Health on Earth

'Define The Line' & Cyberbullying

2012-02-10T10:23:00.000-05:00

February 7, 2012 : What is cyberbullying? How can we make good use of the digital and social media to support children, youth, and students' development?

Define The Line is a McGill research team that addresses the emerging policies on the legal and ethical limits of on-line expression. This week Professor Shaheen Shariff, the Principal Investigator of the project gave us an overview on the issue of cyberbullying. We also had a discussion with Anna Piekarzewski and Jaime Sportun, who are team members of Define The Line, along with Lissa Albert, a parent working with the Lester B. Pearson School Board, to discuss about digital safety.

From a policy perspective, Anna, who is also a third year law student at McGill, shared how new laws and legislation address the the most pressing cyberbullying issues today. From an educators' perspective, Jaime brought up ways to become a respectful digital citizen and ensure better mental health among youth. Lissa, who works for the Digital Citizenship Project, discussed ways to engage the younger generation and parents in thoughtful dialogue towards reducing the occurrence of cyberbullying in a proactive manner.
Thanks to our guest for the great discussion!

You can download the February 7, 2012 episode or stream it in the player below:

Profiles in First Nations health

2012-02-02T07:27:00.000-05:00

January 31, 2012: This week we were honoured to speak with Doris Peltier, of the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network, about her view of First Nations health in Canada and her own experience since receiving a diagnosis of HIV in 2001.

We also learned more about traditional sweat lodge ceremonies with Sedalia Fazio, who leads sweats in the Botanical Gardens in Montreal. She spoke to us about the challenges she faced in setting up the lodge, and the importance of the ceremony to maintaining health and balance.

You can download the January 31, 2012 episode or stream it in the player below:

Student-led research in Barbados

2012-01-29T20:27:00.000-05:00

January 24, 2012: Dominique Murray, Sarah Cascarino and Neha Paliwal studied the Giant African Snail population in of Barbados last year. These undergraduate McGill students were curious to know if the invasive snails had been infected with meningitis-causing nematodes, and what the impact on the human population that might have. They joined us for a discussion of their work, their time in Barbados and the importance of student-led research. They travelled as part of the Barbados Interdisciplinary Tropical Studies class. Interested McGill students might also want to check out the Barbados Field Study Semester.

We were also lucky enough to speak with McGill student Gabriela Bernales about her Master's research into childhood obesity and school food in Barbados, and the perks and challenges of student-led research.

You can download the January 24, 2012 episode or stream it in the player below:

Global health podcast competition winners

2012-01-22T20:27:00.000-05:00

January 17, 2012: We're back! After a restful holiday break, Health on Earth is happy to announce that 2012 is going to be its best year yet. We kick things off this week with a collaboration with Youth, the Arts, HIV & AIDS Network (YAHAnet), as they introduce and play the winners of their 2011 podcast competition. Congratulations to all who won, and to all the excellent entries!

We also speak to a representative of SAMA (Student Association for Medical Aid) about their vision and projects for the upcoming year. As for us, we have a great lineup of shows planned. If you want to get involved, simply contact us at health[at]ckut]dot]ca and we'll be more than happy to get you involved in the planning, interviewing, editing or producing process.

In the same theme of art and HIV, here's an interesting video with Mbulelo Duma from the South African organization dlalanathi. Enjoy!

You can download the January 17, 2012 episode or stream it in the player below:

Violence against women in Canada

2011-12-07T10:27:00.000-05:00

December 6, 2011: On the 22nd anniversary of the Polytechnique shooting in Montreal we remember all the women who have been victims of violence, especially at the hands of men. We talk with Professor Kimani Daniel, a Clinical Nurse Specialist at the Jewish General Hospital in Montréal, about the facts and myths around violence against women.

You can download the December 6, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

Living with HIV/AIDS: Testimonials

2011-11-30T16:27:00.000-05:00

November 29, 2011: This week, Health on Earth joins the rest of the world in commemorating World AIDS Day on December 1st. To gain a more intimate understanding of the reality of living with HIV, we invited volunteers and staff from AIDS Community Care Montreal's (ACCM) testimonial project on the show. Two volunteers living with the virus share their stories and answer questions relating to their lived experiences, challenges, and hopes for the future. We thank them for the time, candor and hope.

We also interview Patrick Keeler, the staff member in charge of the testimonial project, who discusses the purpose and importance of the project. The vision of ACCM is to establish a community that is educated and knowledgeable about HIV and AIDS, that is empowered to reduce HIV and AIDS stigma, and that supports people living HIV and AIDS and their changing needs. To find out more about the organization check out their website: www.accmontreal.org.

You can download the November 29, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

Medical Anthropology and global health

2011-11-24T08:27:00.000-05:00

November 22, 2011: This week we roamed the halls of another conference taking place in Montreal, this one the American Anthropological Association annual conference. We were particularly interested in its Medical Anthropology stream of talks and the overlaps we found with global health issues. In this show we bring you interviews, ideas and snippets of presentations from the conference. Enjoy!

You can download the November 22, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

Global Health Conference coverage

2011-11-17T11:27:00.000-05:00

November 15, 2011: As participants in the 2011 Global Health Conference hosted in Montreal last weekend, Health On Earth chatted with some experts in the field to hear about their perspectives on pathways to global health, ethics in global health initiatives, and media representations of global health issues. This week’s show features a motivational message on the future of global health from James Orbinski, current chair of global health at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at U of T and previous president of the well-known NGO, Doctors Without Borders.

We also had a discussion with Donald McNeil Jr., a health and science reporter for The New York Times, as he tells us about objective journalism and how he came to be covering the most concerning health issues in the world. Finally, we feature a quick discussion with Dr. Barry Pakes, Program Director of Global Health Education Institute from U of T, to discuss the ethics behind global health education and medical work abroad.

You can download the November 15, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

The health effects of the built and social environment

2011-11-10T12:27:00.000-05:00

November 8, 2011: This week we investigate how our environments influence our health. We start by chatting with Dr Nancy Ross from McGill University, who explains the interactions between health and the physical and social environments, as well as the concept of social gradient of health.

The mortality rate increases as socio-economic position decreases.

We then took a tour of the ongoing Canadian Centre for Architecture exhibit, Imperfect Heath. We discuss the health effects of our built environment, and the assumptions that are implicitly built into the buildings and spaces in which we live.

Imperfect Health, at the Canadian Centre for Architecture.

You can download the November 8, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

Rue-ELLES: Stories of young women on the streets

2011-11-05T11:27:00.000-04:00

November 1, 2011: Health on Earth recently attended the vernissage of the Rue-ELLES exhibit in downtown Montréal. This project, coordinated by the YWCA of Montréal with Mapping Memories and the LOVE Project with funding from the City of Montréal and the Government of Québec, recruited twelve young women living on the street to do writing and photography workshops. Their resulting works were on display at the corner of Pierce and St. Catherine W. streets for the months of September and October.

See more photos and texts in the Rue-ELLES online gallery.

We were honoured to talk with two of the participants as well as with the coordinator of the project for the YWCA, Carlye Watson. Artist and rapper Abbie Norml spoke to us about the positive experiences she's had on the streets and how it has influenced her art. Julie nous a parlé des défis qu'elle a vécu dans la rue, surtout par rapport à la santé mentale, et sa croissance personelle à travers ces défis. We thank them for sharing their stories with us.

Climate change and Indigenous health

2011-10-28T15:27:00.000-04:00

October 25, 2011: What are the health impacts of global climate change on indigenous peoples? The Indigenous Health Adaptations to Climate Change research project (IHACC) has been working with indigenous communities in Peru, Uganda and the Canadian Arctic to try and find out. This week we chat with Dr. James Ford, one of the project's principal investigators, to learn more about the project. We also hear from some of his lab members, Will Vanderbelt, Mya Sherman, and Marie-Pierre Lardeau, as they discuss the project's goals and elaborate on their findings.

The IHACC team (courtesy of IHACC)

In particular, we find out how adaptable indigenous communities really are, largely due to their traditional knowledge, and we learn how essential it will be for this knowledge to be passed on despite challenges in changing climate, technology, and economic contexts. This type of research is not only essential for helping indigenous groups adapt to climate change, but can also hold lessons for other groups as we all attempt to enhance our capacity to cope.

You can download the October 25, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

Food security at home and abroad

2011-10-21T18:27:00.000-04:00

October 18, 2011: This week we return to the topic of food security. Mr. Daniel Gustafason, the director of the Liaison Office at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, and Dr. Festus Murithi, the assistant director of the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute discuss with us the important links they see between global health, food security, and community development. They share insights into how they establish and maintain partnerships on an international, community, and team level.

Ingredients of Food Security (via www.fao.org)

We then spoke with three McGill students about the work they have been doing to improve food security. Carlo Priminani, Sarah Archibald, and Erik Delaquis explained the way their organizations work to protect the food system within McGill, promote food sovereignty in the Little Burgundy neighbourhood of Montreal, and empower farmers in Western Africa. We thank all three for their time and thoughtfulness.

You can download the October 18, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

McGill Conference on Global Food Security

2011-10-12T09:27:00.001-04:00

October 11, 2011: We were pleased and excited to cover the 4th Annual McGill Conference on Global Food Security last week. We spoke with David Morley, President and CEO of UNICEF Canada, just before he gave the conference's keynote speech. He spoke to us about the nutritional challenges faced by First Nations and Inuit people in Canada, and the impacts of climate change on global food security.

We also talked to conference attendees Russell Vinegar, Eric Delaquis and David McInnes about their projects and views on global food security.

