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Doctors Manitoba Welcomes New President

On Thursday at our Annual Awards Gala, Doctors Manitoba’s President-Elect, Dr. Candace Bradshaw, officially became our new President for 2022 – 23. 

She used her inaugural speech to share her journey to becoming a doctor and the challenges and burnout she experienced along the way.

Dr. Bradshaw steadfastly declared her resolve to support physician health over the next year. ” As a Family Physician who treats many Physician patients, it is an area of great concern to me in this particular moment,” she said. ​“We are in crisis,” she emphasized after noting that nearly half of physicians have signs of burnout, an all-time high. 

She also drew attention to how the medical profession, and the Board of Doctors Manitoba, has changed over time to being more representative. Over just the last 10 years, the Board of Directors has transformed from one in which women made up only 15% of members, to today with over 50%. ​“You cannot be what you cannot see,” she explained. She committed that the medical profession, and Doctors Manitoba specifically, must build on the progress already made on being more inclusive, diverse and equitable. ​“There is much more to do and we are only just beginning,” Dr. Bradshaw promised. 

She committed that Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization is ​“another theme you will see coming out loud and clear from Doctors Manitoba.” While progress has been made in this area, ​“there is much more to do and we are only beginning.”

The year ahead will be challenging for physicians, from burnout to a complicated pandemic recovery, to negotiating a new master agreement and tackling a physician shortage. ​“Doctors Manitoba has a lot of work to do to support our members as we heal from the events of the last 2 years,” she acknowledged. 

Whatever the issue, Dr. Bradshaw was clear about her commitment to physicians and medical learners as she took the reigns at Doctors Manitoba. ​“I say to all physicians in Manitoba, you are what motivates and inspires me. I pledge to you that I – and we here at Doctors Manitoba – have your back, every step of the way forward.” 

Dr. Bradshaw is a graduate of the University of Manitoba and currently works as a family physician in Winnipeg. Her passion about issues that affect physicians as a whole, prompted her to join the Doctors Manitoba board. She believes the medical profession has unique needs, and when decisions need to be made that impact doctors’ practices and personal lives, physicians themselves should play an integral role in that process. 

COVID Updates

Public Health now posts weekly COVID-19 Surveillance Reports on Thursdays. This week’s report, which is again showing​“decreased activity,” covers the week ending May 21. Highlights include:

  • Severe outcomes from COVID-19​“decreased compared to the previous week.” There were 112 hospital admissions, down from 149 the week before. This includes 21 ICU admissions, up slightly from 16 the week before. Hospital admissions have trended down the last couple of weeks, peaking most recently at 264 the week ending April 16. 
  • There were 6 deaths recorded, down from 16 recorded the previous week. There have now been 1,928 deaths related to COVID-19. 
  • There were 537 lab-confirmed cases reported in Manitoba over the week, down from 728 the previous week. The test positivity rate was 15.4%, down from 18.5%

Updated wastewater monitoring trends were also released, with data ending May 12. The monitoring continues to show ongoing COVID-19 activity but with​“a generalized decrease in activity” according to Public Health. A new wastewater surveillance dashboard shows more recent data that finds the uptick seen last week in Winnipeg’s South end seems to have passed. 

Vaccine and Treatment Updates

  • Paxlovid Prescribing: Last week, we provided an update on Paxlovid as access shifts from central referrals to individual physicians prescribing like other medications. You can see our update here, watch a recording of the webinar we hosted here, and see the list of pharmacies dispensing Paxlovid here.
  • Vaccine Booster Eligibility & Timing: On Friday, Public Health announced broader eligibility for second booster shots, and shortened the minimum interval for first and second boosters to four months after the last dose, reduced from six months. See our update here. Note: We have confirmed that the existing advice on immunization after infection remains in place, with the next dose recommended about three months after an infection. Please ensure you order additional doses to meet patient demand. 

Join us Monday! Leadership Through Connection

There’s still time to register for our final discussion in our Leadership Through Connection series, with student, resident and late career physician perspectives next Monday. This series is an opportunity for members to hear perspectives on leadership from their colleagues. Themes will be connection with others, connection with self and connection in balance. Each panel will have a medical student, a resident and an attending physician, and be co-facilitated with a medical student representative and Dr. Ming-Ka Chan, Office of Leadership Education, Rady Faculty of Health. Panel will include a senior physician, resident and student. 

→ Learn more and register.

Monkeypox Alert

On Friday, Manitoba Public Health issued a bulletin about Monkeypox. While there have been no cases detected in Manitoba yet, there are 17 confirmed cases in Canada, with one in Toronto and the rest in Quebec. Three additional suspected cases have been identified in Toronto. Globally, there have been 250 cases confirmed in 20 countries according to a new Oxford University tracker. 

While treatment is largely supportive at this stage, there is evidence that administering the smallpox vaccine after exposure may help to prevent the disease or reduce its severity. This is held in a central national emergency stockpile, and some doses have been sent to Quebec to assist with their response. 

