When you were young, did you want to be an astronaut or a doctor? This episode's guests were both. Host Dr. Victoria Lee is joined by Bob Thirsk and Dave Williams, two Canadians who began their careers as physicians before becoming record-setting astronauts and health care administrators. Bob and Dave share how space flight and health care might have more in common than you think, from intense training and robotics to virtual health and a responsibility to take care of our home pl...

It’s never easy to talk about end-of-life care preferences – whether they be for ourselves, a loved one or someone in our care. But understanding what matters most as we journey to the end of our lives is so important. Join us for a gentle and impactful conversation about palliative care, advance care planning and the path to end of life. Chapters What is palliative care? - 00:50 How do patients enter end-of-life care? - 6:28 Advance care planning - 10:19 Medical Assistance in Dying - 19:18 ...

When emergencies happen, our responses need to be quick and coordinated. But from climate events to pathogens and IT challenges, we don't know when or how our planning will be tested. This episode’s guest is Tracie Jones, who manages Fraser Health’s emergency preparedness and the BC Biocontainment Treatment and Training Centre. Tracie walks host Dr. Victoria Lee through recent examples of when our emergency plans were put into action and how we’re preparing for what might come next. Chapte...

We know it can be scary or overwhelming to visit an emergency department, and you may wait longer than you’d like to receive care. We’re here to care for you and look after you – and all the 2,000 people who visit our emergency departments every day. This episode goes behind the scenes of our emergency departments to explore the challenges facing them, how patients are triaged and what contributes to wait times. Host Dr. Victoria Lee is joined by Dr. Craig Murray, an emergency physician at Su...

Bernice Oxley is our guest this week for a conversation about the many ways we use technology to look inside bodies so that we can diagnose, treat and monitor medical conditions. This includes X-rays, CT scans, MRIs, mammograms and ultrasounds. Bernice is a regional director for Medical Imaging at Fraser Health. She takes us behind the scenes of medical imaging, sharing how we performed 13,000 more CT scans and MRIs last year than the year before, what happens during imaging, how to pre...

This episode covers many of the mental health supports provided by Fraser Health. If you visit an emergency department or mental health centre in your community, contact our virtual health service or receive a referral, our teams are here to help you. Host Dr. Victoria Lee is joined by Dr. Anson Koo, Fraser Health’s program medical director and regional department head for Psychiatry and Mental Health. They discuss our community-based and digital services, why we’re seeing more mental h...

People with concerns related to their substance use come from all walks of life and have different treatment goals, so we have a range of services that help us meet them where they’re at. In this important conversation, Dr. Victoria Lee is joined by Dr. Sarah Mark to discuss many topics, including treatment programs, culturally appropriate services and why “resiliency” is one word that Dr. Mark would use to describe the future of health care. Guest bio Dr. Sarah Mark is a co-program medic...

With a heart-shaped body, warm smile and outstretched arms, Fraser, our digital health care navigator, is here to help patients find the right service for their needs. They are just one of our many digital health services we offer to help people find information and support from the comfort of their homes. In this captivating episode, Dr. Victoria Lee is joined by Jennifer MacGregor, and Dr. Amyeen Hassanali to guide us through how artificial intelligence is transforming patients’ and provide...

What do the Texas Hold ‘Em Challenge and prescriptions for exercise have in common? They’re two non-medical examples of how we’re helping older adults avoid frailty and age healthily and independently in their homes. In this episode, Dr. Victoria Lee is joined by Dr. Grace Park and Paramjit Rai to discuss the many home-support programs within Fraser Health that are improving the health and well-being of older adults and providing respite for family caregivers. Guest bios Dr. Grace...

Did you know that we perform more than 100,000 surgeries every year? This episode explores how we prepare patients for surgeries, how we support their recoveries, and everything that happens in between to help them have positive experiences. Join host Dr. Victoria Lee for a fascinating conversation with Dr. Dave Konkin and Dr. Feisal Mohamedali, our regional medical directors and department heads for Surgery and Anesthesiology, respectively. Guest bios Dr. Dave Konkin is Fraser Health’s regio...

