In Our VoICES

How do you guide a research and data analytics institute through massive growth, a pandemic, and the rise of AI? In this episode, Michael Schull shares insights from 12 years as CEO of ICES, celebrating its achievements and outlining the opportunities he sees for ICES to advance health care and health research in Ontario.    Michael Schull, MSc, MD, FRCPC, is a nationally recognized leader with a track record of driving digital transformation, building national and international research and data partnerships, and organizational growth and sustainability. Prior to joining the Digital Research Alliance of Canada, he served for 12 years as CEO and Senior Scientist at ICES, Canada’s leading health services research and data analytics institute. He is a founding member of Health Data Research Network Canada (HDRN), a pan-Canadian network of health data and research centres seeking to facilitate and enable pan-Canadian research, and past co-director of the International Population Data Linkage network.During his tenure at ICES, Michael led major initiatives related to expanding researcher access to new data types, creating a virtual data platform for linked datasets and launching a health AI data and analysis platform. He also engaged the public and communities in the work of ICES to ensure alignment with public values and strengthened relationships with Indigenous partners.Michael is a Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto and a Senior Scientist at the Sunnybrook Research Institute. His research areas include health service utilization, quality of care, health system integration and patient outcomes, and evaluation of health policy. His work has focused on strengthening Ontario and Canada’s health research infrastructure for the analysis of large, routinely collected data sets, and creation of new data access models for research and health system evaluation.Fluent in both English and French, Michael was born in Montreal and raised in Québec before relocating to Ontario, where he earned a BA and M.D. from Queen’s University. He later completed an MSc in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from McGill University and a Harkness Fellowship with the Commonwealth Fund in the US. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada. He is currently based in Toronto.More information about ICES and DRACICES | About Us | Community of Research, Data & Clinical ExpertsICES | Applied Health Research Questions | AHRQICES | Public and Community Engagement at ICESICES | Partnerships & Collaborations | Indigenous Partnerships, Data and AnalyticsDigital Research Alliance of Canada EPISODE CREDITS:Produced, edited and mixed by Will Mcintyre, Richard Villeneuve and Pop Up PodcastingArtwork designed by Stella-Luna HaMusic licensed through Melodie MusicLINKS:Be sure to follow and tag ICES on Bluesky, X, Instagram and LinkedIn. To find out more about our organization, visit us at ices.on.ca

What does the Housing First program reveal about ending homelessness in Canada— and what challenges remain? In this episode, we explore how the Housing First program fits into the bigger picture, why long-term stability goes beyond shelter, and what comprehensive supports are needed to address the root causes of homelessness.Dr. Stephen Hwang is Director of St. Michael’s Hospital’s MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Canada’s largest research centre focused on health equity and the social determinants of health. He is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto and has worked as a physician serving patients experiencing homelessness for more than 3 decades. Dr. Hwang is a Senior Adjunct Scientist at ICES and a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Homelessness, Housing and Health, leading a research team that develops and evaluates interventions to end chronic homelessness and improve the health of homeless individuals.George Da Silva is a 61-year-old gay male who has been living with HIV for over 25 years. His 18-year relationship culminated in marriage but ended in divorce after suffering years of intimate partner violence. For over 30 years George worked as a director for a major insurance company but felt unable to disclose his HIV status or seek help for his marital issues. Stress and fear cost him dearly but he has since reached out for support and care that changed his life for the better. George draws strength from his community and is empowered by being open and upfront about his HIV status. He is a peer research associate on multiple studies, an advocate, a volunteer and supports others living with HIV by sharing his life experiences.Kefa Omori Mogoncho is a multidisciplinary professional whose work spans finance, community development, and public health research. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from KCA University (Kenya) and a Diploma in Community Developmental Service Work from Oxford College (Canada), combining financial acumen with a deep commitment to social impact, addressing poverty and community empowerment. Kefa is a dedicated peer researcher who leverages his knowledge and lived experience to inform research, advocacy, and program design aimed at addressing homelessness. His primary interests focus on homelessness prevention, immigrant homelessness, and mental health. He has contributed as a peer researcher to different initiatives focused on housing, health equity, and the social determinants of health. Currently, he is sharing his lived experiences towards the design of a Recuperative Health Space project for unhoused patients discharged from the hospital, as well as providing his feedback on research and evaluation projects especially from the Homelessness, Housing and Health team at MAP. Beyond research and advocacy, Kefa is an active member of Toronto Street Soccer, an initiative that fosters inclusion and community among individuals experiencing social and economic exclusion, including those who are unhoused and newcomers. Driven by a strong sense of justice, Kefa identifies as a passionate human rights advocate, committed to promoting social equity, financial inclusion and amplifying the voices of marginalized populations, particularly people experiencing homelessness. ICES Research you heard aboutICES | Housing and support intervention and mortality among homeless adults with mental illnesses: a secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trialICES | The long-term effects of a Housing First intervention on primary care and non-primary care physician visits among homeless adults with mental illness: a 7-year RCT follow-upICES | Effect of a housing intervention on major cardiovascular events among homeless adults with mental illness EPISODE CREDITS:Produced, edited and mixed by Will Mcintyre, Richard Villeneuve and Pop Up PodcastingArtwork designed by Stella-Luna HaMusic licensed through Melodie MusicLINKS:Be sure to follow and tag ICES on Bluesky, X, Instagram and LinkedIn. To find out more about our organization, visit us at ices.on.ca