You can download the October 11, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

Global Health opportunities at McGill

2011-09-21T12:27:00.000-04:00

September 20, 2011: Welcome back, global health radio fans! Health on Earth is excited to be back for another year of student-produced community radio. We aim to bring a curious, compassionate and critical eye to bear on the health of our neighbours here and abroad.

Health awareness workshop in Hogar San Pedro, Peru. Image courtesy of msahi2009.blogspot.com

This week, we invite five McGill students and recent graduates to tell us about their travels and work in the global health field this summer. We hope you will find it as fascinating as we did! We also highlight some of the global health opportunities available through McGill's Global Health Programs.

You can download the September 20, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

Orientation and planning meeting Sept 14

2011-09-10T08:27:00.000-04:00

Join us to learn more about Health on Earth on Wednesday, September 14 in room 403 of Thomson House. We have lots of exciting ideas for this upcoming semester! You can also help us to plan our schedule, and produce your very own episode. See you there!

Back on September 20

2011-08-30T11:34:00.001-04:00

Health on Earth is taking a breather for the month of August. We will return with a new season of global and local health shows on September 20. Want to be a part of the show? Email us at health [at] ckut [dot] ca.

Remembering Hiroshima: Nuclear weapons and health

2011-08-04T11:27:00.000-04:00

August 2, 2011: Health professionals can do a lot to save lives during a conventional war. Nuclear war, however, is different. Not only is there massive and immediate loss of life after a nuclear strike, but the lingering radiation can cause just as many slow, painful deaths in the years following. Because they are devoted to promoting health, many health professionals have dedicated themselves to the prevention of nuclear war through the eradication and banning of nuclear weapons.

One such group, the Physicians for Global Survival (part of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War), recently commemorated the 67th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan. They set up a "Target X" in Montreal, by the entrance to Parc Metro, and spoke to residents about the dangers of nuclear weapons. Residents also signed a petition calling for cuts to nuclear weapons programs.

On this week's show, Health on Earth is pleased to present an interview with Dr Juan Carlos Chirgwin, family physician at CLSC du Parc and organiser of the event. We also hear Hiroshima survivor – and nurse – Shigeko Sasamori tell her story of the bombing and how it affected her life.

You can download the August 2, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

Green businesses in Montreal

2011-07-25T13:27:00.000-04:00

June 28, 2011: Taking Root and Lufa Farms are both organizations that seek to promote health while improving the environment. This week we find out more about the missions of these two businesses and how they achieve them.

First, David Baumann of Taking Root explains how he and his coworkers promote carbon sequestration and reforestation in Nicaragua while providing a livable wage for farmers there. Then we join Lufa Farms co-founder and President Mohamed Hage on a tour of his rooftop farm in an industrial part of Montreal, as he explains his vision for rooftop farming and the advantages and challenges of urban agriculture.

You can download the June 28, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

Conference coverage: Canadian Public Health Association

2011-06-22T12:27:00.000-04:00

June 21, 2011: The Canadian Public Health Association is meeting in Montreal from June 19-22. Health on Earth has been attending sessions and talking to attendees, and we are happy to present some of those interviews in this week's show.

First we spoke with Shannon Carter, a recent McGill Nursing grad who did health assessments with refugees and conducted antenatal health research in Nairobi, Kenya. She is presenting her poster at the conference, and she spoke to us about her experiences and research.

Ensuite nous entendons Mme Julie Lévesque, du Réseau québécois de Villes et Villages en santé, parler de leur projet La fête des voisins. Elle nous raconte l'histoire et le but de cette fête, qui a lieu dans des centaines de municipalités à travers le Québec en début juin, et décrit les liens entre la connaissance de ses voisins, le capital social, et la santé publique.

Lastly, we welcomed Pemma Mazumdar in our studios to discuss the important role of public health communicators, their responsibilities towards health professionals and the public, and the many changes in the field of public health communications.

You can download the June 21, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

Parasites

2011-06-20T18:27:00.000-04:00

June 7, 2011: This week we discuss helminthes parasites with Professor Tim Geary, head of the parasitology department at McGill's MacDonald Campus. After briefly describing the recurrent diseases caused by different worm infections in Africa, Prof. Geary shares with us an ingenious research project that proposes to find medicine to these infections among the chemical compound of the local flora of Africa.

You can download the June 7, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

Invitation: An afternoon with Vic Neufeld from CCGHR

2011-06-01T17:27:00.000-04:00

Haiti update: elections, corruption and cholera

2011-05-26T12:27:00.000-04:00

May 24, 2011: We are honoured to have our Haiti correspondent, Isabeau Doucet, back to discuss the global health challenges that persist in that country. In December she discussed the political dimension of the cholera outbreak, and this week she fills us in on the impacts of the (contested) election, the UN admitting that it caused the cholera outbreak, and the continuing lack of transparency in the attribution of reconstruction contracts.

Cholera patients lie on stretchers at a hospital in Santo Domingo (AFP/File, Erika Santelices)

You can download the May 24, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

Health, mining and Canadian colonialism

2011-05-11T13:27:00.000-04:00

May 10, 2011: What are the links between health, resource extraction and colonialism in Canada? We are joined this week by Martin Lukacs, writer and activist with the Barriere Lake Solidarity Committee, who discusses the health impacts that colonialism has had on Canada's First Nations peoples as well as the resistance efforts that are underway in Barriere Lake.

Martin describes to us the effect that cultural continuity has on promoting health in First Nations communities, the pernicious effects that resource extraction, including logging and mining, have had on First Nations people, and the foreseen negative health impacts of Premier Charest's recently-proposed "Plan Nord" development scheme.

You can download the May 10, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

Making do and doing good: Vanier Nursing students in Malawi

2011-05-09T15:27:00.000-04:00

May 3, 2011: Nursing in low-resource settings is often a challenge, and trying to do Nursing eduction at the same time can compound the difficulties. However, this week we meet with a group of nursing students from Vanier College in Montreal who spent six weeks working at a clinic and a hospital in Malawi, in south-eastern Africa (you can read more about the students, and find links to their blogs, on the Vanier site).

Shane Ward and Jennifer Shalala, both in their third and final year of Nursing studies, describe to us the experiences they had working in a low-resource setting and the strengths that they found there. We are also honoured to be joined by their instructor, Prof Melodie Hicks, who discussed the potential and challenges for Nursing education in the country. Next year Vanier will welcome two Nursing students from Malawi, as an exchange. We hope to be able to speak to them, as well!

You can download the May 3, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

Harm reduction in Canada and Montreal

2011-04-27T16:27:00.000-04:00

April 19, 2011: Harm reduction is a public health approach that focuses on minimizing the potential harm of risky behaviours, particularly related to drug use. This week, join us as we take a closer look at harm reduction and chat with three people who work in the field. We spoke with the director of the Canadian Harm Reduction Network, who shed some light on the status of harm reduction projects nation-wide, and shared with us some of the research he has done investigating harm reduction projects in small-to-medium sized cities. Our next two guests were members of the local organization ADDIQC, which works to support drug user's rights and improve their access to services. They talked with us about their work, and their hopes to see a supervised injection site open here in Montreal in the future.

Recently, harm reduction has been featured in the news, as the Supreme Court of Canada is set to hear a case in May regarding Vancouver's Insite clinic, the first supervised injection site in North America. Here are some links for more information:

For more information about ADDIQC and the Canadian Harm Reduction Network:

You can download the April 19, 2011 show or stream it below:

Upcoming lecture: Suicide prevention across cultural boundaries

2011-04-20T14:27:00.000-04:00

Wednesday April 27, 5:30 pm
Thomson House, Room 404
3650 McTavish St, Montreal

Bannock will be served! All are welcome.

Presented by Dr. Lucie Nadeau. Dr Nadeau is a psychiatrist at the Montreal Children's Hospital where her clinical work is shared between the Transcultural Psychiatry clinic and the consultation-liaison service, and an Assistant Professor in the department of Psychiatry at McGill University. Her current research interests include the influence of culture and context in the treatment of minority youths suffering from chronic illness, the therapeutic process in clinical work with migrant children and youths, and the development of treatment modalities for these migrants. Dr Nadeau is also member of the Groupe-Conseil on the prevention of suicide for the Attikamekw community of Wemotaci.

Nurses, politics and the Canadian federal elections

2011-04-15T15:27:00.000-04:00

April 12, 2011: What should be the role of nurses in the political sphere? To help educate their members and the public during the ongoing Canadian federal election, the Canadian Nurses' Association has created a special website of election resources. There you can find an analysis of the major health policy concerns identified by the CNA, as well as their scorecard of how each party comes out on the issues.

To investigate the role of nurses and the nursing profession in politics, we spoke to the CEO of the CNA, Ms. Rachel Bard. We also spoke with two professors of community health nursing at McGill University, Cheryl Armistead and Diana Gausden, about how they promote political engagement with their students.

You can download the Apr 12, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

Debate on a Social Determinants of Health Tax, April 28 at McGill

2011-04-12T10:27:00.000-04:00

Is there an ethical imperative to address the social determinants of health?

A public debate with Ted Schrecker (Associate Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Community Medicine, University of Ottawa) and Daniel Weinstock (Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Centre de recherche en éthique de l’Université de Montréal).

(click to view larger)

"Be it Resolved: The Canadian government should enact a special tax on the top 10% of earners, which will finance a new 'Social Determinants of Health' fund. Proceeds from this tax will be used exclusively for programs whose goal is to ensure that all Canadians have education, income, and housing necessary to have an adequate level of health and longevity. The fund will be administered by a panel of experts in the social determinants of health."

