In this session, we discuss the latest evidence and guidance for preventing, diagnosing, and treating Long COVID. We also highlight key points from the 2023 PEER simplified lipid guidelines and review practical tools to help in your family practice. 

2023 Peer Simplified Lipid Guidelines updates

• Dr. Kieran Quinn, General Internal Medicine and Palliative Care Clinician-Scientist, Sinai Health; General Internal Medicine and Palliative Care, Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
• Dr. Michael Kolber, Professor, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry – Family Medicine Department, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB
• Dr. Daniel Warshafsky, Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health at the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Toronto, ON

• Dr. Mekalai Kumanan, OCFP President, Family Physician, Two Rivers Family Health Team, Chief of Family Medicine, Cambridge Memorial Hospital, Cambridge, ON

• Dr. Tara Kiran, Fidani Chair of Improvement and Innovation, University of Toronto and Family Physician, St. Michael’s Academic Family Health Team, Toronto, ON
• Dr. Eleanor Colledge, CPD Program Director, University of Toronto and Family Physician, South East Toronto Family Health Team, Toronto, ON

https://dfcm.utoronto.ca/past-covid-19-community-practice-sessions

Listen to the 70th in our series “Changing the way we work.” With respiratory viruses on the rise, we discuss practical strategies to manage pediatric respiratory illness in community settings. We also hear about the latest updates on COVID-19 from an infectious disease expert.

• Dr. Alon Vaisman, Infectious Diseases and Infection Control Physician, University Health Network, Toronto, ON
• Dr. Tasha Stoltz, Pediatrician, Kitchener, ON
• Dr. Daniel Warshafsky, Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health at the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Toronto, ON

• Dr. Mekalai Kumanan, OCFP President, Family Physician, Two Rivers Family Health Team, Chief of Family Medicine, Cambridge Memorial Hospital, Cambridge, ON

• Dr. Ali Damji, Division Head, Primary Care, Trillium Health Partners and Family Physician, Credit Valley Family Health Team, Mississauga, ON

This session originally took place on January 19, 2024. You can view a recording here.

Listen to the 69th in our series “Changing the way we work.” In this session, we review the latest data on respiratory viruses, tips for approaching these in practice and related vaccines including the new pneumococcal vaccines. We hear about upcoming changes in eligibility for breast cancer screening and the evidence behind this decision. Finally, we reflect on the past year and celebrate the important role family physicians play in the system. 

• Dr. Allison McGeer, Infectious Disease Specialist, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON
• Dr. Jonathan Isenberg, Provincial Primary Care Lead, Cancer Screening, Ontario Health, Toronto, ON
• Dr. Anna M. Chiarelli, Senior Scientist and Provincial Scientific Lead, Ontario Breast Screening Program, Clinical Institutes & Quality Programs, Ontario Health, Toronto, ON
• Maggie Keresteci, Executive Director at Canadian Association for Health Services & Policy Research, Toronto, ON

• Dr. Mekalai Kumanan, OCFP President, Family Physician, Two Rivers Family Health Team, Chief of Family Medicine, Cambridge Memorial Hospital, Cambridge, ON

• Dr. Tara Kiran, Fidani Chair of Improvement and Innovation, University of Toronto and Family Physician, St. Michael’s Academic Family Health Team, Toronto, ON
• Dr. Eleanor Colledge, CPD Program Director, University of Toronto and Family Physician, South East Toronto Family Health Team, Toronto, ON

In this session, we share updates on the latest evidence and guidance for COVID-19. We also discuss how to help patients access mental health resources through the Structured Psychotherapy Program. 

• Dr. Gerald Evans, Infectious Disease Specialist and Chair of the Division of Infectious Diseases, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON

• Dr. Paul Kurdyak, Professor and Chair, Addictions and Mental Health Policy Research in the Department of Psychiatry and Institute for Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON

• Dr. Leah Skory, Physician, Barrie Community Health Centre, Barrie, ON

• Dr. Mekalai Kumanan, OCFP President, Family Physician, Two Rivers Family Health Team, Chief of Family Medicine, Cambridge Memorial Hospital, Cambridge, ON

• Dr. Ali Damji, Division Head, Primary Care, Trillium Health Partners and Family Physician, Credit Valley Family Health Team, Mississauga, ON

The Changing the Way We Work (COVID-19) Community of Practice is co-organized by the Quality and Innovation Program, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, and the Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP).

In this session, we will provide general updates, discuss how to approach counselling kids on COVID-19 vaccinations and answer general questions related to respiratory virus season. We also discuss how to approach time management during the respiratory and flu season. 

Panelists:

• Joan Chan, Family Physician, Guelph Family Health Team, Guelph, ON
• Janine McCready, Infectious Disease Physician, Michael Garron Hospital, Toronto, ON

Host:

• Mekalai Kumanan, OCFP President, Family Physician, Two Rivers Family Health Team, Chief of Family Medicine, Cambridge Memorial Hospital, Cambridge, ON

 Moderator:

• Tara Kiran, Fidani Chair of Improvement and Innovation, University of Toronto and Family Physician, St. Michael’s Academic Family Health Team, Toronto, ON

This session was recorded on October 27, 2023. You can view the recording here.

