Head of the Provincial Genetics Program at Ontario Health and leads the Ontario Hereditary Cancer Research Network (OHCRN) at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR). Tamara Braid, MS, CGC, is a board-certified genetic counsellor and Clinical Program Manager of the Ontario Hereditary Cancer Research Network (OHCRN) at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR). She earned her Master of Science in Human Genetics from Sarah Lawrence College in 2017. Prior to joining OICR, Braid worked as a cancer genetic counsellor at NYU Langone Health in New York, and as a laboratory coordinator and paediatric genetic counsellor at the Hospital for Sick Children. Braid is an active member of the Canadian Association of Genetic Counsellors (CAGC), and serves as member and previous co-chair of the Education Committee. Katie Lark is a BRCA1 carrier and an impassioned cancer-awareness advocate dedicated to bridging the gap between clinical research and the patient experience. Since 2021, she has served as a Patient Partner in Research for the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) and OHCRN, where she contributes to research steering committees and collaborates with scientists to ensure study designs remain relevant to the community. Resources: OHCRN Misty’s movie reference: Innerspace (1987) - IMDb 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 Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. To find out more about our organization, visit us at ices.on.ca

40 min
MAR 26

More Than a Prescription: Building Community for Better Care with Dr. Kate Mulligan and Liv Mendelsohn

How is social prescribing reshaping modern healthcare—and what could it mean for patients and caregivers? In this episode Dr. Kate Mulligan and Liv Mendelsohn discuss what social prescribing is, its impact on health care, and the need for investment and policy change to embed the practice in care systems. Dr. Kate Mulligan is an award-winning health geographer, implementation scientist, and policy advisor who helps to grow systems that strengthen community and neighbourhood leadership for health, equity, and resilience around the world. She is Canada's 2025-2026 Commonwealth Fund Harkness Fellow in Healthcare Policy and Practice with Stanford University and the City University of New York. Kate is also the founding Scientific Director of the Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing, an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto, and a member of the ICES Scientific Advisory Committee. Liv Mendelsohn, MA, MEd, is Executive Director of the Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence, where she leads research, innovation, policy, and co-design to strengthen support for caregivers and care providers across Canada. A lifelong caregiver with lived experience of disability, Liv is committed to building a Canada where caregiving is recognized, valued, and shaped by those with lived experience. A senior fellow at Massey College, she serves on the City of Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee and on the boards of the Kids Brain Health Foundation and the Centre for Independent Living in Toronto. Resources Canadian Institute for Social Prescribing Canadian Centre for Caregiving Excellence – Supporting Family Caregivers and Care Providers Strengthening Care: A Toolkit for Caregiver-Focused Social Prescribing The Ontario Caregiver Organization The Case for Social Prescribing - Macleans.ca Toronto Public Library expanding social, crisis support services to more branches | CBC News 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 Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. To find out more about our organization, visit us at ices.on.ca

39 min
FEB 25

The Palliative Care Revolution with Dr. Hsien Seow and Sheli O’Connor

What if reframing palliative care as an early, community‑rooted approach could transform how Canadians navigate serious illness? In this episode Dr. Hsien Seow and Sheli O’Connor discuss how education, public engagement, and patient‑centered care can reduce stigma and ensure more compassionate support for patients and families. Dr. Hsien Seow is the Canada Research Chair in Palliative Care and Health System Innovation and a Professor in the Department of Oncology at McMaster University. He is an ICES scientist who publishes health care research focused on palliative care and serious illness. He is the cohost of the Waiting Room Revolution podcast, and author of the book, Hope for the Best, Plan for the Rest. Sheli O’Connor’s more than 30‑year career in community‑based work has focused on educating, supporting, and empowering people to advocate for themselves within the health care system, including developing an elder abuse response network and strengthening supports for vulnerable older adults. She went on to lead a three‑year Advance Care Planning initiative and, as Director of Community Engagement for Hospice of Waterloo Region, worked to reduce stigma around dying, death, and grief through cross‑sector collaboration and public engagement. Most recently, she founded “Dying to Learn,” a consultation and project‑based business dedicated to building compassionate, community‑rooted approaches to palliative care. Guided by her conviction that “if it doesn’t happen in the community, it doesn’t happen,” Sheli focuses on building compassionate communities where people are supported where they live, work, pray, and play. She holds a Master of Social Work degree in Community Development and brings over three decades of experience collaborating with the public and community partners in creative, evidence-informed ways to strengthen collective understanding and confidence in caring for one another. ICES Research you heard about ICES | Timing of palliative care, end-of-life quality indicators, and health resource utilization ICES | Identification of the physician workforce providing palliative care in Ontario using administrative claims data ICES | Effect of early palliative care on end-of-life healthcare costs: a population-based, propensity score-matched cohort study ICES | Community-based specialist palliative care teams and health system costs at end of life: a retrospective matched cohort study ICES | End-of-life outcomes with or without early palliative care: a propensity score matched, population-based cancer 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 Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. To find out more about our organization, visit us at ices.on.ca

40 min
12/17/2025

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 Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. To find out more about our organization, visit us at ices.on.ca

39 min
12/10/2025

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 Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. To find out more about our organization, visit us at ices.on.ca

44 min
11/26/2025

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 Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. To find out more about our organization, visit us at ices.on.ca

36 min
11/12/2025

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 Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. To find out more about our organization, visit us at ices.on.ca

46 min
10/22/2025

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 Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. To find out more about our organization, visit us at ices.on.ca

54 min

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 - 2026
Episodes

19
Rating

Clean
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In Our VoICES

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Health & Fitness

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