28 April 2011, 3:30 to 5:30 pm
McGill University
Faculty Club Ballroom
3450 McTavish Street

Football et dévelopment au Burkina Faso

2011-03-26T21:27:00.000-04:00

March 22, 2011: Football, or soccer as it is also known, is the world's most popular sport. This week we reach Roma Traore, lifelong football fan and coordinator of UK-based NGO Coaching for Hope in Burkina Faso.

M. Traore nous explique les démarches entreprises par Coaching for Hope pour engager les jeunes à travers "le sport roi." Ces échanges mènent a des discussions sur le VIH/SIDA, à une plus grande confidence chez les jeunes, et à l'habilitation et l'inclusion sociale des jeunes femmes. Et surtout, tout le monde s'amuse !

Téléchargez l'émission du 22 mars, 2011 ou écoutez-le ci-dessous :

World Tuberculosis Day panel on March 24

2011-03-22T12:27:00.000-04:00

On March 24th, the McGill Global AIDS Coalition will be hosting a panel discussion for World Tuberculosis Day. One of the United Nations' millennium development goals is to halt the incidence and death rates associated with TB by 2015 and eliminate the disease altogether by 2015. Expert panelists will weigh in on the feasibility and challenges of attaining this goal and suggest potential paths forwards. The event will take place Thursday, March 24th, at 5:30pm in Thomson House (3650 rue McTavish).

For a powerful and informative introduction to tuberculosis, watch the video below from the ZAMBART Project in Zambia:

Protesting the health care budget, honouring missing and murdered women

2011-03-17T00:27:00.000-04:00

March 15, 2011: We open with an audio montage of protesters' chants and statements at last Saturday's march for greater accessibility to public services, including health care. Over 55,000 people are estimated to have taken to the streets of Montreal for the rally, which was timed in anticipation of Thursday's revealing of the provincial budget.

Photo by Almudena Romero, The Concordian

We then bring you audio from a panel on March 10 titled “Stolen Sisters: A critical discussion about missing and murdered aboriginal women in Canada” which was part of the Aboriginal Law Association at McGill's 13 Days to Honour Aboriginal Women. Gladys Radek and Bernie William Poitras, co-founders of Walk4Justice, describe why they started the organization, their challenges seeking justice for missing and murdered women, and their opinion of the causes of violence against Aboriginal women in Canada.

You can download the Mar 15, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

Healthcare financing in Canada: Who pays, and who profits?

2011-03-13T16:27:00.000-04:00

March 8, 2011: Following his successful public discussion around healthcare structure and financing last month, we caught up with former Health on Earth host Baijayanta Mukhopadhyay to find out more on the subject. Baj, a medical student at McGill, was happy to oblige. He tells us about the history of the Canadian healthcare system, the five principles of the Canada Health Act (healthcare should be comprehensive, accessible, portable, universal, and publicly administered), and discusses the practical and historical differences between the Canadian system and those in the UK and France.

You can download the Mar 8, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

Accesibilité au soins de santé pour les populations vulnérables à Montréal

2011-03-02T02:27:00.000-05:00

1 mars, 2011: Cette semaine nous abordons le sujet de l'accesibilité au soins de santé pour les populations vulnérables à Montréal. Nous discutons avec Terri Hill, infirmière chez Dans la Rue, de son travail envers les jeunes sur les marges de la société. Nous parlons aussi avec Soumya Tamouro, conseillère en santé à ACCÉSSS (Alliance des communautés culturelles pour l'égalité dans la santé et les services sociaux) des problèmes encontrés par des nouveaux arrivants au Québec qui essaient d'accéder au système de santé.

Téléchargez l'épisode du 21 décembre, 2010 ou écoutez-le ci-dessous :

Homelessness Marathon: Accessibility of health services

2011-02-24T13:27:00.000-05:00

February 23, 2011: Homelessness Marathon
Health on Earth is proud to present a live show on Canada’s 9th Annual Homelessness Marathon, broadcast to the nation on the night of Feb 23 to 24th from the corner of St-Laurent and Ontario streets in Montreal. Nurse Joanna Macleod and Nursing student Dominique Angers-Morton discuss the availability and accessibility of health services for homeless people with Mariruth Morton of MDot in Toronto, McGill's opening of a new free dental clinic in St-Henri with dentist Christophe Bedos, and the fascinating job of nurse Terri Hill, who works with street youth at Dans la rue.

You can download the Feb 23, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

Québec pharmacists refuse to fill prescriptions for refugees

2011-02-18T22:27:00.000-05:00

February 15, 2011: This week we are honoured to collaborate with Health Justice Radio in Hamilton, on the issue of Québec pharmacists refusing to dispense medications to refugees because of the delay in their reimbursement from Citizenship and Immigration Canada. To gain more insight in this complex problem we interview immigration lawyer David Thompson, who works with refugees at the Montreal Chest Institute, and we speak with Montreal pediatrician Samir Shaheen-Hussain, who co-authored a recent op-ed denouncing both the pharmacists and the federal government.

A strong analysis of the problem is also available from Health for All, a migrant health and justice group. You can also check out the Health Justice Radio post about the show.

You can download the Feb 15, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

Dr T. answers your questions and launches a new site

2011-02-10T11:27:00.000-05:00

February 8, 2011: Happy Valentine's Day! In the spirit of sex and romance we sat down this week with Dr Pierre-Paul Tellier, Director of Student Health Services at McGill, and Amanda Unruh, the Health Promotion Co-ordinator there, to discuss common sexual health questions among students. They also gave us the low-down on the new AskDrT.ca website, which features comprehensive information on sex and relationships, contraception, and sexually-transmitted infections.

Dr Tellier and Ms Unruh at the Shag Shop. Read the accompanying article in the McGill Reporter.

The website also has a section where you can submit health questions to Dr Tellier and his staff. Take advantage of this service, and have a happy and healthy Valentine's Day!

You can download the Feb 8, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

Upcoming event: Healthcare financing in Canada and abroad

2011-02-09T22:27:00.000-05:00

The University of the Streets Café presents Health Care Dollars: Who pays, who profits, who gets care?

Wednesday, February 16 • 7 to 9 p.m.
Burritoville, 2055 Bishop (@ de Maisonneuve) • Métro Guy-Concordia

Accessible, affordable health care continues to be a top concern for Canadians. However, the terms "accessible" and "affordable" mean different things to different people. It may even be safe to say that most regular folks don't fully understand how the health care system is financed and managed to make it both affordable and accessible. In this public conversation we will trace the history of health care financing systems in Canada and for comparison, European most like Canada's. We will also consider pros and cons of other forms of health care financing (e.g., coverage [universal or not]; individual/employment premiums or general taxation; insurance payment to private contractors or to public institutions). We will reflect on what about the current situation makes some suggest there is a need to change the basic principles of the existing system.

With guest Baijayanta (Baj) Mukhopadhyay, McGill medical student and former Health on Earth host, and moderated by Dr Abby Lippman, professor of Epidemiology at McGill and researcher at the Simone de Beauvoir Institute of Concordia.

Homosexuality, HIV and human rights in Africa

2011-02-08T14:27:00.000-05:00

February 1st, 2011: This week we chat with Dr Marc Epprecht, Graduate Chair of Global Development Studies and professor of History at Queen's University. Dr Epprecht discusses his studies of homosexuality in Africa, and the different tactics that he sees rights groups using – including the use of HIV/AIDS public health messages – to promote greater acceptance of diverse sexual identities.

While the situation in some countries might seem dire, such as Uganda, whose Parliament has passed an Anti-Homosexuality Bill and where a GLBT activist was recently murdered, Dr Epprecht sees hope overall. We thank him for his ideas and his time, as well as the Institute for Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies at McGill for inviting him on campus.

Consider supporting Amnesty International's campaigns to

You can download the Feb 1st, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

UPDATE: A film is being made on the GLBT community in Uganda and the last year of David Kato's life. You can watch clips below, and donate money to help finish the editing.

Nursing in rural Nepal

2011-01-28T15:27:00.000-05:00

January 25, 2011: This week we are honoured to have Rebecca Dyck, RN and Peter Deslauriers join us to discuss their recent trip to Nepal. They went there to join friends working at the Tansen Mission Hospital, in the rural mountain town of Tansen. Peter describes the political situation there, and the impact it has on the Nepalese healthcare system, while Rebecca tells us about the direct link between poverty and health in Tansen, the state of the Nursing profession there, and the encouraging strengths she came across.

Rebecca Dyck with staff nurses in Tansen, Nepal.

You can learn more about volunteering or donating to the Tansen Hospital on the hospital's website.

Download the Jan 25, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

McMaster Medical students do the math

2011-01-24T13:27:00.000-05:00

January 18, 2011: Former Health on Earth host and journalist Nikki Bozinoff shares a segment that she produced for her new radio show, Health Justice Radio, on the experiment that she and other Medical students at McMaster University recently completed. For a week, they ate only what they found in a food bank box as a way to encourage the Ontario government to put food in the social assistance budget.

You can read some of their compiled reflections online, and find many more compelling health justice episodes at http://healthjusticeradio.wordpress.com

Download the Jan 18, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

Student Roundtable - Canada’s Strategic Role in Global Health

2011-01-24T11:27:00.000-05:00

The Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS) recently launched its new assessment, Canada's Strategic Role in Global Health (pdf), and an expert panel is seeking informed views from both a national and an international audience on Canada's current role, global health challenges that Canada could have the most impact in addressing, and examples of Canadian success stories in global health.