How has First Nations data governance in Ontario transformed over the past decade? In this episode, Jennifer Walker and Carmen Jones discuss how the ICES and Chiefs of Ontario partnership has evolved—reflecting on its origins, its current impact, and the goals shaping its future. Edit at 9:55: There were 137 boil water advisories at one time across Canada, not across Ontario. Dr. Jennifer Walker is a member of Six Nations of the Grand River with a Ph.D. in Community Health Sciences (Epidemiology) from the University of Calgary. She holds a Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Health Data and Aging at McMaster University and is a Professor in the Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact. Dr. Walker has demonstrated significant national and international leadership in aging and dementia research as well as Indigenous data sovereignty and governance. She is co-Lead for the Indigenous Cognitive Health Program within the Canadian Consortium for Neurodegeneration in Aging, a national CIHR-funded dementia research network. Her research program has contributed to significant advancements in culturally safe approaches for dementia prevention and diagnosis, including the validation and implementation of the Canadian Indigenous Cognitive Assessment tool, and a new transformative project on decolonizing wholistic brain health assessment.Carmen Jones is a member of the Serpent River First Nation and was raised on the Garden River Reserve where her parents live. She has been with the Chiefs of Ontario for 10 years. Previous to becoming the Director of Research and Data Management she held the position as Health Director and Research for the Chiefs of Ontario. She oversees the new Research and Data Management Sector and is overseeing the development of the First Nation Information Governance Centre for Ontario supported by the Chiefs in Assembly. Here portfolio includes implementing the First Nation Data Governance Agreement with ICES and oversees work in research and data. Carmen is a Board Member of First Nations Information Governance Centre, and she has a ministerial appointment to the Ontario Health Data Council.  Early in her career she spent many years working with First Nation communities in the remote north and with Indigenous organizations. She also worked with the Ontario government for about 14 years in various positions in community development, strategic planning, policy development and constitutional matters.Carmen is co-investigator on various research projects such as: Unlocking Health Information for Older First Nations Populations, First Nation Opioid Surveillance, the First Nations Chronic Disease Surveillance study and the Intergenerational impacts of diabetes among First Nations mothers and their children. OCAP Principles Training The First Nations Principles of OCAP® - The First Nations Information Governance CentreLearn more about the COO and the ICES/COO partnershipResearch and Data Management - Chiefs of OntarioICES | Partnerships & Collaborations | Indigenous Partnerships, Data and AnalyticsICES | Applied Health Research Questions | AHRQ  EPISODE CREDITS:Produced, edited and mixed by Will Mcintyre, Richard Villeneuve and Pop Up PodcastingArtwork designed by Stella-Luna HaMusic licensed through Melodie MusicLINKS:Be sure to follow and tag ICES on Bluesky, X, Instagram and LinkedIn. To find out more about our organization, visit us at ices.on.ca

