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SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada

SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada

Children's Healthcare Canada

At the crossroads of children’s healthcare, system improvement, and leadership, this solutions-focused, interview-style podcast brings you engaging stories, reflections, and system improvement ideas from leaders in Canadian children’s healthcare.
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Top 10 SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada - Missed Opportunities Can Last a Lifetime: The State of Infant and Early Mental Health in Canada
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05/30/22 • 23 min

Infancy is a developmental period when children are most vulnerable and when they present with the greatest potential. Infant and early mental health (IEMH) involves the social, emotional, cognitive wellbeing of infants and young children. IEMH care aims to ensure every child has the best possible start in life.

Research tells us that:

  • Infant and early child development sets the stage for later development and functioning.
  • Babies and young children who experience adversity are at increased risk of poorer health and social outcomes in childhood and later in life
  • Such adverse childhood experiences influence development of the baby’s brain, the number and type of connections between brain cells, how they respond to stress, and even their DNA
  • Young children are the most vulnerable with the least access to mental health services and supports
  • The development of infants and young children is strongly affected by the quality of their relationships with adults (parents or other caregivers)
  • Love and nurturing can protect against some of the negative experiences of young children

We know what to do. We have the evidence and practice and policy requirements are clear. Changes are required to training and education of healthcare practitioners. Early intervention services must be accessible in a timely manner and responsive to the needs of the child and family. Policy change is required to support at-risk families and involves partnership between families, healthcare, community services, and child welfare. Listen while Dr. Chaya Kulkarni discusses leadership, evidence-informed practice and policy, resources, and educational opportunities to increase Canadian capacity to ensure all babies get off to a great start.

This session will be of interest to:

  • Healthcare professionals
  • Families & Caregivers
  • Social service providers
  • Legal services

Speaker Bio

Dr. Chaya Kulkarni is the Director of Infant and Early Mental Health Promotion (IEMHP). This national organization, at The Hospital for Sick Children, also known as SickKids, aims to improve outcomes across the lifespan through translating and promoting the science of early mental health into practice with families during pregnancy, infancy, and early childhood. Chaya is also an advisor to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, a member of the Strategic Advisory Committee at the Ontario Centre of Excellence on Child & Youth Mental Health, and a member of the Board at Family Day Care Services. Prior to joining IEMHP, Chaya was VP, Parent and Professional Education at Invest in Kids, and has also served as Senior Policy Analyst and Researcher for the Office of the Official Opposition, Queen’s Park.

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SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada - The Pediatric Workforce: Right-sizing the HHR system for kids

The Pediatric Workforce: Right-sizing the HHR system for kids

SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada

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08/26/24 • 52 min

Changing healthcare needs and increasing care complexity among children and youth together with HHR challenges have raised concerns about the current and future availability of pediatric subspecialty care and research and the potential ramifications for child health and well-being.

In this episode of SPARK: Conversations, join host Dr. Katharine Smart as she engages in a compelling dialogue with Dr. Meredith Irwin and Dr. Steven Miller surrounding the HHR crisis, especially within pediatrics. How can we work together to ensure the future of pediatric care can be sustainable and achievable? This episode offers listeners insights into the HHR crisis and how partnerships can offer an inspiring future in pediatric care.
Guests:
Dr. Meredith Irwin
Meredith Irwin, MD is the Chief of Paediatrics at The Hospital for Sick Children, and Professor and Chair of the Department of Paediatrics at the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. She is the first woman to hold these two roles, which she assumed in April 2020.

Dr. Irwin received her MD from Harvard Medical School and completed her Paediatrics and Oncology training at Boston Children’s Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She joined The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) as a Staff Physician (Hematology-Oncology) and Clinician-Scientist in 2002. From 2008-2020 she was the Associate Chair of Paediatrics (Research) and held the position of Solid Tumour Section Head from 2011-2020.

Dr. Irwin’s research focuses on identifying novel genes, treatments, and biomarkers to optimize risk classification and precision medicine approaches for neuroblastoma. She has received funding from the NIH, Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute and CIHR. Dr. Irwin is the Chair of the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) Neuroblastoma Committee.

As Chief of Paediatrics, she is committed to integrating precision child health approaches to research and clinical care and training the next generation of academic pediatricians. She is also the Vice President of the Pediatric Chairs of Canada (PCC) and co-leads the PCC workforce theme team, which is focused on advancing solutions to address the current and future general and subspecialty pediatric workforce.