CAHS wants to hear from students in Montreal:

What do you see as Canada's strategic role in global health? What could/should it be?
What are pressing global health challenges Canada could have the most impact addressing?
How can the increasing interest in global health on Canada's University campuses be constructively channelled into supporting Canada's role in global health?
Could you provide specific examples of models that seem to be working to increase the potential contribution of students to global health?

Meet a member of the expert panel and be heard. Your voice is important!

DATE: Tuesday, February 1st, 2011
TIME: 4:00 – 5:30 pm
LOCATION: Institute for Health and Social Policy, McGill University
1130 Pine Avenue West (corner of Peel)

Bilingual session.

Please RSVP to leovigildo.perezsaba@mcgill.ca

McGill Students Research Nutrition in Panama and Barbados

2011-01-12T14:27:00.000-05:00

January 11, 2011: This week we are honoured to have a discussion with two McGill students involved in nutrition research abroad. Rachel Kraus, a Parasitology PhD candidate in the School of the Environment, is leaving for Panama this week to study the ecologic and sociologic factors influencing parasite infection. Claire O'Brien, an undergraduate student in Biology, has just returned from helping the Diabetes Association of Barbados with a study of home gardens and their effects on the health of diabetic people there.

McGill student working with schoolchildren in Galeta, Panama

Find out more about the Barbados Field Study Semester, a similar Field Study Semester in Panama, and about the Panama parasite research project (second item).

Download the Jan 11, 2011 episode or stream it in the player below:

Opération Nez Rouge

2011-01-04T14:19:00.000-05:00

21 décembre, 2010 : Nous discutons de l'Opération Nez Rouge avec un représentant de l'organisme et quelques bénévoles.

Pour plus d'informations sur Opération Nez Rouge, visitez leur site.

Téléchargez l'épisode du 21 décembre, 2010 ou écoutez-le ci-dessous :

Cholera and politics in Haïti

2010-12-15T14:27:00.000-05:00

December 14, 2010: This week we hear from infectious disease specialist Dr Megan Coffee, who has been treating TB and cholera patients in Port-au-Prince since January 2010. She gives us a perspective on the cholera situation, and the challenges and hopes that she sees around her. As mentioned on the show, you can read her tweets to find out more, or watch the short video below:

We also talk to Isabeau Doucet, a freelance journalist in Haïti. Ms Doucet shares her view of the political situation there and discusses the powerful links between the political positioning by governments and NGOs and the resulting effects on health, as revealed through the cholera epidemic.

Download the Dec 14, 2010 episode or stream it in the player below:

Sage-femme engagée

2010-12-13T20:27:00.000-05:00

7 décembre, 2010 : Étudiante à l'Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Mélina Castonguay a décidé à 20 ans de se lancer dans la pratique sage-femme. Mélina nous explique la nature de la pratique au Québec, son parcours de jeune femme impliquée, allant de la radio étudiante à son stage au Guatemala.

Pour plus d'informations sur la pratique sage-femme à l'UQTR, visitez leur site.

Téléchargez l'épisode du 7 décembre, 2010 ou écoutez-le ci-dessous :

État d'Urgence

2010-12-13T17:27:00.000-05:00

23 novembre, 2010 : L'émission tourne autour du festival État d'Urgence qui a eu lieu du 26-28 novembre à Montréal :

Emily Laliberté, adjointe à la production artistique pour l'ATSA, explique ce qu'est le festival, nous rappelant sa vocation artistique faite pour les gens de la rue et pour encourager le rapprochement les gens de la communauté. Éric Cusson du Sac-à-Dos nous parle de la réalité de vivre dans la rue et les mythes qui y sont associés.

Pénélope Boudreau, infirmière avec Médecins du Monde, continue sur les particularités des soins de santé qui touchent l'itinérance et pour le festval. En effet, au moins trois organismes sont sur place pour prodiguer différents services de santé: Médecins du Monde, Médecins aux Pieds Nus et les secouristes-bénévoles de la division 484 de l'Ambulance Saint-Jean.

Nous écoutons aussi un extrait de "La question à 100 piasses" de Bernard Adamus. Téléchargez l'épisode du 23 novembre, 2010 ou écoutez-le ci-dessous :

Dr Tadataka Yamada on Innovations in Global Health

2010-11-25T16:27:00.000-05:00

November 9, 2010: Dr Tadataka Yamada, President of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Global Health Program, recently gave the 34th Annual Osler Lecture titled "Perspectives on Global Health".

He spoke in particular about the history of malaria research and the innovations that revolutionized its treatment, and used this as an example of the need for new technologies and new delivery mechanisms to help solve global health problems.

Download the Nov 9, 2010 episode or stream it in the player below:

Sub-Saharan pediatric health with Dr Dan Poenaru

2010-11-23T14:27:00.000-05:00

November 2, 2010: This week we chat with Dr Dan Poenaru about sub-Saharan pediatric health, and the disease that he sees as underlying all the others: poverty. He also shares his perspective on culture, faith, AIDS and their intersection with health, based on his last 7 years of working as a pediatric surgeon at the evangelical Christian medical mission BethanyKids (based at the Kijabe Hospital in Kijabe, Kenya). BethanyKids works to improve the lives of disables children, and their families. They operate mobile clinics all across Kenya and are a major training centre for pediatric surgeons. You can learn more about the organization by watching the clip below:

Download the Nov 2, 2010 episode or stream it in the player below:

Pan-African Drug Discovery

2010-11-18T12:27:00.000-05:00

November 16, 2010: This week we discover the exiting work of Dr. Eliane Ubalijoro, Professor at McGill's Institute for the Study of International Development. She is helping to create the Pan African Natural Products Library, to repatriate drug discovery to African nations.

Download the Nov 16, 2010 episode or stream it in the player below:

L'intégration québécoise des médecins diplômés à l'étranger

2010-11-04T11:27:00.000-04:00

26 octobre, 2010: Aujourd'hui nous discutons de l'intégration des médecins immigrants au Québec, et les multiples défis auxquels ils doivent faire face. Ce sujet est d'actualité, car la Commission des droits de la personne du Québec vient de conclure qu'il y a une réelle discrimination envers les médecins diplômés à l'étranger.

Téléchargez l'épisode du 26 octobre, 2010 ou écoutez-le ci-dessous :

Health Economics and Social Policy (part 2)

2010-10-27T10:27:00.000-04:00

October 19, 2010: On last week's show we heard from Dr Erin Strumpf about her research into health economics and policy. This week we continue the interview, and discuss the effect of economic forces on cancer screening policies and health outcomes in the US and Canada.

Download the Oct 19, 2010 episode or stream it in the player below:

Health Economics and Social Policy (part 1)

2010-10-20T16:27:00.000-04:00

October 12, 2010: Dr Erin Strumpf is a health economist and health services researcher at McGill. She sat down with us to discuss the rich interactions between the clinical and social dimensions of medicine, as well as the unique role that economics can play in helping us understand healthcare choices.

In particular, Dr Strumpf explains the role of the GMF (Family medicine group) in the Québec healthcare system. Next week we will continue the interview to hear some of the analyses that she has been able to undertake on the GMF's impact on quality of care and health outcomes.

Download the Oct 12, 2010 episode or stream it in the player below:

Pakistan flooding and local relief efforts

2010-10-08T17:27:00.000-04:00

October 5, 2010: This week we talk to Dr Zeelaf Munir about her recent visit to post-flood Pakistan in her role as president of the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America. We also discuss the local fundraising efforts for Pakistan relief.

A local group, the Pakistan Flood Victims Relief Efforts, is organizing a panel titled "FLOODS and EARTHQUAKES, What Now?: The long-term effects of natural disasters on health, society and economic structure in Pakistan and Haiti." The panel, which takes place October 26th at 6:30 pm at the Thomson House Ballroom (3650 McTavish, Montreal), will include

Dr. Shazia Malik, a podiatrist from the MUHC who will join a flood relief team in Pakistan in November;
Rachel Kiddell-Monroe, President of the Board for Universities Allied for Essential Medicines;
Dr. Kirsten Johnson, Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at McGill and an Affiliate at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative; and
Dr. P. Pushkar, professor at McGill University in Political Science and International Development Studies.

'FLOODED', by Montreal artist Cheryl Braganza

Download the Oct 5, 2010 episode or stream it in the player below:

Urban cycling and health in Montreal

2010-09-29T14:27:00.000-04:00

September 28, 2010: This week we explore the health issues related to bicycling in the urban environment, with a special look at McGill's decision to restrict bicycling on campus. We discuss Montreal bike safety with Jacob Larsen of McGill's School of Urban Planning, the coordinator of the yearly Montreal cycling survey. We also get into the health benefits of cycling from Norman King, epidemiologist at the Direction de santé publique, who has also investigated the public health effects of cycling (PDF).

And of course, we play some great bike songs. One that didn't make it was the classic BIXI-booster below. Enjoy!

Download the Sept 28, 2010 episode or stream it in the player below:

Upcoming Panel on BIXI and Public Health

2010-09-22T10:27:00.000-04:00

The September 28 Health on Earth show will be on health and biking. If this subject interests you, you might want to attend the following event:

Haiti, Nine Months Later

2010-09-15T12:27:00.001-04:00

September 14, 2010: We catch up this week with our favourite medical anthropologist and Haiti expert Pierre Minn. Pierre briefed us on the earthquake and its effects on health in Haiti one week after the earthquake and two months later. Now, nine months after the disaster he brings us up to speed on the state of the public and private health care systems in Haiti, the status of the internally-displaced peoples' camps and the effect he anticipates of the upcoming presidential elections.

