In Episode 9, hosts Sarah and David welcome friend and colleague Peter Gove back into the studio along with Founder and CEO of ManagingLife, Tahir Janmohamed, to discuss the complex topic of chronic pain. After detailing an unhealthy but satisfying weekend in Detroit (1:15), Sarah and David introduce Peter and Tahir and have them define chronic pain and typical patient profiles (4:16). Then our guests speak to the traditional treatment and suggest the ways it should evolve with the better understanding of the condition we are now developing. (8:50). David asks about the connection with chronic pain and opioids (15:07) and Tahir explains the App his company has built to support patients (18:04).

In episode 8, hosts Sarah and David engage two guests, GSC’s Leader of Pharmacy and Health Provider Relations, Ned Pojskic, and former Canadian Pharmacist of the Year, and keen researcher, John Papastergiou. To start, Ned gets to refute GSC colleague Peter Gove’s assertion that his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Policy is anything but legitimate. (1:10) Things turn serious quickly as Ned defines pharmacogenomics and John tells us about his past research in the field. (3:20) Ned and John then take us through the details of the joint research project that is kicking off this Spring, examining mental health patients who are given a pharmacogenomics test. (9:30) David asks them to describe the best case scenario for the research results and where barriers to using the science may lie. (20:45) Last, David asks John about the role physicians can play, positively and negatively, as gatekeepers to pharmacogenomics. (24:50)

In episode 7, hosts Sarah Murphy and David Willows discuss David’s first attempt to record an interview without Sarah in the studio (1:13). David then introduces podcast guests Ned Pojskic, GSC’s Leader, Pharmacy and Health Provider Relations, and Cheryl Koehn, the Founder and President of patient organization Arthritis Consumer Experts (4:05). David asks Ned to describe Canada’s progress with biosimilar adoption (spoiler alert – it is poor) and what public/private payors are (not) doing to support their introduction into the Canadian health care environment (6:30). Next, Cheryl explains the perspective of a patient organization that supports the adoption of biosimilars (13:55), and discusses the challenges of moving the physician community to new approaches in an environment where originator biologics manufacturers have systemic advantages in reaching physicians/patients (21:30). Ned and Cheryl address the “fear-mongering” that still happens on this topic (25:18), and David ends the discussion by asking whether they are concerned or optimistic about the future of biosimilar adoption in Canada (29:54).

In episode 6, hosts Sarah Murphy and David Willows invite GSC’s health innovation leader Peter Gove back to the studio to discuss financial health and its impact on broader mental health. But first Peter discusses his pride at being a three time podcast guest and the rivalry he feels with fellow team members to maintain his lead in that category. Peter and David then dive into a discussion of the financial health of group plan members in Canada, its impact on mental health, and strategies to help them do better (4:34). David then asks Peter to revisit earlier podcast discussions on mental health and comment on recent headlines that suggested half of Canadians have experienced a “mental health issue” (14:12). Last, Sarah and David introduce the first edition of the Ask the Pharmacist podcast, this one addressing the quality of care in Canadian pharmacies and what the average patient can do to maximize the experience (22:43). 

In episode 5, hosts Sarah Murphy and David Willows welcome to the studio Stephen Frank, President and CEO of the Canadian Life and Health Association (CLHIA). Stephen tells listeners about the CLHIA and how his background as an economist and in the financial industry landed him his gig (@ 5:35). Stephen then talks about the industry’s most prominent challenges in 2017, namely Canadians’ access to prescription drugs and their rising costs (@ 9:35). David challenges Stephen to answer critics of the industry drug pool (@ 12:15), and to describe a path where the cost of drugs can be better managed (@ 15:35). Next, Stephen looks into his crystal ball and predicts the big issues that will confront the industry in 2018 (@22:25). Last, David asks Stephen to identify issues on which the insurance industry is justifiably critiqued and ones for which he thinks it is unjustly criticized (@ 28:51).