Our faculty members frequently make appearances in the media as expert consultants or authors. This article summarizes the faculty media appearances that were featured in our Department newsletter in November 2023.
The Toronto Star. November 28, 2023. Featuring Dr. Kwame McKenzie.
Dr. McKenzie emphasizes that climate change disproportionately impacts marginalized and vulnerable groups, who face greater exposure to environmental hazards and lack resources for adaptation, necessitating tools for insight and resources for effective response.
CBC News. November 28, 2023. Featuring Dr. Gail Robinson.
Dr. Robinson highlights the importance of prompt psychiatric care, noting that delayed treatment can worsen symptoms, despite eventual positive outcomes for those awaiting services.
CBC Radio. November 27, 2023. Featuring Dr. Clare Pain.
Dr. Pain brings to light that breaking generational poverty requires comprehensive strategies that include access to quality education, employment opportunities, supportive social services, and policies aimed at reducing systemic inequalities.
UofT News. November 21, 2023. Featuring Dr. Elli Weisbaum and Dr. Trevor Young.
Dr. Weisbaum and Dr. Young demonstrate that mindfulness training for doctors not only improves communication with patients and colleagues but also positively influences their cognitive and behavioral responses to work-related stress, suggesting broader benefits for healthcare delivery.
UofT News. November 21, 2023. Featuring Dr. Tony George.
Dr. George's study finds that prenatal cannabis exposure raises risks for preterm birth, low birth weight, and neonatal intensive care needs, but not birth defects or early infant death.
NewsWeek. November 19, 2023. Featuring Dr. Mahavir Agarwal and Dr. Margaret Hahn.
Dr. Agarwal and Dr. Hahn express cautious optimism about the potential mental health benefits of weight loss drugs like Ozempic for patients with mental health conditions, acknowledging the need for further research to understand their effects and address weight gain side effects of psychiatric medications.
CBC News. November 16, 2023. Featuring Dr. Rachel Mitchell.
Dr. Mitchell explains the need for more regulation and parental involvement in children's social media use, as prolonged engagement with these platforms can predispose them to long-term violent behaviors and impact their mental health.
HealthNews. November 15, 2023. Featuring Dr. Artūras Petronis.
Dr. Petronis highlights that genes affect vulnerability to environmental factors, emphasizing the significant role of epigenetics in the development and variation of complex diseases.
The Montrealer. November 14, 2023. Featuring Dr. Christoph Zrenner.
Dr. Zrenner's research employs Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Electroencephalography for non-invasive, personalized treatment of mental health disorders, offering promising alternatives to medication.
CBC The National. November 13, 2023. Featuring Dr. Rachel Mitchell.
Dr. Mitchell highlights that prolonged social media use is increasingly linked to changes in children's brain function, affecting attention spans, emotional regulation, and susceptibility to anxiety and depression.
The Week. November 13, 2023. Featuring Dr. Mahavir Agarwal.
Dr. Agarwal expresses caution in prescribing semaglutide drugs like Ozempic for psychiatric patients due to the lack of data on its effects in those with severe mental illnesses.
City News OKC. November 9, 2023. Featuring Dr. Anthony Feinstein.
Dr. Feinstein delves into the resilience of nineteen journalists facing global threats, emphasizing the crucial role of moral courage in upholding press freedom.
The National Post. November 6, 2023. Featuring Dr. Sonu Gaind and Dr. Donna Stewart.
Dr. Gaind and Dr. Stewart present contrasting views on the expansion of medical assistance in dying (MAID) for mental illness, with Dr. Stewart open to its potential necessity in certain cases, and Dr. Gaind opposing MAID expansion and emphasizing the difficulty in predicting mental illness outcomes.
CJAD 800 AM Montreal. November 6, 2023. Featuring Dr. Mark Berber.
Dr. Berber focuses on the complexities and impacts of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), highlighting how the change in seasons can trigger depressive symptoms due to lack of sunlight and how simple interventions like light therapy can be beneficial.
The Globe and Mail. November 4, 2023. Featuring Dr. Sonu Gaind.
Dr. Gaind stresses the importance of rigorous safeguards in medically assisted death, highlighting the uncertainty in predicting recovery from mental illnesses and advocating for a careful approach to expanding MAID.
The New York Times. November 3, 2023. Featuring Dr. Mahavir Agarwal.
Dr. Agarwal expresses reservations about prescribing Ozempic for mental health patients, emphasizing the lack of substantial data on its impact and safety in this specific population.
The Washington Post. November 2, 2023. Featuring Dr. Allan Kaplan.
Dr. Kaplan believes that assisted dying should be available in rare cases for people with long-term anorexia who have exhausted available treatments, acknowledging the intense suffering and complex challenges faced by these individuals.
Bioethics Today. November 1, 2023. Featuring Dr. Madeline Li
Dr. Li Dr. critically views the implementation of medical assistance in dying (MAID) in Canada, particularly for mental illness, voicing concerns about evaluation systems lacking clinical judgment, loose interpretations of eligibility criteria, and the absence of necessary safeguards for vulnerable populations, including those without terminal illnesses.
