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Climate change was front and centre this past summer, from another severe wildfire season to record-breaking heat domes around the world. If these environmental threats leave you feeling helpless or anxious about the future, you’re not alone.  In a Qualitycast North first, we explore planetary health and sustainable health care with Dr. Maura Brown, a radiologist at BC Cancer in Vancouver and a strong advocate for sustainability in medical imaging. D Dr. Brown discusses the scale of health care’s carbon footprint, how quality improvement science can help teams and facilities bring a sustainability lens to their work, and practical ways to address climate anxiety. She also shares steps we can take today, this week, and this month to reduce our own carbon footprint. For anyone ready to take planetary health seriously, Dr. Brown offers the motivation to take that important first step. Links:Cascades Canada: Environment Sustainability in RadiologySustainable QIClimate Communications: Katherine HayhoePotential Energy Coalition:  Nonprofit marketing and research group that focuses on planet-wide climate communication. They conduct advanced message testing and human-centered research to uncover the most effective ways to talk about climate change and drive public demand for solutions Potential EnergyAyana Elizabeth Johnson:  TED Talk: How to Find Joy in Climate ActionEAT Lancet Commission: The EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy, sustainable, and just food systemsShift – Action for pension wealth and planet health: Shift - Protect Your Pension and the Planet

As temporary rural emergency room closures become more common and the rural physician shortage continues, virtual physician support is increasingly important for keeping hospital doors open. The Rural Coordination Centre of BC has long been a leader in this area, offering a lifeline to rural emergency departments through its Virtual Emergency Room Rural Assistance program, or VERRa.  In this interview, rural emergency physician Dr. Brydon Blacklaws shares the origins and evolution of VERRa, how the service works, where virtual support is most effective, and where its limits lie. We also explore the broader value of virtual support—from helping local physicians get much-needed rest, to providing an extra “virtual” pair of hands, to being present in the trauma room alongside rural doctors and nurses. Enjoy this heartfelt conversation as Brydon explains why providing virtual support can be just as rewarding as receiving it. Links:RCCbcCanadian Journal of Emergency Medicine Article about VERRaReal-Time Virtual Support (RTVS) VERRa

This week, we focus on a topic everyone can relate to: bad meetings. According to today’s guest, Jennifer Aitken, unproductive meetings can often be avoided with more forethought, clearer structure, and better preparation.  Jennie is Director of Medical Staff Quality and Improvement for Island Health and a professional facilitator with the Sofia Group. In this interview, we explore why meetings often fall short, how anyone can strengthen their facilitation skills, the organizational value of better facilitation, and the rewards of helping groups reach those meaningful “aha” moments. Links and resources: The Sofia Group Steven G. Rogelberg, The Surprising Science of Meetings: How you can lead your team to peak performance (2019) Priya Parker, The Art of Gathering: How we meet and why it matters (2018) J. Elise Keith, Where the Action Is: The meetings that make or break your organization (2018) John Koenig  The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows Dr. David Rock, SCARF: a brain-based model for collaborating with and influencing others (2008). Liberating Structures

After several high-profile incidents and the subsequent BC governments In Plain Sight report published in 2020, a new policy and educational framework aimed at eradicating Indigenous-Specific Anti-Racism (or ISAR) has emerged to tackle the deep-seated attitudes and impacts of settler colonialism.  At the forefront of this work is today’s guest Barb Taylor. Barb is not only a front-line hospital bed coordinator, indigenous patient partner, and indigenous patient advocate working across many tables in BC’s healthcare system, she’s also a staunch advocate of the role of healthcare quality improvement in this work.  In this interview we talk about barriers to equitable care for indigenous peoples, the difference between cultural awareness and safety and what matters to her in terms of indigenous health.  We also touch on where Truth and Reconciliation should take our health care system and what her ideal future state in BC’s health care system looks like. Listen out for the Easter egg trailing a future episode on the subject of MAID in an indigenous cultural context during the closing music. Links:In Plain Sight