In season two, we'll be exploring what happens behind the scenes at Fraser Health to ensure patients receive the best care possible. We’re going to dive into what happens when patients need surgeries and CT scans, how to access mental health and substance use services, and the home-based supports available for seniors. We’ll also learn how our hospitals are trying to reduce wait times in emergency departments and how virtual health services can help you find information an...

When we heard that Helen Bevan was going to be in town, we jumped at the opportunity to connect with her. Helen is one of the leading voices in the world when it comes to health care transformation. In this episode, Helen and Victoria cover a range of topics related to how health systems can provide the best care possible for patients, including continuous improvement of care and services, compassionate leadership and Fraser Health’s own engagement radicals. Guest bio Helen is a leader of l...

Trudy Robertson may not have seen it all – but she’s seen a lot. Throughout a career spanning 40+ years, she’s worked as a licensed practical nurse, a registered nurse, a clinical nurse educator, and now, as the clinical nurse specialist for the Fraser Health Neuroscience Network. In the final episode of season one of The Heart of It, she shares stories from when she was first deployed to the neurosurgical units at Royal Columbian Hospital 20 years ago, and how personal experiences, like her...

Tina Hartnell and Elaine Chu know that food is an important part of disease prevention and injury and illness recovery. They also know that honouring diversity in food preferences is an integral piece of restorative, person-centred care. In this episode, they share their journeys in the field of dietetics – including how their post-secondary education and first jobs introduced them to the link between food consumption and planetary health, and the many ways in which food can positively impac...

Dr. Emily Newhouse and Darryl Quantz have always been interested in the intersection of science and social forces. It’s what drives their planetary health work and commitment to local and global community well-being. In this episode, they discuss how access to education, food, the natural environment and health care is less available to communities most impacted by the climate crisis and how ‘once in a generation’ language can no longer by used when describing extreme weather-related events....

Both Carolyne Neufeld and Peggy Napope know that health care is their calling. In their respective roles – and as nurses by training – they help strengthen and promote Indigenous health and culturally appropriate care, across diverse settings and communities. A large component of this work? Reframing narratives around what it means to be Indigenous, through stories of resilience, pride and joy. In this episode they share how their journeys in health care have been shaped by motherhood, anti-...

Travelling by rail through floodwaters to a town inaccessible by vehicle and delivering medications by helicopter to communities isolated by rockslides – for Dr. Aseem Grover, providing rural health care requires near-constant problem solving. In this episode of The Heart of It, Dr. Grover shares why unrelenting positivity is at the heart of his work, how he balances risk when finding solutions to complex challenges and why he loves practicing rural health care. Guest bio Dr. Aseem Grover i...

As health care organizations across the world grapple with challenges, how can we emerge better, stronger and kinder than before? Marika Sandrelli has worked in community education and development projects for more than four decades. In this episode of The Heart of It, she shares why being a mission-driven person is more powerful than any policy or legislation. She also discusses what pulled her into the health system, why compassionate trauma and resiliency-informed practice (TRIP) is ...

What matters to seniors? And how can deep listening ensure that we are not only meeting their needs, but driving compassionate and connected systems of care? In this episode of The Heart of It, Dr. Victoria Lee is joined by Dr. Akber Mithani for a journey into seniors’ care. He shares how he felt pulled to a calling in medicine at an early age, and how his family and community’s reverence for older relatives and friends drove him to this specialized field. Over the course of their conversatio...

We're thrilled to launch The Heart of It – a new podcast that informs, educates and inspires anyone interested in learning about health care. In each episode, host Dr. Victoria Lee invites guests to take us to a part of – and the heart of – health care, where passion, dedication and innovation drive individual, community and planetary health. In season one, Dr. Lee gets to know her guests through their personal stories. We’ll learn what drives their work, why they love what they do an...