@tarakiran
Family doc @ Unity Health π©Ί | Assoc. Prof @ U of T DFCM π | Scientist @ MAP Centre π | Leading #OurCare to reimagine primary care | Host of Primary Focus ποΈ | Always chasing better care, grounded in data + community πβ€οΈ
Yesterday I posted the 1st of my 2 recent papers with @tarakiran.bsky.social on the #GenderPayGap in medicine. Today I'm thrilled to share the 2nd, done with Dr. Fahima Dossa.
We wanted to see if #WomenInSurgery did different types of work than their male colleagues.
1/8
#Medsky #Surgskyπ§΅
Is this Tylenol-autism mess in the US a ridiculous thing? Yes. Did Canadaβs medical and science community show up in full force this week to fight back against the BS, also YES. Our system is strong and weβre not going to let Canadians be harmed by false health info youtube.com/shorts/zj4sn...
ποΈ Great to be part of the latest ICES podcast to talk all things primary care
I was joined by Sandy Epp, an #OurCare participant, who shares personal stories about her struggles & what gives her hope
Listen to learn more about how we can build a better system:
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i...
I took this photo in a Dutch ED on a Monday night. It was totally empty.
How do they do it? Strong after-hours primary care.
In the latest episode of the Primary Focus podcast, I take you with me as I visit two π³π± after-hours centres to see how it works.
π§ Listen podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/p...
π’ Our latest paper helps explain why we don't have enough family docs to go around.
More and more docs trained in family medicine are choosing to practice in a focused area, usually in a hospital
Full article @annfammed.bsky.social:
www.annfammed.org/content/23/3...
@unityhealthto.bsky.social
ποΈ In the latest Primary Focus episode, we meet Kris Artsβa Dutch practice assistant and, in my view, the secret sauce of primary care.
Practice assistants donβt just answer phonesβthey triage, counsel, vaccinate & more, applying their training in empathy and de-escalation.
π§ www.primaryfocus.ca
New OurCare study in Canadian Family Physicianπ±
We found people with lower income & education are less likely to use or value virtual care.
Our findings emphasize the need to integrate digital tools in ways that closeβnot widenβequity gaps.
Read the full study π www.cfp.ca/content/71/5...
π§ Just dropped: my first-ever audio documentary! I went to the Netherlands to learn how 99% of people get access to primary careβand how we might bring some of those lessons home to Canada π³π±π¨π¦
Listen to Primary Focus wherever you get your podcasts
www.primaryfocus.ca
Here's a small taste β¬οΈποΈ
What primary care can learn from public education, Q+A w/ Dr. Rita McCracken -- family physician, researcher, and systems thinker -- by Dr. Tara Kiran on the "Primary Focus" podcast open.spotify.com/show/1FpGHTV... via @ritamc.bsky.social @tarakiran.bsky.social
Loved this conversation on how communities can lead change in healthcare. We wonβt get to equity without sharing power and listening deeply.
π₯ www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgg9...
What if we designed primary care around Indigenous people β not just added them to a system built for someone else?
In Episode 2 of Primary Focus, Dr. Mandy Buss shares a vision for care grounded in Indigenous ways of knowing and healing.
π₯π
Listen to the full episode: www.primaryfocus.ca
Congratulations to Dr. @tarakiran.bsky.social, St. Michaelβs Hospital physician-researcher, on the launch of her new podcast on a vital topic!
How does your primary care measure up?
Take the new OurCare survey to help shape a better system. It takes 10β15 mins and your responses are confidential.
π www.ourcare.ca/survey
π£ Please shareβwe want to hear from everyone in Canada.
So grateful to partner with @cmadocs.bsky.social on this!
On this Doctors Day, Iβm sharing a short clip from my conversation with Dr. Mandy Buss β a powerful voice in Indigenous health β about what that gap means and how we can start to close it.
Hear more of our conversation on the 2nd episode of Primary Focus
www.primaryfocus.ca
Imagine a world where there are generations of Indigenous doctors. Where Indigenous kids grow up seeing themselves in the people who care for them.
Weβre not there yet. Less than 1% of physicians in Canada are Indigenous β even though Indigenous people make up over 4.5% of the population.
In 2022, OurCare found over 1 in 5 Canadians didn't have access to primary care. But what's that stat now?
Take our new survey, share your experience and help us advocate for a better system for all
www.ourcare.ca/survey
The survey is being conducted in partnership with @cmadocs.bsky.social
Hereβs a taste. (And yes, I do think the federal government needs to be held to account for its role in healthcare. I hope you do that at the ballot box on Monday.)
π§ Follow us where you get your podcasts
π¬ And if youβre a real fan: sign up for our free newsletter. primaryfocus.substack.com
Danielle is a long-time friend, colleagueβand yes, my boss. Together we talk about the roots of the crisis, what went wrong, and what needs to change.
We also talk honestly about being family doctors todayβand why we still love this work.
For Episode 1, I wanted to start at the beginning. How did we get to a place where over 6.5 million people in Canada donβt have access to the βfront doorβ of our health system?
So I called Dr. Danielle Martin.
Iβve also spoken with healthcare leaders across Canada and visited clinics doing things differentlyβplus learned from other countries getting better results.
There are solutions. We just need the will to act.
Too many people are struggling because they donβt have a family doctor. Even those who do face challenges getting timely care that meets their needs.
And yetβso many told us they want everyone to have access to high-quality care, no matter who they are or where they live.
This podcast was born from a deep sense of urgencyβand a belief that we can do better.
Through OurCare, Iβve heard from thousands of people about whatβs working, whatβs not, and what needs to change.
Itβs out! Iβm thrilled (and honestly, a little nervous!) to share the first episode of Primary Focus β a new podcast Iβm hosting about the state of primary care in Canada, and how we can fix it.
podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/w...
Podcast graphic for "PRIMARY FOCUS" with Dr. Tara Kiran
LISTEN: Why millions of Canadians are still waiting for a doctor, with Dr. Danielle Martin
βΆοΈ π: podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/w... @tarakiran.bsky.social
π¦π²π² πΊπΌπΏπ² π»π²ππ: CanadaHealthwatch.ca π
How is it that 6.5M people in Canada donβt have access to primary care?
This has to be a federal election issue.
Ask your local candidates: Whatβs the plan?
Watch the full video to understand how we got hereβand what we can do about it.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIAy...
Too many people in Canada are struggling to get the care they need
As a federal election approaches, itβs time to ask what parties are promisingβand push for real answers
Join this important conversation hosted by @theglobeandmail.com on Apr 15, 12:30β1:30pm ET
globeandmailevents.com/election2025
Patients told us loud and clear through OurCare: itβs too hard to access your own medical records in Canada.
This @theglobeandmail.com piece by @chrishanney.bsky.social shows just how outdated and fragmented the system is. Time for change.
π www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...
The #PrimaryCare Crisis: Navigating Canadaβs Family Doctor Shortage. Q+A w/ Dr. Tara Kiran by Michelle Jobin podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/s... via @tarakiran.bsky.social #caregiving
Iβve heard from so many caregivers who are burnt outβnot just from caring, but from navigating a system in crisis.
I joined @caregiverONβs Time to Talk podcast to talk about why primary care matters more than ever.
π§ podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/s...
27% of adults in BC donβt have a family doctor. Team-based care needs to be part of the solution.
Love this piece by my colleagues Goldis Mitra, Thuy-Nga Pham and Ruth Lavergne on how we can move the dial on team-based primary care in BC.
π bcmj.org/premise/movi...