A woman bags charcoal at the Corail-Cesselesse emergency relocation camp in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, where more than 5,000 victims of the catastrophic Jan. 12 earthquake live in tents. She sells the charcoal to camp residents for cooking. Photo by Portland Press Herald / McClatchy Newspapers.

Pierre has also helped set up an exhibit of Haitian art that will be sold to raise funds for reconstruction. The vernissage is September 24th from 5:30 to 10pm at Espace les 9 soeurs (1900 Wellington, in Pointe-St-Charles). Over 50 works of art will be on sale. Email koreayiti@hotmail.com for more details.

Download the Sept 14, 2010 episode or stream it in the player below:

La planification familiale au Burkina Faso

2010-09-15T12:27:00.000-04:00

7 septembre, 2010: Nous voilà de retour avec une nouvelle saison de Health on Earth sur les ondes du CKUT 90.3FM. Merci de nous rejoindre ! Ce soir, nous discutons de la planification familiale au Burkina Faso avec Julie Désalliers, une étudiante dans la deuxième année du programme médicale à McGill. Mme Désalliers détient une maîtrise en enthologie de l'Université de Montréal, où ses études cherchaient a lier l'aspect médical des contraceptifs hormonaux à l'accès au pouvoir – et la négotiation de ce pouvoir – dans les familles et entre les genres.

Moussa's family in Burkina Faso by Boris Martin

Téléchargez l'épisode du 7 septembre 2010, ou écoutez-le ci-dessous :

Summer Break

2010-07-06T10:27:00.000-04:00

Health on Earth is taking a well-deserved rest over the summer. We hope to see you again in the Fall of 2010!

Feel free to browse our archives on the right and to get in touch if you'd like to get involved with the show next year.

Have a great summer!

Learning From Taiwan's Health Care System

2010-06-30T17:27:00.000-04:00

June 29th, 2010: The Taiwanese health system underwent a massive restructuring in the early 1990s, culminating in the 1995 launch of a new, government-run system with universal insurance coverage. The system covers preventative and palliative care, traditional Chinese medicine, medications, dental care and home nurse visits. It is all linked to a "Smart Card" electronic health record that serves as a clinical record as well as a billing tool.

On this week's show we heard from two McGill students, Jason Tan de Bibiana and Victoria Lin, who recently went to Taiwan to learn more about this innovative system. Along with a group of twenty other pre-medical students, they organized and paid for the trip and met with actors from all sectors health care system. They report back on the uniqueness of the Taiwanese system, and reflect on the differences between it and the Canadian system.

Download the June 29, 2010 episode or stream it in the player below:

Update (13/08/2010): We are pleased to have a copy of the reflective paper written by Mr Tan de Bibiana upon his return from Taiwan. To read it, click on the "Read More" link below:

Jason Tan de Bibiana
McGill University
Taiwan Public Health Exchange

Taiwan’s Health Care System and the NHI (National Health Insurance) Program

The story of Taiwan`s health care system is a fascinating example of a country that has faced the challenges of health policy and reform by learning from its own experience and, more importantly, from the experience of other countries who already made the mistakes and learned the lessons for others to gain from. In 1995, through dramatic reform, the Taiwanese government established the country’s National Health Insurance (NHI) program, which extended universal health insurance coverage to all Taiwanese citizens and legal residents, including 41 percent of the population or 8.62 million people who were previously uninsured at the time (Cheng, 2003). However, these reforms took place only after a period of incredible economic growth AND after Taiwan spent more than 5 years consulting experts around the world, studying the health care systems of more than 10 other countries. As a result, the Taiwanese health care system is now famously described as a car that has been manufactured domestically from parts imported from many other countries (Cheng, 2003). The resultant system is a government-run, single-payer system with universal insurance coverage – much like what we have in Canada.

When we finally arrived in Taiwan after a long series of flights from Montreal, I was still very excited about the opportunity to learn about a health care system that was composed of what were deemed to be the best elements of the Canadian and other health care systems, to observe what was similar and what was different compared to Canada, and to find out what the experience of Taiwan had been since the reform and establishment of the NHI in 1995. It was May 2010 and I had just finished the last semester of my undergrad at McGill University. My most interesting and challenging class of the term was an epidemiology course on the economics of health care and, as a result, I was doing my best to keep up with the health care issues close to home. The US health reform debate was raging on and one of my good friends was just about to finish editing her documentary on the topic when US President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law on March 23, 2010 (Stolberg & Pear, 2010) and she had to update her final cut to cover this historic development. Various Canadian health care controversies also made the news headlines: Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams flew down to Florida in February for cardiac surgery which he actually could received in Toronto (Blackwell, 2010) and in the latest provincial budget, Quebec was trying to sneak in what sounded like a user fee for health care (Séguin, 2010).

During our 2-week trip in Taiwan, we attended two formal lectures given by professors from leading universities on the topic of the NHI, but we were also able to learn a lot about the country’s health care system by talking to doctors, nurses, medical students, and generally, everyone else that we met. Taiwan’s health care system is very impressive in many respects. It has been successful in extending universal coverage for the whole population; there is compulsory enrolment for all citizens and legal residents and close to 99 percent of the population has enrolled in the NHI program (Underwood, 2009). Before the establishment of the NHI, the majority of those who were uninsured were young children and the elderly (Cheng, 2003). Unlike in Canada, where we are used to paying for prescription drugs, dental, eye care and other services not covered by OHIP, RAMQ, or another provincial health insurance provider either out of our own pocket or through supplemental health insurance, health insurance coverage in Taiwan is more comprehensive and includes a benefit package for preventive and medical services, prescription drugs, traditional Chinese medicine, home nurse visits, and dental care (Hsiao, 2003). Individuals are free to choose between many different health care providers and are generally able to see a doctor on the same day. Taiwan spends roughly 6 percent of its GDP on health care (compared to 16 percent in the US) (Underwood, 2009) and – largely as a result of a unified system of electronic health recording that uses a ‘Smart Card’ to track patients’ health care usage and report claims back to the NHI – it has one of the lowest administration costs for a single payer system at approximately 2 percent of its total budget (Lu & Hsiao, 2003). Most importantly, the population is overall quite healthy – Life expectancy at birth is 75.34 years for males and 81.2 years for females (Central Intelligence Agency, 2010) – and happy with the system – from 2001-2008, public approval ratings of the NHI ranged from 60 percent to 80 percent (Chao, 2010).

There are two aspects of the Taiwanese health care system that strongly differ from my experience with the Canadian health care system. The first is that the referral or gatekeeper system present in Canada, where one has to visit a primary care provider (a family doctor, general practitioner, or drop-in clinic) before it is possible to be referred to a specialist, is absent in Taiwan. Furthermore, whereas this experience generally involves long wait-times for Canadians, Taiwanese people expect to see a doctor within a short time after they walk in to the hospital or health clinic! The second difference is that the Taiwanese must pay user fees and co-payments to health care providers for the services that they receive. The user fees and co-payments are usually only a few dollars, a fraction of the true cost of the service, and the NHI sets a ceiling so that an individual will not go bankrupt because of the fees (Cheng, 2003). In Canada, however, individuals show their health insurance card and do not pay anything at the point-of-service for health care services that are covered.

The one and only experimental research study that examined the effect of co-insurance (user fees and co-payments) on the use of health care services was the RAND health insurance study, which randomly assigned families to health insurance plans with different co-payments levels from 0 to 100 percent, and found that there was a step-wise inverse correlation between the consumption of health care services and the co-insurance rate of the experimental groups (Folland, Goodman, & Stano, 2009). If the results of the RAND study can be applied to the Taiwanese context, this means that the Taiwanese would use less health care services than they do if, like in Canada, there were no user fees or co-payments. At the same time, one could argue that the wait times present in Canada have a similar effect as would a small user fee or co-payment.

It turns out the Taiwanese people use a lot of health care services: 14.4 outpatient visits per capita per year vs. 6.4 in Canada, 129 hospital admissions per 1,000 per year vs. 99 in Canada (Cheng, 2003). It seems that the small user fees and co-payments do not deter most people from seeking health care and since there is no referral or gatekeeper system, Taiwanese people are able to see different doctors as they please. This leads to what people call “doctor shopping,” where a person will visit something like three different doctors at a hospital, a health clinic, and then a Chinese doctor for the same problem in the same few days. People also may go to the hospital for minor health concerns such as a common cold.

As it also turns out, the NHI has been running a deficit since 1998 and expenditures continue to exceed revenues (Cheng, 2003). The NHI is financed by premiums paid by the insured individual, their employer, and the government. Most people who are employed pay 30 percent of the premium, their employer pays 60 percent, and the government subsidizes the remaining 10 percent. The premium-shares vary for different categories of people; self-employed individuals pay 100 percent of the premium while low-income individuals or households are fully subsidized by the government. The NHI also receives revenue from a tobacco excise tax and lottery revenues. Then, the NHI is responsible for reimbursing health care providers for the services they perform and the providers also receive user fees and co-payments from their patients. One of the things that the NHI has experimented with since 1995 is changing the reimbursement scheme for how health care providers are paid. Originally, providers were paid according to a fee-for-service schedule, which encourages doctors to overprescribe drugs, see many patients in a short amount of time, and perform more tests and procedures (because doctors are reimbursed by the NHI for every service they provide). The NHI implemented global budgets for dental care in 1998, traditional Chinese medicine in 2000, primary care in 2001, and hospitals in 2002, so each sector had a set expenditure cap and would be reimbursed at a lower rate for services provided beyond the cap (Cheng, 2003). This is supposed to motivate health care providers to stay within their set budget and stop abusing the fee-for-service scheme to boost revenues. Most recently, the NHI has introduced a diagnosis-related-group reimbursement (DRG) scheme where doctors are reimbursed at a certain rate for different types of patients according to their primary diagnosis. On the patient side, the Smart Card electronic reporting records have been used to flag the highest users of health care services to investigate whether they are unnecessarily “doctor shopping.”