Physicians should review the Manitoba Public Health bulletin which describes symptoms, infection prevention precautions, diagnostic tests instructions and reporting requirements. This is an evolving situation, so it is best to anticipate new and emerging evidence and changing guidance about this virus. 

Ukrainians

On Monday, a plane with 350 Ukrainian newcomers arrived in Winnipeg, the first of several the federal government has chartered to bring displaced Ukrainians to Canada. Many have been living in Poland for weeks or months, and have chosen Canada as a longer-term home. 

We continue to hear from physicians wanting to know how to help. There are two main ways to offer support

Shared Health has created a resource page about health services for Ukrainians arriving in Manitoba. The provincial government has also created a general information page for Manitobans with information about how to help, immigration resources and information for new arrivals.

Last week at our gala, we debuted a video focused on how one Manitoba physician has been providing medical care in Ukraine. Dr. Tamara McColl, an emergency medicine physician at St. Boniface Hospital, has been in Ukraine with the Canadian Medical Assistance Team. We’re maintaining current information at Doc​tors​Man​i​to​ba​.ca/​U​k​raine.

Hear about Dr. McColl’s experience caring for displaced Ukrainians. 

Fantastic Physicians

Dr. Joanne Embree received the 2022 Canadian Pediatric Society Alan Ross Award. which recognizes lifelong excellence int he fields of pediatric research, education, healthcare and advocacy. Dr Embree’s research, clinical practice and administrative roles in pediatrics have been directed to the prevention of infections in children and to minimize the effect of illness to those who became infected and she has been the medical lead for Infection, Prevention and Control at the Children’s Hospital since 1990. Congratulations Dr. Embree!

Last Thursday we held our Annual Awards Gala and it turned out to be our largest in-person event ever! With 500 people in attendance, we celebrated eight remarkable and diverse award winners. Recognizing their work and devotion to the health of Manitobans, especially through the pandemic, was inspiring and uplifting.

See the list of our 2022 winners below, and click on their names to watch short videos about their accomplishments. 

  • Dr. Joss Reimer was awarded the Jack Armstrong Humanitarian Award for delivering vaccine information to Manitobans with empathy and clarity as Lead of the Vaccine Task force. 
  • Dr. Barry Lavallee received a Medal of Excellence for his tireless work transforming health care for Indigenous communities by advocating for self-determination and a system that reflects the needs of Indigenous Manitobans.
  • Dr. Benson Yip received a Medal of Excellence for his trailblazing work as a leader in colorectal care and surgery and his commitment as a mentor, supporting medical learners. 
  • Dr. Marcia Anderson was named Physician of the Year for playing a key role in protecting and advocating for BIPOC communities during the pandemic. She influenced provincial policy for earlier access to vaccinations and targeted outreach initiatives to encourage vaccine uptake in these communities.
  • Dr. Trina Mathison received a Medal of Excellence for her work as a community centered rural physician who practices a broad scope of care for her patients. 
  • Dr. Jai Shankar’s innovative work to transform and improve acute stroke care in Manitoba earned him a Medal of Excellence. 
  • Dr. Dorothy Yu received the Resident of the Year Award for her advocacy for the health of her resident colleagues and for developing innovative clinical initiatives to reduce wait times for psychiatric consultation for patients. 
  • Dr. Brian Postl was awarded the Distinguished Service Award for his long career advocating for health equity for vulnerable communities and championing diversity in the Max Rady College of Medicine to ensure future physicians more accurately reflect the province’s population. 

Do you know of a colleague who should receive a Doctors Manitoba Award? Watch for the call for nominations for our 2023 Awards coming this fall.

Virtual Care Podcast

Statistics Canada has published a podcast episode entitled Doctor’s Appointment? There’s an App for That! Virtual healthcare was a rarity before COVID-19 but immediately after the pandemic hit in March 2020, Canadians were forced to rethink how they access healthcare. Dr. Gigi Osler joined Statistics Canada to explore the barriers to virtual healthcare, the changes we saw during the pandemic, and what’s being done to make virtual care permanent, rather than just a temporary COVID-19 measure. Dr. Osler is the co-chair of the Virtual Care Task Force, created by the Canadian Medical Association, the College of Family Physicians of Canada and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

| Apple | Spotify | Google Podcast | Amazon Music & Audible | Podcast Addict | Player FM | RSS Feed | StatCan website

ICYMI

Here are some important and popular recent updates, in case you missed them:

Upcoming Events

The University of Alberta is offering a hybrid in-person/virtual Foundation Course In Occupational Medicine Part A from August 30, 2022 to May 30, 2023 in the evenings on the first Tuesday of every month. This course is designed to provide knowledge and skills in the areas of occupational medicine encountered in family medicine and other community based clinical practice. It is designed to help community based family physicians manage patients with work-related ill-health issues in their office. 

This group learning program has been certified by The College of Family Physicians of Canada for up to 334.5 Mainpro+ credits. Learn more here and register here or email omcourse@​ualberta.​ca for more details.

Check out our events calendar for upcoming events for physicians. Here are a few highlights to consider over the next few weeks:

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