I'm Pharmacy Podcast

Misinformation spreads fast—but how do we separate fact from opinion in an increasingly noisy information landscape? In last episode of season five, we dig into misinformation and disinformation in healthcare. We chat with Assistant Professor and Pharmacist Jennifer Lake on the critical difference between misinformation and disinformation and Associate Professor Colin Furness on why expert voices must play a bigger role in public conversations—even as the definition of “expert” itself becomes contested. The discussion also looks at the University of Toronto’s Beyond Borders initiative and how political shifts, particularly in the United States, could shape the future of health research and healthcare in Canada. Tune in for a timely conversation about trust, expertise and the fight against misinformation in public health.

Artificial intelligence is transforming healthcare and research—but how much of it is real progress, and how much is hype? In this episode of The I’m Pharmacy Podcast, host Mina Tadrous explores the practical impact of AI across clinical care, population health, and drug discovery. Featuring insights from Dr. Devin Singh (SickKids), Professpr Laura Rosella (University of Toronto), and Assistant Professor Rachel Harding (Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy), this episode examines how AI is already improving workflows and research, where limitations and risks remain, and why transparency, validation, and open science are critical to building trust.

Pharmacy is changing fast — faster than anyone expected. In this special live episode of I’m Pharmacy, recorded at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, host Mina Tadrous brings together a panel of pharmacists, physicians, learners, and educators to ask a big, urgent question: How do we turn scattered progress in Ontario’s healthcare system into coordinated, collaborative, patient-centred care?

You’ll hear candid stories from the front lines of both pharmacy and family medicine — from the rapid rise of minor ailment prescribing to the immense pressures reshaping primary care. Panelists share what’s working, what’s breaking, and what absolutely must change.

Download now and join the conversation.

A few years ago, a bus full of Americans crossed the border into Canada with Senator Bernie Sanders. They weren't coming for sightseeing. They came to buy insulin.

Unlike the bus of patients heading north for insulin, most Americans can't simply cross a border to escape the system. They live with it every day. How the U.S. end up with the most expensive drug pricing in the world?

In this episode, we discuss the current state of drug pricing in the United States with pharmaceutical policy pioneer Dr. Jerry Avorn, Professor at Harvard Medical School and author of Rethinking Medication: Truth, Power and the Drugs you Take.

Learn more: http://www.rethinkmeds.info/

Trump’s Whitehouse is at war with national funding institutions, pausing hundreds of research projects both nationally and internationally. How are Canadian researchers coping with widespread funding cuts, and who pays the price when science is under attack?

Featuring:

• Bradly Wouters, executive vice-president science and research, University Health Network

• Adam Bjorndahl, associate professor, Department of Philosophy, Carnegie Mellon University

We're baaaaaack! Season Five launches September 17. As a sneak peek of what's to come, we sat down with Dr. Mike Fralick on the Rounds Table to chat about the upcoming season, musings on the future of AI and drug discovery, and whether Mike can hold his own in a 90's-style rap battle.

Check out episode one of our new season, launching September 17.

In the final episode of the season, we continue our discussion exploring the often overlooked consequences of innovation. In the last episode, we focused on the outcomes of new innovation on existing healthcare systems, exploring ethical access and economic influence. Today, we discuss who innovation can leave behind, and why it is essential that medical breakthroughs benefit everyone.

Featuring:

Jaris Swidrovich

Assistant Professor and Indigenous Engagement Lead, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

Founder and Chair, Indigenous Pharmacy Professionals of Canada

Hagar Labouta,

Assistant Professor, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

Scientist, Keenan Research Center for Biomedical Science, Unity Health Toronto

Like a train moving at a fast pace, innovation can feel unstoppable. In many ways, the only path is forward.

But like all good things, we must take a pause to ensure we aren't blinded with the excitement of potential and hope. To end the season, we wanted to use the next two episodes to do just that—pause and explore what we must and should consider as we create this new future with innovations. We'll delve into the ethics of access, probing into who truly owns innovation and whether there are alternative ways to incentivize groundbreaking advancements.

So join us as we ask ourselves—and you—to consider this.

Featured Guests:

Dr. Alison Thompson

Associate Professor, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy & Dalla Lana School of Public Health

Dr. Quinn Grundy

Assistant Professor Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing

Director, World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Governance, Accountability and Transparency in the Pharmaceutical Sector

The internet is full of examples of failed innovations... The Segway, The PalmPilot, MySpace... tech that started revolutions, but failed to scale. This phenomenon is not specific to Silicon Valley. In fact, it is very present in healthcare.

On this episode of the I'm Pharmacy Podcast, we chat diffusion and implementation. What can innovators learn from failed innovatrions to better navigate the healthcare market? Chatting with industry experts, we will explore in the world of developing interventions, and the emerging excitement of artificial intelligence in healthcare.

Featured guests:

Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw

Senior Scientist at The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute,

Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Ottawa

Dr. Muhammad Mamdani

Vice President of Data Science and Advanced Analytics at Unity Health Toronto

Director, U of T's Centre for Artificial Intelligence, Education and Research and Medicine

Professor (status), Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

So you have a good idea... no, a great idea. The science is solid. The tech is exciting. People are interested. Your innovation and its success seems certain. And yet, you fail to make the jump from an exciting idea to scaling up and being successful.

As we explore the art of prototyping, and early launches, we'll explore how these foundational ideas are assessed for market fit. Join us as we explore the intricate dance of innovation and practicality for each prototype. Together, we'll uncover how these early models are pivotal and paving the way for innovation to really take flight.

Featuring:

Dr. Keith Pardee

Associate Professor, Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy

Canada Research Chair in Synthetic Biology and Human Health

Mike Sullivan

CEO and Co-founder, Cubic Health