A familiar voice returns to the podcast this week. Dr. Eiko Waida, who recently joined us as co-host for the special series on the Romanow Report, takes the guest’s seat today talking about her own quality improvement work in the pediatric diabetes clinic at Vernon Jubilee Hospital.  We hear how her improvement work, although initially aimed at improving clinic staff morale, turned into a ground-breaking pilot project improving timely, patient-centered care using a texting platform.  This successful project subsequently introduced a new model of care, improved the patient and provider experience, and offers further applications in the management of other chronic diseases.  Links:Physician Quality Improvement (Interior Health) Evaluating the utility of texting in the ambulatory care of pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes. Eiko Waida et al. BMJ Open Quality. 2025 Mar 31;14(1) Qualitycast North

Life can be a cruel sport, often serving both joy and heartbreak in equal measure. But sometimes what matters is how we stand up again after getting knocked down.  Join us for an emotional episode this week as we interview local Prince George boxing hero and club owner Kenny Lally about his successful amateur boxing career, his descent into depression and addiction and subsequent recovery.  Listen to Kenny’s amazing story and how it enables him to give back by helping local children manage their own mental health challenges through life lessons from the boxing ring.  Links:Inner City Boxing Prince GeorgeBaldy Hughes Therapeutic CommunityPrince George Sports Hall of Fame – Kenny Lally

Medical schools major on training student physicians on the pathological basis of disease and the evidence-based therapies we prescribe to heal disease. But important and often overlooked contributors to health are the social determinants: poverty, nutrition, housing and related socio-economic factors.  How health care is delivered on a system basis must consider these socioeconomic factors to ensure quality and effectiveness, particularly in rural communities such as those in Northern BC. That’s the interest of today’s guest, a family and emergency room physician, Dr. Navpreet Sidhu.  In this fascinating episode she takes us through the importance of recognizing the socio-economic context of rural communities as a foundation for providing equitable health care and ways in which health care organizations can tailor their systems, metrics and standards to optimize patient-centered care for rural patients. Links:Harvard Global Health DeliveryMan’s Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Frankl (AMZ)SSC Spreading Quality ImprovementNorthern Health PQI

Qualitycast North is excited to bring you a special 4-episode series celebrating the 25-year anniversary of The Royal Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada and the subsequent, ground-breaking, Romanow Report. About the Royal Commission and Romanow ReportIn 2001, the Federal government launched the landmark Romanow Commission, to examine the future of Canada’s publicly funded healthcare system. Led by Roy Romanow, the Commission combined extensive research, expert analysis, and one of the largest public consultations in Canadian healthcare history. Through engagement with healthcare professionals, governments, Indigenous organizations, and tens of thousands of Canadians, the Commission developed evidence-based recommendations aimed at strengthening the sustainability and accessibility of Medicare for future generations. In the fourth and final part of this special series we interview Dr. Gordon Hoag, a retired clinical pathologist, senior Physician Quality Improvement Co-Lead and one of the founders of British Columbia’s Physician Quality Improvement Program. We talk about how the now 25-year-old Romanow Report remains relevant to issues facing healthcare today, how having conversations around improving health system quality remain paramount and how physician-led improvement continues to offer hope for health care’s future in British Columbia. We hope you enjoyed this 4-part special series on the Romanow report. Please check out the links below for some useful resources and our website for more great Qualitycast North episodes. Links: Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada: The Romanow Commission (Government of Canada)The Romanow Report (download)The Specialist Services CommitteeQualitycast NorthSpecial Series Credits: Hosts: Dr. Shyr Chui, Dr. Eiko Waida Executive Producer: Aman Hundal Producer: Lee Cameron Technical Support: Mat Walker (Expression North), Stefanie Garraway Part 1. The Rt. Honorable Jean Chrétien, former Prime Minister of Canada (Listen now) Part 2.  Greg Marchildon, former Chief of Staff to Roy Romanow (Listen now) Part 3. Dr. Verna Yiu, former CEO of Alberta Health Services (Listen now)