Dr. Steven Miller
Dr. Steven P. Miller is Head and Professor of the UBC Department of Pediatrics and the Chief of Pediatric Medicine at BC’s Children Hospital. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, holds the Hudson Family Hospital Chair in Pediatric Medicine and James & Annabel McCreary Chair in Pediatrics, and was previously a Canada Research Chair in Neonatal Neuroscience. Leading a multidisciplinary team, Dr. Miller’s research program focuses on better understanding of how intensive care impacts brain development and injury in the newborn with a focus on those born preterm or with congenital heart disease. The goal of his team’s work is to promote strategies to prevent brain injury and to promote recovery with the ultimate goal of improving the lifelong health of children and their families. He is passionate about supporting the career trajectories of child-health researchers and served as President of the Society for Pediatric Research.

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SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada - Beyond Bandaids: Collective Action to Right-Size Children's Healthcare Systems

Beyond Bandaids: Collective Action to Right-Size Children's Healthcare Systems

SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada

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05/06/24 • 32 min

Season 5, Episode 1 | Episode released on May 6, 2024
View on YouTube
Description: Children’s Healthcare Canada, together with our members and strategic partners, is on a mission to right-size children’s healthcare systems, which are “accessible, equitable, evidence-informed, connected healthcare services” purpose-built for kids.
Two years ago, Children’s Healthcare Canada embarked on this journey, engaging children’s healthcare leaders, clinicians, and researchers; family and youth partners; advocates and policymakers; researchers and data analysts; and educators to co-create recommendations to achieve “right-sized” healthcare systems for kids.
In this podcast episode, Children’s Healthcare Canada Board Chair, Julia Hanigsberg, describes this ideal future state, the work undertaken to date, and the next steps. She’ll invite you to join forces to Right-Size together.
Episode Guest:
Julia Hanigsberg joined Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital as its President and CEO in 2015. She has spent her career in government, post-secondary education and healthcare as a champion for transformation, innovation and excellence.
Prior to joining Holland Bloorview Julia spent 9 years at Toronto Metropolitan University prior to which she worked in the Ontario government including roles as Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General, Counsel and Special Advisor to two Secretaries of Cabinet and Chief of Staff to the Attorney General of Ontario.
Julia has degrees from McGill University and the Columbia Law School. She is a four-time Women’s Executive Network Most Powerful Women Top 100 honouree and was inducted into the Women’s Executive Network Most Powerful Women Hall of Fame.
Julia has served on numerous boards, has completed her ICD.D. and currently Chairs the Boards of Directors of Children’s Healthcare Canada and Solutions for Kids in Pain. She is a Vice Chair of the Ontario Hospital Association and sits on the boards of OECM, the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Foundation and the Kids Health Alliance. In addition, she serves on the CEO Committee of the Toronto Academic Health Sciences Network and she was appointed by the Ontario Ministry of Health to the Governing Council of the Provincial Council for Maternal and Child Health.

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SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada - Saying Yes to Less: Resource Stewardship in Children’s Healthcare

Saying Yes to Less: Resource Stewardship in Children’s Healthcare

SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada

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01/11/21 • 21 min

To come...

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SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada - SPARK Conversations - S5E5 - Dr. Christine Chambers

SPARK Conversations - S5E5 - Dr. Christine Chambers

SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada

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10/01/24 • 30 min

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SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada - Health System Leadership: Leading Beyond Complexities to Effectively Transform Health Systems
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05/15/23 • 37 min

Description:

Health systems serving children and youth face numerous challenges and complexities. At the intersection of these challenges, health leaders recognize that the answers are not simple and they must be effective in seeing beyond these complexities and leveraging connections that will help them to intentionally drive their system. As health care becomes more integrated, the capacity to create connectivity and working with shared interests among stakeholders is key to building influence and creating active change. This is particularly important in health care due to the inter-twined responsibilities, interconnected decisions, and critical outcomes that are involved.

On this episode of SPARK: Conversations, we sit down with Dr. Michael Gardam to discuss how health system leaders can effectively mobilize stakeholders and resources to transform complex health systems and how to motivate and sustain large scale change. From the SARS outbreak to the current COVID-19 pandemic, infectious diseases physician Dr. Michael Gardam has been on the front lines of Canada's health emergencies.As the Chief Executive Officer at Health PEI, Dr. Gardam brings with him a distinguished track record of health system leadership and insight, both in Canada and internationally.