What does the story of mifepristone reveal about healthcare equity in Canada? This episode explores how one medication reshaped care, the barriers that persist, and what it reveals about equity in reproductive health.Dr. Liz Darling is a professor and the assistant dean, midwifery at McMaster University, an adjunct scientist at ICES, and a registered midwife with graduate training in epidemiology and population health. Her research expertise includes midwifery services, novel care models, health equity, access to care, mixed methods, and administrative health data, and she has particular expertise in the midwifery data collected in Ontario’s perinatal registry (BORN-Ontario). Her CIHR-funded research program focuses on how the expansion of midwifery in Canada can help improve equitable access to sexual and reproductive healthcare for equity-deserving groups.Dr. Laura Schummers is an epidemiologist and health policy researcher and Assistant Professor in the Collaboration for Outcomes Research and Evaluation in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of British Columbia (UBC). She completed her doctorate in Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in 2018 and a postdoctoral fellowship with the British Columbia Ministry of Health and UBC’s Contraception and Abortion Research Team from 2018-2021. Dr. Schummers’s program of research uses population-based health administrative data and draws heavily on causal inference methods to evaluate impacts of health policy and practice changes on service use, access, and health outcomes. TK Pritchard (they/them) is the Executive Director of Abortion Care Canada. TK was previously the Executive Director of a regional Planned Parenthood and has held several leadership roles in related sectors.  In other notable work, TK has authored educational curricula, including sexual health and anti-human trafficking programs, and served as a consultant related to trans and disability inclusion. TK is queer/trans/non-binary, physically disabled, neurodivergent, a survivor of sexual violence, a parent and active community member, and brings this lens to all of their work.Research you heard aboutICES | Trends in abortion rates in Ontario, CanadaICES | Changes in local access to mifepristone dispensed by community pharmacies for medication abortion in Ontario: a population-based repeated cross-sectional studyICES | Abortion safety and use with normally prescribed mifepristone in CanadaMifepristone Access Through Community Pharmacies When Regulated as a Routine Prescription Medication | Health Policy | JAMA Network Open | JAMA NetworkLearn more about Abortion Care CanadaHome - Abortion Care Canada EPISODE CREDITS:Produced, edited and mixed by Will Mcintyre, Richard Villeneuve and Pop Up PodcastingArtwork designed by Stella-Luna HaMusic licensed through Melodie MusicLINKS:Be sure to follow and tag ICES on Bluesky, X, Instagram and LinkedIn. To find out more about our organization, visit us at ices.on.ca

What does affirming, respectful, and safe health care look like for transgender and gender diverse individuals- and why does it matter now more than ever? In this episode, we discuss the importance of gender-affirming care and how we can make health care safer and more inclusive for transgender and gender diverse individuals.   Dr. June Lam, MD, PhD, FRCPC is an Associate Scientist with the Institute for Mental Health Policy Research at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. He is also a psychiatrist working in the CAMH emergency department and the Gender Identity Clinic. He completed a Bachelor of Science Honours Pharmacology program at UBC, his medical training at McGill University, and his psychiatry residency at the University of Toronto. He also completed a transitional age youth and transgender health research and clinical fellowship, as well as a PhD program in Clinical Epidemiology and Health Care Research (at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation or IHPME) at the University of Toronto. Dr. Lam's academic and clinical focus is on care for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, particularly using health services research to examine and improve access to mental healthcare for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people. He has developed expertise in mixed methods research, uniquely integrating health administrative data and qualitative research to leverage the strengths of participant lived experience and population-level data.  Dr. Victoria “Tori” Anderson (she/her) is a resident physician, educator, and advocate passionate about creating inclusive, affirming mental health care for gender diverse youth and their caregivers.  She is a senior resident in the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry subspecialty program at the University of Toronto.  She completed her general psychiatry training at the University of Toronto, where she was recognized with a departmental award for her achievements in scholarship in the areas of sexual and gender diversity in mental health care. ICES research you heard aboutICES | From crisis to silence: systemic failures in mental healthcare for transgender and gender diverse people in OntarioICES | Characteristics of transgender individuals with emergency department visits and hospitalizations for mental healthICES | Exploring mediators of mental health service use among transgender individuals in Ontario, CanadaICES | Physician follow-up among transgender and gender diverse individuals after psychiatric emergency department visits and hospitalizations: a retrospective population-based cohort study EPISODE CREDITS:Produced, edited and mixed by Will Mcintyre, Richard Villeneuve and Pop Up PodcastingArtwork designed by Stella-Luna HaMusic licensed through Melodie MusicLINKS:Be sure to follow and tag ICES on Bluesky, X, Instagram and LinkedIn. To find out more about our organization, visit us at ices.on.ca