Qualitycast North is excited to bring you a special 4-episode series celebrating the 25-year anniversary of The Royal Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada and the subsequent, ground-breaking, Romanow Report. About the Royal Commission and Romanow ReportIn 2001, the Federal government launched the landmark Romanow Commission, to examine the future of Canada’s publicly funded healthcare system. Led by Roy Romanow, the Commission combined extensive research, expert analysis, and one of the largest public consultations in Canadian healthcare history. Through engagement with healthcare professionals, governments, Indigenous organizations, and tens of thousands of Canadians, the Commission developed evidence-based recommendations aimed at strengthening the sustainability and accessibility of Medicare for future generations. We’re continuing our special series with this our third interview. Giving us insights into the relevance of the Report at the Provincial level and a masterclass in delivering high-impact health care system improvement on a Provincial scale is today’s guest, Dr. Verna Yiu. Dr. Yiu, a pediatric nephrologist by training, is the current Board Chair of CIHI, the Academic Dean and Provost of The University of Alberta and the former CEO of Alberta Health Services from 2016 to 2022.  In this episode, Dr. Yiu explains what she found inspiring about the Report before sharing her experience of successfully implementing large-scale improvements in healthcare delivery and how these can be applied in other jurisdictions. We also hear about the foundational importance of primary care, patient centered care and data system integration to delivering high quality and cost effective health care. Join us for the fourth and final part of this special series in which we talk to Dr. Gordon Hoag, Senior Provincial Quality Improvement Co-Lead about the spirit of the Romanow report and its ephemeral relevance for Canadian healthcare today. Listen now: The spirit of the Romanow Report lives on - improving health care in British Columbia today” featuring Dr. Gordon Hoag, Senior Physician Quality Improvement Co-Lead Links: Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada: The Romanow Commission (Government of Canada)The Romanow Report (download)Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI)University of AlbertaAlberta Health ServicesThe Specialist Services CommitteeQualitycast NorthSpecial Series Credits: Hosts: Dr. Shyr Chui, Dr. Eiko Waida Executive Producer: Aman Hundal Producer: Lee Cameron Technical Support: Mat Walker (Expression North), Stefanie Garraway Part 1. The Rt. Honorable Jean Chrétien, former Prime Minister of Canada (Listen now) Part 2.  Greg Marchildon, former Chief of Staff to Roy Romanow (Listen now)

Qualitycast North is excited to bring you a special 4-episode series celebrating the 25-year anniversary of The Royal Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada and the subsequent, ground-breaking, Romanow Report. About the Royal Commission and Romanow ReportIn 2001, the Federal government launched the landmark Romanow Commission, to examine the future of Canada’s publicly funded healthcare system. Led by Roy Romanow, the Commission combined extensive research, expert analysis, and one of the largest public consultations in Canadian healthcare history. Through engagement with healthcare professionals, governments, Indigenous organizations, and tens of thousands of Canadians, the Commission developed evidence-based recommendations aimed at strengthening the sustainability and accessibility of Medicare for future generations. In the second part of this 4-part, special series celebrating 25 years of the Romanow report, we speak to Greg Marchildon, Roy Romanow’s Chief of Staff at the time of the inquiry and author of the book “Tommy Douglas and the Quest for Medicare in Canada”. In this episode, Greg takes us through the political context of the Commission, how Roy Romanow was recruited as Commissioner, and their whirlwind journey to gather, collate and summarize the opinions of health organizations and the Canadian public before generating the final report all within their18-month deadline. Join us for Part 3 in the series in which Dr. Verna Yiu, past CEO of Alberta Health Services, gives us a Provincial perspective on the Report and what it takes to implement successful health system improvement on a Provincial scale. Listen now: Generating high-impact health system improvement at the Provincial level featuring Dr. Verna Yiu, former CEO of Alberta Health Services.Links: Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada: The Romanow Commission (Government of Canada)The Romanow Report (download)Tommy Douglas and the Quest for Medicare in Canada (Amazon)North American Observatory on Health Systems and PoliciesThe Specialist Services CommitteeQualitycast NorthGreg Marchildon and Roy Romanow interview (audio only) Greg Marchildon and Roy Romanow interview (video) Special Series Credits: Hosts: Dr. Shyr Chui, Dr. Eiko Waida Executive Producer: Aman Hundal Producer: Lee Cameron Technical Support: Mat Walker (Expression North), Stefanie Garraway Part 1. The Rt. Honorable Jean Chrétien, former Prime Minister of Canada (Listen now) Part 4. Dr. Gordon Hoag, Senior Physician Quality Improvement Co-Lead (Listen now)