Speaker Names: Dr. Michael Gardam

Speaker Bio:

Michael is the Chief Executive Officer at Health PEI, the health authority that delivers publicly funded healthcare in Prince Edward Island. He is also the Chair of the Board of Directors of HealthCareCAN, the national voice for healthcare organizations and hospitals across Canada. Michael is a pioneer of using complexity science-based approaches to improve patient safety, system transformation, staff engagement and other complex challenges. He has advised organizations in Canada and internationally, including the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield, Hand Hygiene New Zealand, the Irish Health Services Executive and the Maryland Patient Safety Center, the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement, the Canadian Patient Safety Institute, as well as numerous hospitals across Canada.

His interest in physician leadership and organizational culture led him to become Chair of the Medical Advisory Committee at UHN (2015-2017) and Chief of Staff and Humber River Hospital in Toronto (2018-2020). He is also currently the Program Director of the York University Schulich School of Business Healthcare Leadership Development Program, and an instructor for the Physician Leadership Institute of Joule (Canadian Medical Association).

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SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada - Learning System in Child Health: Connecting ‘What We Do’ with ‘What We Know’
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02/22/21 • 18 min

If you ever needed healthcare (or if you work in healthcare) for kids you probably know how fragmented the system is, how long some waitlists are, and how the quality of care often depends on where you live and even who you are. In this episode we discuss how creating a Learning System in Child Health can help begin to address some of these issues at a regional, provincial, and national level.

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SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada - Beyond Bandaids: Retaining Nurses in Pediatric Healthcare

Beyond Bandaids: Retaining Nurses in Pediatric Healthcare

SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada

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06/24/24 • 36 min

In this episode of the SPARK: Conversations podcast, host Dr. Katharine Smart engages with Dr. Leigh Chapman and Rebecca Earle in a compelling discussion on nursing retention and the role of the nursing workforce in right-sizing healthcare systems for children. They explore challenges faced by new nurses in children’s healthcare, including post-pandemic burnout, and emphasizes the importance of retention strategies, as described in the newly released Nursing Retention Toolkit.

The conversation highlights the need for accessible, equitable, and connected healthcare systems designed specifically for children, youth, and families. Rebecca and Leigh share practical insights on the implementation and impact of the Nursing Retention Toolkit, focusing on how it can ensure a competent and adequate nursing workforce for children’s healthcare. They also discuss the opportunities to spread and scale the toolkit for other healthcare professions and across the continuum of children’s healthcare systems, underscoring its potential role in right-sizing healthcare systems serving children.

Join us as we uncover actionable steps that healthcare organizations can take to meaningfully support nursing staff, reduce turnover, and ensure the highest quality of care for our youngest patients. Whether you're a healthcare professional, policymaker, or simply interested in the future of children's health and healthcare, this episode offers valuable perspectives and practical solutions. Tune in to hear our guests share their passionate and optimistic views on addressing these complex healthcare challenges and right-sizing children’s healthcare systems to meet the unique and growing needs of children, youth, and their families.
Special Guests:
Rebecca J. Earle, RN, MSc(A), CpedN(C), CCMP (Prosci)
Lead, Health Human Resources Initiative - Health Transformation; Nova Scotia Health

Rebecca Earle is a highly experienced Registered Nurse specializing in pediatrics, notably serving at IWK Health in Halifax with leadership roles in advanced practice nursing, research, and operations management. She spearheaded the development of a Nursing Strategy and established a Nursing Council focused on shared governance and decision-making within nursing. As the former President of the Canadian Association of Paediatric Nurses (CAPN), Rebecca advocated for child health nationwide and collaborated on advocacy campaigns with Children’s Healthcare Canada. She co-founded "Maritime Children’s Hospice" to establish Atlantic Canada's first children’s hospice, aiming to provide equitable access to pediatric palliative care and medical respite services.
Currently, Rebecca is contributing strategic leadership to Nova Scotia Health's Health Workforce Initiative. Rebecca holds a master’s degree in nursing from McGill University, certification in Paediatric Nursing, and is a PROSCI certified Change Management Practitioner.
Dr. Leigh Chapman, RN PhD
Chief Nursing Officer, Health Canada

Dr. Leigh Chapman has nearly 20 years of experience in nursing, including roles in clinical leadership across various healthcare settings. Her expertise spans critical care, community care, education, and professional associations such as the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario. Recently, she served as the Director of Clinical Services at Inner City Health Associates in Toronto, overseeing nursing programs for people experiencing homelessness during COVID-19. Dr. Chapman holds a Master of Science in Clinical Health Sciences from McMaster University and completed her doctoral work at the University of Toronto, focusing on competency assessment practices in academic hospital settings and the intersection of health professional regulation with organizational priorities.