During our trip we heard about the latest proposals to adjust the reimbursement schemes and premium structure. Like most national health insurance plans, the NHI still must find a way to control rising costs and run a financially sustainable program. One of the conclusions that I came to after my crash course on the Taiwanese health care system is that no health care system is perfect. Both the Taiwanese and the Canadian health care systems will face similar challenges and pressure from doctors, patients, and financial constraints in the future. Hopefully we can continue to learn from each others’ experience

Works Cited

Blackwell, T. (2010, February 1). Danny Williams could have stayed in Canada for top cardiac care, doctors say. Retrieved June 2010, from The National Post: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2514581

Central Intelligence Agency. (2010, June). Taiwan. Retrieved June 2010, from The World Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/tw.html

Cheng, T.-M. (2003). Taiwan's new national health insurance program: genesis and experience so far. Health Affairs , 22 (3), 61-76.

Folland, S., Goodman, A. C., & Stano, M. (2009). The Economics of Health and Health Care. Prentice Hall.

Lu, R. J.-F., & Hsiao, W. C. (2003). Does universal health insurance make health care unaffordable? Lessons from Taiwan. Heatlh Affairs , 22 (3), 77-86.

Séguin, R. (2010, March 30). Quebec stirs health-care debate with proposed user fee. Retrieved June 2010, from The Globe and Mail: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/quebec-stirs-health-care-debate-with-proposed-user-fee/article1517624/

Stolberg, S. G., & Pear, R. (2010, March 24). Obama Signs Health Care Overhaul Bill, With a Flourish. Retrieved June 2010, from The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/24/health/policy/24health.html

Underwood, A. (2009, November 3). Health Care Abroad: Taiwan. Retrieved June 2010, from The New York Times : http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/health-care-abroad-taiwan/

Dr Izzeldin Abuelaish on Peace and Health in Isreal and Palestine (Part 2)

2010-06-28T15:27:00.000-04:00

June 22nd, 2010: Our interview with Palestinian physician and 2010 Nobel Peace Prize nominee Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish concludes (listen to Part 1). Having worked in both Israel and Palestine, Dr. Abuelaish is renowned around the world for his efforts at promoting peace and reconciliation between the two countries. In 2009, he captured headlines and hearts around the world in the aftermath of a horrific tragedy in which Israeli bombs killed three of his daughters and a niece.

In our interview, Dr. Abuelaish speaks about his difficult upbringing, his philosophy on life and his views on physicianship. He brings us his point of view on the situation and explains why he is as committed to peace building as ever. He is currently involved with his foundation, Daughters for Life, which promotes health services and education for all Middle Eastern women.

Download the June 22, 2010 episode or stream it in the player below:

Dr Izzeldin Abuelaish on Peace and Health in Isreal and Palestine (Part 1)

2010-06-28T14:27:00.000-04:00

June 15th, 2010: This week, we have the special opportunity of sitting down with Palestinian physician and 2010 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish. Having worked in both Israel and Palestine, Dr. Abuelaish is renowned around the world for his efforts at promoting peace and reconciliation between the two countries. In 2009, he captured headlines and hearts around the world in the aftermath of a horrific tragedy in which Israeli bombs killed three of his daughters and a niece.

In our interview, Dr. Abuelaish speaks about his difficult upbringing, his philosophy on life and his views on physicianship. He brings us his point of view on the situation and explains why he is as committed to peace building as ever. He is currently involved with his foundation, Daughters for Life, which promotes health services and education for all Middle Eastern women.

Download the June 15, 2010 episode or stream it in the player below:

Des infimières québécoises offrent du renforcement en soins obstétriques à leurs homologues congolaises

2010-06-11T12:27:00.000-04:00

8 juin, 2010 : Cette semaine nous rencontrons Mme Luisa Ciofani, infirmière clinicienne specialisée à l'hôpital Royal Victoria et une des participantes au programme Renforcement des compétences des infirmières accoucheuses de la clinique Ngaliéma de Kinshasa. Ce programme, une initiative de la SIDIIEF en collaboration avec l’Unité de santé internationale de l’Université de Montréal et financié par l'ACDI et les hôpitaux du CUSM, CHUM et Saint-Mary's, vise à évaluer et renfocer les compétences des infirmières de la clinique néonatale, ainsi que de créer des liens entre ces groupes d'infirmières francophones.

Nous écoutons une entrevue réalisé par Radio-Canada avec la secrétaire générale de la SIDIIEF, Hélène Salette, dans laquelle elle nous explique les buts et opérations de cette mission, et ensuite nous discutons des questions andragogiques, politiques et sociaux de la mission avec Mme Ciofani.

Vous pouvez téléchargez l'épisode du 8 juin, 2010 ou le faire jouer dans le lecteur ci-dessous :

Feminization of Canadian Medicine: Voices from the Second Wave

2010-06-04T14:27:00.000-04:00

June 1st, 2010: The Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences 2010 took place last week at Concordia University. We attended a talk titled "Feminization of Canadian Medicine: Voices from the Second Wave" on May 29. It was presented by Jackie Duffin, History of Medicine Chair at Queen’s University, and Meryn Stuart, Director of Nursing History Research at the University of Ottawa. They shared stories and observations from their interviews of female physicians and discussed the stereotypes and misconceptions that they faced, some of which persist to this day.

Download the June 1st, 2010 episode or stream it in the player below:

Representation in Canadian Medical Schools: Promoting Aboriginal and Rural Recruitment

2010-05-27T11:27:00.000-04:00

May 25, 2010: This week we take on the issue of representation in medical school. We spoke with Lauren Hamlin-Douglas, a second-year medical student at McGill, who was recently part of a workshop with Aboriginal and rural students to promote professions in the health sciences.

We also discussed the importance of diverse class representation in medical school with University of Alberta medical student Harbir Gill, who helped organize a successful day of action on Parliament Hill with the Canadian Federation of Medical Students.

Download the May 25, 2010 episode or stream it in the player below:

The Role of Electonic Medical Records in Global Health

2010-05-21T12:27:00.000-04:00

May 18, 2010: This week we chat with Dr Hamish Fraser, Director of Informatics and Telemedicine at Partners In Health. We discuss the important role that health IT has played in his organization's work, the cost and value of open-source systems, training users in the developing world, and the potential for syndromic surveillance through the use of electronic medical records.

Download the May 18, 2010 episode or stream it in the player below:

Sexual Identity and Suicidal Ideation Among Montreal Adolescents

2010-05-14T10:27:00.000-04:00

May 11, 2010: This week we chat with Dr Brett Thombs of McGill's Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry and Dr. Karine Igartua, Psychiatrist at the McGill Sexual Identity Centre. They are co-authors on a recent study of suicidal ideation among adolescents reporting "unsure" sexual identity, and explain what that means and why they fear this group might be invisible in current LBGTQ research.

They also mention the work of the Groupe de Recherche et d'Intervention Sociale de Montréal, which promotes tolerance towards LBGTQ people in high schools by demystifying sexual preference. Here's a video from their most recent campaign:

Download the May 11, 2010 episode or stream it in the player below:

Profile: Dr Ranu Dhillon

2010-05-06T13:27:00.000-04:00

May 4, 2010: This week we report on our time at Unite for Sight conference, a top destination to learn from leaders in the global health field. We present our interview with Dr Ranu Dhillon, Health Advisor for the Millennium Villages project in Liberia, who discusses the role of agriculture and commerce in promoting health, as well as his own passion and vision for global health.

Download the May 4, 2010 episode or stream it in the player below:

Maternal and Child health debate in Canada

2010-04-28T13:27:00.000-04:00

April 27, 2010: We are happy to bring you interviews with Elizabeth Pisani and Sharon Camp, who bring us deep insights into the Harper government's plan to focus the G8 Development Ministers' meeting on maternal and child health.

Download the April 27, 2010 episode or stream it in the player below:

Epidemics and the arts

2010-04-22T10:27:00.000-04:00

April 20, 2010: We are happy to bring you an interview by our CKUT colleague Robin Fadden, who talked with director Jefferson Lewis about his recent NFB film, Outbreak: Anatomy of a Plague. Mr Lewis explains how knowing the story of the 1885 smallpox epidemic that devastated Montreal helps us understand the reaction to current pandemics, such as H1N1.

You can watch the trailer for "Outlook" below:

There were also two theatre productions mentioned on the show: The Madonna Painter is on at the Centaur from March 30 to May 2, and The Red Noses was at Concordia's D. B. Clarke Theatre from April 14 to 18.

Download the April 20, 2010 episode or stream it in the player below:

Dr Kirsten Johnson: Global Health Renaissance Woman

2010-04-15T16:27:00.000-04:00

April 13, 2010: Dr Kirsten Johnson has had an interesting career as an ER doctor at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Lecturer at the McGill Faculty of Medicine, promoter of women's health in Ghana, trainer of refugee camp medics in Thailand, human rights investigator in Sudan and author of a widely-cited report on the Destruction of Livelihoods in Darfur. She took the time to explain her journey to us and discuss the passion that drives her efforts.

