This article originally appeared as an opinion piece in the Globe & Mail. It can be accessed online by clicking here. How is it that our personal information is so vulnerable to cyberattacks? One attack can expose millions of personal data records, but we are also vulnerable to the privacy policies of the organizations that house…
Humans have been counting since before recorded history. Apparently, even some animals use rudimentary counting. With the ascendance of “Big Data” and the spread of connected digital sensors and monitors, we are automatically counting more and more aspects of our lives. This leads to more and larger numbers. Generally, whether we are measuring potential profit, impact,…
Imagine a future where parents can control the genetic traits of their children. They could carefully select their most desirable qualities, such as hair or eye colour, or an aptitude for swimming or running. Diseases and hereditary conditions like certain cancers and heart conditions, or even colour blindness and male pattern baldness could become virtually…
If you asked a group of monks back in the 13th Century if they thought they would one day be replaced by a machine, I’m sure they would have said, “Are you kidding me? No one has as beautiful penmanship as I do, you can’t replace that with a machine!” Today, when you ask a…
Canada 150 offers an opportunity for all of us to stop and reflect on the great country we live in and the opportunities that exist for us as Canadians. This year for me, it also marks a very special moment in my career: in celebration of Canada 150, I was recognized by the Canadian Nurses Association…
In the latest post on the Michener blog, University of Toronto medical student Erene Stergiopoulos writes about the experience of many Canadians who live with a chronic condition, and the importance of health care professionals to keep that experience in mind. “It becomes easy for us as clinicians to forget just how much daily work…
Competency-based health care education means many things to many people. One thing everyone agrees on, however, is that how and how often educators assess trainees is changing. As the frequency of assessments increase, so too does the potential for appeals, or trainees challenging the outcome of an assessment. Can your competency assessment program withstand such…
“Oh wow, that must be so sad!” “Isn’t it going to be really hard to be surrounded by cancer all the time?” “Are you sure you’re going to be able to handle that your entire life?” These are just a few of the very common responses I have received from friends, family and acquaintances upon…
Since 2010, a number of Michener radiation therapy alumni have been meaningfully engaged in the Canadian Partnership for Quality Radiotherapy (CPQR) initiative. As radiation therapists, working in partnership is integral to our ability to provide safe and high quality clinical care to patients. By finding the means to integrate an appreciation for interprofessional collaboration into…
Open access publishing is an interesting and relatively new business model that’s received a lot of attention lately in academia. As defined by the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, it’s “the free, immediate, online availability of scholarly research articles coupled with the rights to use these articles fully in the digital environment.” Generally speaking,…