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SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada - Child Health in the Media: A Snapshot of the Media Representation of Child Health
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03/27/23 • 29 min

Description: The news media shapes our collective mindsets about key issues and what needs to be done to address them. The unprecedented viral surge in the demand of young patients seeking emergency medical care faced by hospitals and healthcare systems serving children and youth across Canada highlighted the immense amount of pressure placed on the pediatric health system. Additionally, long wait times are another issue which can have lifelong impacts on children and are promoting a larger national conversation about how we need to rethink and reprioritize investments in children’s health. Other concerns include erosion in trust of health officials which may be spilling over into lack of routine vaccine uptake.

Recognizing the media’s impact on addressing children’s issues is essential in shifting mindsets and building support for the actions necessary to ensure the wellbeing of children. This podcast will address the role of the news media in influencing public thinking about children’s issues and its effects on the pediatric health system.

Carly Weeks

Carly Weeks is an award-winning national reporter who has been covering health for The Globe and Mail for more than a decade. Carly helped lead the paper's coverage of COVID-19 and its effects on the health system. She also writes about the intersection of misinformation and health.

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SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada - A Pediatric Student-Led Clinic: One model to help right-size children’s healthcare
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02/26/24 • 23 min

Season 4, Episode 5 | Episode released on February 26, 2024
Description: Right-sized children’s healthcare systems provide timely access to integrated healthcare services and require a stable supply of sufficient numbers of appropriately skilled health human resources (HHR). HHR shortages have been long-standing and were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. They have produced long, frustrating, and potentially dangerous wait times, adverse events for children and families, and untenable working conditions for healthcare professionals. In this podcast, we learn of a model that tackles some of the HHR challenges (e.g., lack of pediatric focus in pre-licensure education/experience of some healthcare professional groups), which involves a Pediatric Student Led Clinic. This clinical model provides hands-on experience for physiotherapy students and encourages them to explore pediatric opportunities. Listen in as Dr. Smart chats with Kiersten McMaster, who leads this initiative in collaboration with the BC Centre for Ability and the University of British Columbia. Together, they will discuss this clinical model, its impact on children’s access to healthcare, health outcomes for children and families, and HHR; as well as the potential for its spread and scale to contribute to right-sizing health systems for children.
Speaker: Kiersten McMaster
From a young age, Kiersten had a strong desire to pursue a career in physiotherapy, driven by her interest in human movement and her own active lifestyle as a dancer. Recognizing the importance of physical literacy for overall health, she completed a double major in Kinesiology and Dance at York University before obtaining her Masters in Physiotherapy at the University of Queensland in Australia. She now lives, works and plays in Vancouver, BC. During her studies, Kiersten’s courses in human development sparked a passion for working with children, particularly those with disabilities. She brings her expertise to working with children of all ages, including those with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Cerebral Palsy, developmental delay, and sport-specific injuries. Working from a client-centred model, Kiersten collaborates with families and children to set individual goals, emphasizing the importance of equitable access to healthcare. Through her clinical work, she developed a passion for advocacy, particularly for children with disabilities, leading her to pursue a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Victoria to elevate national standards of pediatric patient care and promote empowerment and positive change. Kiersten is currently leading the first Pediatric Student Led Clinic in partnership with the BC Centre for Ability and the University of British Columbia. This innovative clinic aims to offer physiotherapy students hands-on experience with children and gives them the confidence to pursue future pediatric opportunities. Taking the lead in this initiative has allowed Kiersten to seamlessly integrate her interests in pediatric care, mentorship, and leadership.In her free time, Kiersten enjoys exploring the North Shore mountains, spending time with loved ones, and cuddling with her cats.

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FAQ

How many episodes does SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada have?

SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada currently has 40 episodes available.

What topics does SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada cover?

The podcast is about Canada, Pediatrics, Podcasts, Education, Kids, Health and Healthcare.

What is the most popular episode on SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada?

The episode title 'Child Health in the Media: A Snapshot of the Media Representation of Child Health' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada?

The average episode length on SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada is 28 minutes.

How often are episodes of SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada released?

Episodes of SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada are typically released every 31 days, 2 hours.

When was the first episode of SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada?

The first episode of SPARK: Conversations by Children's Healthcare Canada was released on Jan 11, 2021.

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