Download the episode or stream it in the player below:

Family Medicine in rural Québec

2010-04-08T15:17:00.000-04:00

April 6, 2010: This week we visit two physicians at the Brome Missisquoi-Perkins Hospital in Cowansville to discuss life as a Family Practitioner in a rural setting. We thank Dr Allen Phillips and Dr Robert Pincott for their time and thoughtful responses.

Download the episode or stream it in the player below:

The Health of Asian Migrant Workers in Ontario

2010-04-01T14:27:00.000-04:00

This week we speak with Noulmook Sutdhibhasilp, PhD, about the precarious political situation of East and Southeast Asian migrant workers in Ontario and the resulting impacts on their health. Dr Sutdhibhasilp is the Executive Director of the Asian Community AIDS Services (ACAS) in Toronto.

Download the episode or stream it in the player below:

World Tuberculosis Day: TB in the Canadian Aboriginal Population

2010-03-26T12:27:00.000-04:00

To mark World Tuberculosis Day we spoke to McGill medical anthropologist Dr Mary Ellen Macdonald about her recent paper, Urban Aboriginal Understandings and Experiences of Tuberculosis in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

We also recommend reading this perceptive article on TB in Canada's aboriginal populations from the McGill Daily, and hearing the stories of Chechnyan TB patients in the MSF video below:

Download the episode or stream it in the player below:

Back to Haiti for a critical look

2010-03-17T14:27:00.000-04:00

This week we caught up again with Pierre Minn, our favourite doctoral candidate in Anthropology and Social Studies of Medicine at McGill. We spoke with Pierre two months ago, and this week he updates us on the relief efforts underway and provides some analysis of their successes and challenges.

We also read a text by Scott Weinstein, a Montreal nurse who worked in Haiti following the earthquake.

Download the episode or stream it in the player below:

Health on Earth at the MonWHO

2010-03-10T14:27:00.000-05:00

The Montreal World Health Organization Simulation is an annual global health conference in which students take on the role of an Ambassador to the World Health Organization. They learn to work with other nations to develop resolution papers that advocate solutions to specific global health problems.

This year, Ambassadors were faced with a Level 6 pandemic, and Health on Earth was there to catch all the action.

Download the episode or stream it in the player below:

Aboriginal Gastronomy and Nutrition

2010-03-04T16:27:00.000-05:00

This week we were pleased to speak with Manuel Kak'wa Kurtness, chef, culinary professor, host of the APTN cooking program PachaMama (see clip below) and author of the new cookbook with the same name.

We also discuss the headline that 70% of Inuit preschoolers live in food-insecure homes, and the development of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis version of Canada's Food Guide.

The Melansons of Iqaluit, Nunavut Territory
Food expenditure for one week: US$345
Favorite Foods: narwhal, polar bear, extra cheese stuffed crust pizza, watermelon
From the Time Magazine photoessay 'Hungry Planet: What the World Eats'.

Download the episode or stream it in the player below:

For a copy of the recipe mentioned on the show, download the PDF.

Homelessness Marathon!

2010-02-23T12:27:00.000-05:00

The bad news: there will be no episode of Health on Earth tonight as CKUT is dedicating the entire evening and night to the 8th Annual Homelessness Marathon. Broadcast from 40 community radio stations across Canada, the Marathon provides an opportunity for homeless people and their allies to take to the airwaves, and creates a nationwide discussion on homelessness issues and possible solutions.

The good news: the Health on Earth team will be participating in the Marathon! We invite you to tune in live Wednesday morning for the 6am-7am shift as we discuss the challenges and strengths of people living with HIV and HCV on the streets, and of the health professionals who work with them. You can call in (toll-free) during the show at 1-866-594-7729 to join the conversation. We will post audio from the show on Wednesday afternoon.

Update: the audio from our part of the show is now available for download and you can stream it below:

Interview with Dr Rony Brauman, éminence grise of MSF

2010-02-17T12:27:00.000-05:00

This week Health on Earth speaks with Dr Rony Brauman, president of Médecins sans frontières from 1982 to 1994 and current Research Director at the MSF's Centre de réflexion sur l'action et les savoirs humanitaires (CRASH). Dr Brauman discusses the history, politics, challenges, and future of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization.

Here's an overview of the work and purpose of CRASH:

As always, you can download the episode or stream it in the player below:

Valentine's Day Show: Queer Sexual Health

2010-02-10T16:27:00.000-05:00

This week (Feb 9, 2010) Health on Earth talks with Dr Paul Tellier, the director of McGill's Student Health Services, about sexual health issues in the LBGTQ population and the lack of training on the subject offered to health professionals. Nikki and Niall also chat with author, educator and writer Andrea Zanin about the history of leather dykes and the practice of fisting, among other exciting topics.

Download the show here or stream it below:

Physician Resistance to Uranium Mining in Sept-Îles

2010-02-03T12:27:00.000-05:00

This week Health on Earth talked with Dr Bruno Imbeault, the spokesperson for a group of 23 physicians from Sept-Îles who threatened to leave the area if a proposed uranium mine was opened.

Cette semaine Health on Earth a rejoint le Dr Bruno Imbeault, porte-parole pour le groupe de 23 médecins de Sept-Îles qui se sont annoncés prêts à quitter la région si une mine d'uranium envisagée s'ouvre.

Download the show here or stream it below. Télechargez l'émission ou écoutez ci-dessous :

Health and Law: Upcoming student colloquium and the case of CAMR

2010-01-28T17:02:00.000-05:00

This week, Niall talks with Michael Le Huynh and Ilan Shahin, the coordinators of the upcoming 2nd Student Colloquium on Health and Law. With the theme "Universities as Global Innovators", they are excited about the medical and legal innovations that McGill has to offer the world.

Michael and Ilan also interview Prof. Richard Elliott, Executive Director of the Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network, about his group's efforts to reform the Canadian Access to Medicines Regime (including Bill C-393). View more of Prof. Elliott below:

Download the show here or stream it below:

Disaster in Haiti: the earthquake, one week after (January 19th show)

2010-01-19T23:27:00.000-05:00

In this show, new Health on Earth programmers Dominique and Yuxi interview Pierre Minn, a doctoral candidate at McGill who has worked extensively in Haiti. Listen to find out a bit more of what's going on behind the news... amidst the horror, some stories of hope are trickling down the grapevine.

Listen here or stream below:

Also, note that Mr Minn will be speaking at the following panel Wednesday night:

Understanding the Earthquake in Haiti: A Panel Discussion
Wednesday, January 20th, 5:30 pm, Thomson House

This event will bring together a diversity of perspectives to help shed light on the devastating earthquake in Haiti and its consequences. A historian, a social worker and an anthropologist will provide context for the stories and images offered by the media. They will also answer questions and offer suggestions regarding relief efforts and reconstruction.

"The Earthquake's Impacts on Haitian Asylum Seekers in Montreal."
Chantal Smith is a social worker at PRAIDA (Programme régional d'accueil et d'intégration des demandeurs d'asile), based at CSSS de la Montagne.

"Seven Myths About the Earthquake in Haiti."
Pierre Minn is a doctoral candidate in Anthropology and Social Studies of Medicine at McGill University. He recently returned from Haiti, where he conducts ethnographic research on health care, international aid and humanitarianism.

"Earthquakes in Latin America: Lessons from Nicaragua, Guatemala and Mexico."
Catherine LeGrand is Associate Professor of History at McGill University. Her research focuses on the agrarian, social and cultural history of Latin America in the 19th and 20th centuries and cultural aspects of US and Canadian relations with Latin America.

Interview with the Herbalist: Pierre Black (January 12th show)

2010-01-12T20:27:00.000-05:00

In this show, Niall interviews Pierre Black, a lifestyle consultant based in Montreal. he discussion centres around what herbalism is, what it's role might be in the medical process, and how traditional and conventional medicine might best work together. Check out the show here, or find out more about Pierre Black from his website!

Listen here or stream below:

Working for Health and Justice in Kolkata: Not just for Mother Teresa (Jan 5/10 show)

2010-01-05T19:27:00.000-05:00

Listen here or stream below:

On this show we continue our India series, interviewing Harmke ten Klooster, a nurse from Holland, volunteering for Calcutta Rescue, an NGO working in health, education and social enterprise to serve the most socially and economically disadvantaged in Kolkata, regardless of gender, age or religion.

We hear of Harmke's work with people with leprosy, the stigma it still carries in India and how Calcutta Rescue works to empower the people it serves with a Fair Trade handicrafts program.

Harmke also discusses the rewards and challenges of working as a western-trained nurse in a low-resource setting, sharing valuable tips for nursing and medical students thinking of volunteering abroad. As well, we hear of Calcutta Rescue's work to reduce arsenic groundwater contamination, and prevent tuberculosis and HIV spread, and fight the growing type II diabetes epidemic.

To volunteer with or donate to Calcutta Rescue, check out www.calcuttarescue.org or get involved with the Canadian chapter!

Global mental health

2009-12-18T12:27:00.000-05:00

On the December 15th show of Health on Earth, we interview Dr Lorin Young (3rd year Psychiatry resident) about global mental health.

Download the show here or listen to it in the player below:

Healthy Holidays from Health on Earth!

2009-12-14T12:27:00.000-05:00

To celebrate the Holidays, the Health on Earth team has prepared a "Healthy Holidays" show to showcase gifts you can give to promote your loved ones' health.