Qualitycast North is excited to bring you a special 4-episode series celebrating the 25-year anniversary of The Royal Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada and the subsequent, ground-breaking, Romanow Report. About the Royal Commission and Romanow ReportIn 2001, the Federal government launched the landmark Romanow Commission, to examine the future of Canada’s publicly funded healthcare system. Led by Roy Romanow, the Commission combined extensive research, expert analysis, and one of the largest public consultations in Canadian healthcare history. Through engagement with healthcare professionals, governments, Indigenous organizations, and tens of thousands of Canadians, the Commission developed evidence-based recommendations aimed at strengthening the sustainability and accessibility of Medicare for future generations. We’re kicking off the series with the original instigator of the Commission and the Report, Canada’s past Prime Minister, The Right Honorable Jean Chrétien. In this interview, we discuss why he chose Roy Romanow to lead the enquiry. Don’t miss Part 2 of the series in which we interview Greg Marchildon, Roy Romanow’s then Chief of Staff, on the background to the Commission and the mammoth task of organizing, completing and delivering the Report within their tight, 18-month schedule. Listen now: “How we built it and life on the road” featuring Greg Marchildon, former Chief of Staff to Roy Romanow. Links:Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada: The Romanow Commission (Government of Canada The Romanow Report (download)The Specialist Services CommitteeQualitycast North Special Series Credits:Hosts: Dr. Shyr Chui, Dr. Eiko Waida Executive Producer: Aman Hundal Producer: Lee Cameron Technical Support: Mat Walker (Expression North), Stefanie Garraway Part 3. Dr. Verna Yiu, former CEO of Alberta Health Services (Listen Now) Part 4. Dr. Gordon Hoag, Senior Physician Quality Improvement Co-Lead (Listen Now)

In this episode we’re returning to the rural community of Hazleton in Northwest BC. The demand for psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy is increasing as word spreads about its usefulness, but how should one design this service that best meets the clinical, social and cultural needs of its patients?  That’s the subject of Dr. Graham Bergstra’s quality improvement project. By asking patients directly about their experience of care before, during and after their clinic visit, Dr. Bergstra explains how we can improve patient’s experience of anxiety, vulnerability and satisfaction, whilst also ensuring they receive the most appropriate follow up care in the community.  We also learn how this patient engagement work has been both rewarding to the care team and provided a template for expanding the service with new ketamine therapy clinics across the region. Links: Roots to Thrive  Northern Health Physician Quality Improvement Program

When you think of Canadian health data, the organization that springs immediately to mind is the Canadian Institute for Health Information or CIHI.  In this episode we interview Anderson Chuck, the President and CEO of CIHI, about how Canada is “data rich but information poor” and how using Pan-Canadian health data in the right way can drive improvements in health care quality.  We also discuss how adopting the right data "mindset" can ensure sustainable Canadian healthcare in the future and improve economic resilience and prosperity for Canada as a nation. Links:CIHI(En)CIHI(Fr)Canadian Health Information Podcast

Delivering high-quality, emergency medicine education to rural practitioners and their teams for over 15 years, the Rural Coordination Centre of British Columbia’s CARE course has been consistently rated amongst the best. But what are the secrets to its success?  This week we interview its creators Dr. Jel Coward and Dr. Rebecca Lindley, both rural family docs based in Pemberton BC, on how delivering education that meets learners where they are, understands their reality and recognizes their humanity, provides the best learning environment possible. Links: Rural Coordination Centre of BC - The CARE courseRCCBC Rural Continuing Medical Education ProgramsThe CARE course

This week we’re returning to the Executive C-Suite this time from a Physician’s perspective with our guest Dr. Ronald Chapman, the Vice President of Medicine of Northern Health.  We talk about his early commitment to a medical administrative career track, what a VP of Medicine does, his 13-year longevity in the role and what it takes to steer a large healthcare organization on a course towards higher quality care.  We also touch on the benefits and challenges of living and working in rural communities and, if given his time again, why he wouldn’t consider any other job in the world. Links: Northern Health home pageNorthern Health Physicians page