In this session, we provide updates on the COVID-19, flu and RSV vaccines building on information provided in the session on September 15. We discuss the latest on COVID-19 testing and treatment and hear from Ontario Health on plans for a system response during a potential fall surge.  

Panelists:

• Zain Chagla, Co-Medical Director Infection Control and Head of Infectious Diseases Service, Infectious Disease Physician, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, ON
• Elizabeth Muggah, Senior Clinical Advisor, Primary Care, Population Health and Value-based Health Systems, Ontario Health

Host:

• Mekalai Kumanan, OCFP President, Family Physician, Two Rivers Family Health Team, Chief of Family Medicine, Cambridge Memorial Hospital, Cambridge, ON

Moderator:

• Ali Damji, Division Head, Primary Care, Trillium Health Partners and Family Physician, Credit Valley Family Health Team, Mississauga, ON

This session was recorded on October 6, 2023. You can view the recording here.

In this session, we share updates on COVID-19 including current epidemiology for respiratory illness, new variants, boosters and IPAC recommendations. We will also review provincial plans for COVID-19 and respiratory illness prevention and management this fall including the plan for rollout of boosters. 

Panelists:

• Dr. Kieran Michael Moore, Chief Medical Officer of Health and Assistant Deputy Minister, Ontario Ministry of Health, Office of Chief Medical Officer of Health, Public Health Division, Toronto, ON

• Dr. Daniel Warshafsky, Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health at the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Toronto, ON

Host:

• Dr. Mekalai Kumanan, OCFP President, Family Physician, Two Rivers Family Health Team, Chief of Family Medicine, Cambridge Memorial Hospital, Cambridge, ON

Moderator:

• Dr. Tara Kiran, Fidani Chair of Improvement and Innovation, University of Toronto and Family Physician, St. Michael’s Academic Family Health Team, Toronto, ON

This session was recorded on September 15, 2023. You can view the recording here.

In this session, we share updates on the latest evidence and guidance for COVID-19, including the most recent booster recommendations and planning for the fall. We will also discuss system-level strategies and what is happening across the province to support physician wellness.

Panelists:

• Dr. Allison McGeer, Infectious Disease Specialist, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON

• Dr. Mamta Gautam, Psychiatrist, The Ottawa Hospital; President & CEO, PEAK MD Inc., Ottawa, ON

Host:

• Mekalai Kumanan, OCFP President, Family Physician, Two Rivers Family Health Team, Chief of Family Medicine, Cambridge Memorial Hospital, Cambridge, ON

Moderator:

• Tara Kiran, Fidani Chair of Improvement and Innovation, University of Toronto and Family Physician, St. Michael’s Academic Family Health Team, Toronto, ON

This session was recorded on July 28, 2023. You can view the recording here.

In this session, we share updates on the latest evidence and guidance for COVID-19, including epidemiology, boosters and IPAC measures. We also discuss and provide practical tips on how AI can be used to alleviate administrative burden in your practice including the use of AI scribes. 

Panelists: • Dr. Gerald Evans, Infectious Disease Specialist at Kingston Health Sciences Centre and Chair of the Division of Infectious Diseases, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON • Dr. Noah Crampton, Clinician investigator, Toronto Western Family Health Team (Bathurst Site) and Lecturer, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON

Host: • Dr. Mekalai Kumanan, OCFP President, Family Physician, Two Rivers Family Health Team, Chief of Family Medicine, Cambridge Memorial Hospital, Cambridge, ON

Moderator: • Dr. Ali Damji, Division Head, Primary Care, Trillium Health Partners and Family Physician, Credit Valley Family Health Team, Mississauga, ON

This session originally took place on Friday, July 7, 2023. A video recording can be viewed here.

Listen to the 62nd in our series “Changing the way we work”. In this session, we share a short update on COVID-19 and respiratory illnesses in the Southern Hemisphere and answer your questions. We’ll also review common pain points that we've heard from you – and the solutions we’ve begun developing at the OCFP to support you in your practice.

Panelist:

• Daniel Warshafsky, Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health at the Office of the Chief Medical Officer of Health, Toronto, ON
• Mekalai Kumanan, OCFP President, Family Physician, Two Rivers Family Health Team, Chief of Family Medicine, Cambridge Memorial Hospital, Cambridge, ON

Co-host:

• Liz Muggah, Senior Clinical Advisor, Primary Care, Ontario Health; Family Physician, Bruyère Family Health Team, Ottawa, ON

Moderator:

• Tara Kiran, Fidani Chair of Improvement and Innovation, University of Toronto and Family Physician, St. Michael’s Academic Family Health Team, Toronto, ON

This session originally took place on Friday, June 16, 2023. A video recording can be viewed here.