Download the show here or listen to it in the player below:

Dr Thomas Pogge and the Health Impact Fund

2009-11-12T12:27:00.000-05:00

Dr Thomas Pogge spoke at McGill recently about his proposed Health Impact Fund, which aims to be "an optional mechanism that offers pharmaceutical innovators a supplementary reward based on the health impact of their products, if they agree to sell those products at cost."

In this week's show Niall gives an overview of the main points of the lecture, reviews some of the skeptical critiques of the Fund, and discusses the role of public universities in drug development with Dr Pogge. Download the show here or listen to it in the player below:

Architectes de l'urgence work to improve health in Kitcisakik

2009-10-28T11:27:00.000-04:00

Architectes de l'urgence are a group of volunteer architects working around the world to improve health and living conditions. Their Canadian arm is based in Québec, and has an interesting project underway in Kitcisakik, a community close to Val-D'Or. There they are helping to build homes that are sanitary and energy-efficient. They are working closely with the band council, and are training local residents as they go.

On this week's show, we talked to Architectes de l'urgence President Bernard McNamara and General Manager Chantal Giard about the intersections of health, politics and architecture. Download the show here or listen to it in the player below:

Dr Carol Herbert on Participatory Research, PLUS: Funding Drive! (Oct 20/09 show)

2009-10-21T23:27:00.000-04:00

On this week's show we interview Dr Carol Herbert, Dean of the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Western Ontario. She talks to us about the moral and academic imperatives driving participatory research, and discusses the ethical elements that she has seen arise.

Listen to the show here or in the player below:

Also, it is Funding Drive week at CKUT! Please support our station by visiting www.ckut.ca and donating in the name of Health on Earth.

You'll be eligible for a bunch of cool prizes, and will receive a free CD with any gift of $25 or more. Keep supporting CKUT, and keep listening to Health on Earth!

Karate-chop sex trade workers and the right to be gay in India (Oct 13/09 show)

2009-10-13T21:27:00.000-04:00

Listen here or in the player below:

On this week's show, the second part of our India series, I interview sex trade workers in Chennai, India, trained in karateat the Indian Community Welfare Organization, learning how their training has helped them stand up to men, look after themselves and empower their kids to get educated.

Interviewing the program founder, Mr. A.J.Hariharan, we hear of the successes and challenges of social justice work in India. The same day I was doing the interview there-- July 2, 2009-- the Delhi high court legalized homosexuality-- tune in to hear comments from some of the country's leading HIV and gay rights activists.

Produced by Alex with Niall working the boards.

Oct 6 2009: Participatory Research in Ecuador

2009-10-06T22:27:00.000-04:00

Join Niall and Lilyanna for a discussion of the ongoing Family Medicine participatory research project in rural Ecuador! Participatory research is a research method that allows the community to set the researcher's agenda. Listen here for a discussion of how that works, and whether or not you can actually get parasites from Ecuadorian chocolates....

The H1N1 pandemic "September 29th show"

2009-09-29T20:07:00.000-04:00

I had the chance to interview head of global health at McGill Dr. Timothy Brewer about the H1N1 flu and its eminent arrival in the fall.
Listen here!

Diabetes in India: Perspectives from Chennai (Sept 15/09 show)

2009-09-15T20:27:00.000-04:00

Listen here.

The India series, with interviews collected during one of our journalist's travels through the sub-continent, kicks off with a profile of one of the country's lead diabetologists, Dr. Mohan.

Dr. Mohan's Diabetes Specialties Centre's pioneering integrated approach to treating type II diabetes and its complications has created a model touted by the World Health Organization to use across the world. In Chennai, there are six centres run under Dr. Mohan's guidance as well as a rural outreach program.

As the world's diabetes capital with over 35 million diabetics (projected to double by 2030), there's a lot to learn from how Dr. Mohan is tackling the issue in India.

And it's killing people who don't have access to treatment. The World Diabetes Foundation estimates that worldwide, over 3.5 million people die each year due to diabetic complications (more than HIV!) and the rates across the 'developing' countries are rising fast!
Through the interview, we learn of why India faces 'double jeopardy' between infectious and chronic diseases, the shifting urban-rural divide and what promise there is to slow the growing diabetes epidemic in India and worldwide.

Have stethoscope, will travel: The International Center for Diarrhea Disease Research, Bangladesh

2009-09-07T23:22:00.000-04:00

A second year medical student describes the diverse and exciting public health and health systems research ongoing at the The International Center for Diarrhea Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B), and her uncomfortable first steps into the Inensive Care Unit and HIV ward as a medical tourist.

Jennifer worked on "Life on the street: essential healthcare": http://www.icddrb.org/news/index.jsp?idDetails=188

Recent ICDDR,B research revealed the extreme vulnerability of street dwellers in terms of their health needs and health-care seeking behaviours. Street dwellers are people who sleep on streets, railway terminals and platforms, bus stations, parks and open spaces, religious centres, construction sites around graveyards and other public places. They are malnourished, routinely use illicit drugs and experience violence. There is no health service-delivery mechanism specifically tailored towards this marginalized group of people, as there is for other groups like slum dwellers or those living in hard-to-reach areas. As a result, street dwellers rarely access general essential healthcare services.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Dhaka City Corporation, Second Urban Primary Health Care Project, Bangladesh Railway, National Sports Council and non-government organizations, ICDDR,B launched a project to develop a mechanism for providing essential healthcare services to urban street dwellers in Bangladesh to begin addressing these health needs, funded by the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ).

Two paramedics (one female and male) provide these essential health services to urban street dwellers through static and satellite clinics from 6:00pm to 9:30pm in three central locations of Dhaka city. The Dhaka City Corporation provided a room at their Karwan Bazaar zone office for organizing the static clinic while Bangladesh Railway and National Sports Council provided suitable space at their premises for organizing satellite clinics.

A package of essential services – the same as the government’s Health, Nutrition and Population Sector Programme – is being provided to the street dwellers from the clinics at evening time when they are returning from work. All the components of primary health care are included, with a special focus on:

general health
reproductive and maternal health
child health
environmental issues, and
health education.

The services are all provided free of cost, and patient cards provided to all to keep track of subsequent visits.

Canada and Asbestos- interview with Dr. Neil Colman

2009-06-11T13:18:00.000-04:00

Listen here

In this show, I interview Dr. Neil Colman, a respirologist at the Montreal General Hospital. We discuss the potential health effects of asbestos and the global extent of the problem.

Canada exports over 96% of the asbestos it mines, most of that mining occurring here in Quebec. Anti-asbestos activists thus have called Canadian governmental support of asbestos mining sheer hypocrisy, showing dastardly disregard for workers' health in the developing world. Listen to the show to learn more about this issue and develop your own perspective.

Santropol Roulant (June 2 2009 show)

2009-06-10T19:16:00.000-04:00

Join Niall for an investigation of Santropol Roulant, a wonderful community health organization right here in Montreal! Santropol Roulant runs a volunteer meals-on-wheels service... only most of the wheels are bikes! Using food as a vehicle, the Roulantebreaks down barriers between (younger) volunteers and (mostly older) clients, and helps keep people coping with a loss of autonomy fully involved in the community. You can find out more about Santropol Roulant here, or check out the episode!

Unite For Sight: Interview with Joia Mukherjee (June 9/09 show)

2009-06-09T20:37:00.000-04:00

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On this show, we join Joia Mukherjee, the medical director for Partners in Health, an health justice NGO serving populations in Haiti, Peru and Sub-Saharan Africa, whose mission is based on solidarity, using all means necessary to improve health-- from pressuring drug manufacturers to lobbying policy makers, to providing medical care and social services.

With the interview set at the Unite For Sight conference at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, Joia takes questions on everything from the Global Fund to fight AIDS, how to manage health infrastructure and the role of health care students.

Produced by Josh and Alex

Climate Change and Global Health

2009-05-28T07:29:00.000-04:00

Nikki and two brilliant guests talk about the human health consequences of climate change... you can find the show here!

Native Healing (May 19/09 show)

2009-05-19T15:34:00.000-04:00

Interview with Vincent Isaac: Vincent is a Mi'gmaq Native from the Listuguj reservation in the Gaspe region of Quebec, who uses his voice and traditional songs to heal. Health on Earth is pleased to present about 6 songs sung by Vincent Isaac, including a song he learned from Paul Ortega, a prominent Mescalero Apache musician and respected medicine man. In this interview, Vincent shares songs, stories, and words from the elders and people he has met.

Interview by Dorota K. and Phillip L.

Listen here

Impact of Mining on Health: Part 2 in a series (Feb 10/09 show)

2009-02-10T20:37:00.000-05:00

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On this show, we continue our series on mining, interviewing Tara Scurr from Amnesty Canada's Business and Human Rights group.

Tara takes us to Guatemala, where she spent over a year monitoring the impacts of mining operations on indigenous populations. She shares stories from Myanmar and Mongolia, and then travels closer to home, discussing her experiences in northern British Columbia's Peace River district as well as further north in the Arctic diamond mines, where Aboriginal Canadians, despite the purported protection of Canadian law, are faced with impacts of mining on the environment and their health.

Increases in HIV/AIDS, domestic violence and the sex trade-- just some of the added bonuses of mining operations.

What changes are needed? Can mining be made good? What would Tara say to a mining CEO if she had a chance? Listen to this show to find out!

Featuring 'Man in Black' by Johnny Cash.

Produced by Josh and Alex.