This post is a summary of a class I gave yesterday to the Master’s eHealth students at McMaster Univeristy. I think it might apply to all of us though, as we try to lead change in digital health and healthcare across the board. Introduction Ontario’s health system is under enormous pressure. Every part of the…
A practical guide for Ontario family doctors and clinic teams Let’s be real: most of us didn’t go into medicine thinking we’d have to become IT security experts. We’re running busy primary care practices, juggling patients, staffing, billing, and paperwork—cybersecurity feels like something for hospitals or banks to worry about. But here’s the truth: community clinics…
In today’s digitized healthcare landscape, primary care physicians are unwittingly standing at the edge of a cybersecurity cliff—and many don’t realize it. For most community doctors, cybersecurity barely registers in the long list of their daily demands. Yet the risks are growing, the stakes are high, and the solutions—while complex—are within reach if we take…
On February 23rd I was honoured to speak at the Canadian Global Oncology Network Conference in Montreal. I was asked to talk about the role of agencies, medical associations and industry in carrying the flag for advancing global health, specifically in the world of cancer care. The following is a summary of my talk. Thank…
Healthcare is a constantly shifting landscape, and the transformation of primary care medical homes has been one of the most exciting developments in recent years. These medical homes represent a bold step toward better care for patients and more efficient systems for providers. At the heart of this transformation are two essential tools: care pathways…
This blog post is the summary of a talk I gave last week at the Colorectal Cancer Resource and Action Network’s (CCRAN) Early Age Onset Cancers Symposium. I had the privilege of speaking about the potential to advance screening for more common as well as rare tumours in younger adults using innovations in policy and…
Today, healthcare faces a crucial challenge: leveraging clinical decision support (CDS) tools to make smarter, more efficient healthcare referrals. Speaking at the Canadian Association of Radiologists’ (CAR) Conference on Digitizing Healthcare Referrals, I shared thoughts on integrating CDS into healthcare systems and how we can make these tools more practical for clinicians and valuable for…
Together with Anthony Divalentino, the talented and exceptionally bright Executive Director of the Central Brampton Family Health Team, we are bringing forth a three-part series on implementing technology in community practices. We hope this will combine the experiences of both the clinical and administrative sides of care, talking about the issues and helping solve problems…
A Doctors Perspective: Why We Need Rapid and Immediate Adoption of AI in Healthcare I recently had the privilege of participating in a debate during the Canadian Health Informatics Executive Forum (CHIEF), which followed Digital Health Canada’s 2024 eHealth Conference. The resolution stated: “Be it resolved that: Rapid and immediate adoption, at scale, of artificial…
Data availability is a crucial factor in developing and deploying AI tools in healthcare, including those used in primary care. The potential of AI in healthcare relies heavily on access to high-quality, diverse, and well-annotated data. Here are some considerations regarding the availability of data for AI applications in primary care: Electronic Health Records (EHRs):…
