Podcast

In this episode of SPARK Conversations, host, Dr. Katharine Smart, and her guests explore the impact of the recent Canadian federal election results on children’s health and healthcare across the country. Podcast guests, Danielle Flieler, Manager, Federal Government Affairs at Santis Health, and Jim Armour, Managing Partner with Summa Strategies Canada, share their perspectives on the cabinet composition and government priorities in relation to healthcare, especially for children and their families in Canada. 

S5 E12 | Meghan Hanley and Steve Read | Big Hearts, Huge Impact: Philanthropy and the Future of Kids’ Healthcare

*Recorded LIVE at #ChildHealthCan2025

What does it really take to right-size Canada’s children’s healthcare systems? In this episode of SPARK: Conversations, we explore the powerful role of philanthropy in shaping accessible, equitable, and innovative care for kids. Featuring inspiring stories and expert insights, our guests unpack how donor dollars fuel breakthroughs, fill critical gaps, and help build a healthier future—one bold investment at a time.

S5 E11 | ‘Remi Ejiwunmi | The Role of Community Hospitals in Right-Sizing Children’s Healthcare

In this episode of SPARK Conversations, we explore right-sizing children’s healthcare systems from the perspective of Community Hospitals that serve children, youth, and their families. Our guest for this episode, ‘Remi Ejiwunmi, Vice President, Shah Family Hospital for Women and Children, with Trillium Health Partners, shares her perspectives regarding the role and impact of community hospitals play within the Canadian healthcare system to ensure every child, youth and family can feel supported, no matter where they receive their healthcare. 

In this episode of SPARK: Conversations, we explore the role of Ronald McDonald House Charities. Kate Horton, Chief Executive Officer at Ronald McDonald House Charities and Karima Karmali, President and Chair of the Board of Directors at Ronald McDonald House Charities discuss the role Ronald McDonald House Charities plays within the Canadian healthcare system to ensure that every child, youth, and family can feel supported both during and after treatment

S5 E9 | Maureen Charlebois | Homecare: A key element of right-sized health systems

In this episode of SPARK: Conversations, we explore the role of home healthcare. Maureen Charlebois, Chief of Nursing & Clinical Officer at Bayshore HealthCare, discussing the importance of home healthcare within the Canadian healthcare system to ensure that every child, youth, and family can feel supported both inside and outside hospitals.

S5 E8 | Dr. Tara Kiran | Right-sizing healthcare systems for kids: Primary care access

In this episode of SPARK: Conversations, we explore the role of primary care teams or healthcare professionals in right-sizing children’s healthcare systems. Dr. Tara Kiran discusses the revolutionary OurCare study, its findings, and implications for addressing the current primary care crisis and ensure that every child, youth, and family is assigned and has timely access to a primary care team or provider. Through this webinar we will also explore how other countries have ensured access to primary care for citizens; what this means for children, youth and their families and the healthcare systems that serve them; and how this could be reflected in Canada. 

S5 E7 | Tatum Wilson | Collective action and Advocacy: Coalitions and right-sizing children's healthcare

In this episode of SPARK: Conversations, we explore the collaborative efforts shaping the future of child and youth mental health care in Ontario. The Children’s Health Coalition, a powerful partnership between Children’s Mental Health Ontario, Ontario’s 5 children’s hospitals, and other key organizations, is working to ensure kids and families get the care they need—when and where they need it most.

Join us as we dive into how this groundbreaking coalition is transforming the mental health system, overcoming challenges, and paving the way for a more integrated and effective approach to care. We’ll discuss the Coalition’s achievements, the barriers they’ve tackled, and the lessons learned in creating a system that works for children and youth across Ontario.

S5 E6 | Dr. Holden Sheffield and Crystal Edwards | Care Without Borders: Strategies for Delivering Quality Healthcare to Kids in Rural and Remote Communities 

Care Without Borders: Strategies for Delivering Quality Healthcare to Kids in Rural and Remote Communities 

Children's Healthcare Canada, its members, and strategic partners have highlighted the need to and catalyzed collective action to right-size health systems for children. Recommendations in the Beyond Bandaids report include a call for the expansion of localized capacity and innovative models for children's healthcare in rural, remote, and Northern communities.

In that same vein, this podcast discusses creative strategies and models to deliver better care for kids living far away from urban centres (including, virtual care, rapid transport, and service partnerships).

S5 E5 | Dr. Christine Chambers | Child Health Research: The Foundation of Rightsizing Child Health Systems

Child Health Research: The Foundation of Rightsizing Child Health Systems

In this episode of SPARK: Conversations, join host, Dr. Katharine Smart, as she engages in a compelling dialogue with Dr. Christine Chambers, Scientific Director of CHIR IHDCYH, about the role and value of child health research in right-sizing health systems for children and youth. They offer insights into demystifying research and explore questions such as,

• How can we work together to increase awareness and understanding of the role and value of child health research?
• What is the value of research to children, youth, their families, and Canadians more broadly?

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

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.

Right-Sizing health systems: The systems-focused Children’s Hospital

Through visionary leadership, health systems focus, population-based approaches, trusting relationships, and creative partnerships, systems-focused Children’s Hospitals create integrated delivery networks purposefully designed to meet the unique needs of children and families. This serves to improve healthcare access, system navigation, and efficiency, and children’s experiences of care and outcomes.

In this episode of SPARK: Conversations, join host Dr. Katharine Smart as she engages in a compelling dialogue with Alex Munter, CEO of CHEO. Alex shares insights from his extensive experience, highlighting innovative strategies and collaborative initiatives aimed at enhancing healthcare access and quality for children across Canada. This episode offers listeners a deep dive into transformative healthcare leadership, inspiring action towards a more equitable and sustainable future for pediatric care.

Beyond Bandaids: Retaining Nurses in Pediatric Healthcare

In this episode of the SPARK: Conversations podcast, Dr. Katharine Smart talks with Dr. Leigh Chapman and Rebecca Earle about nursing retention and the role of the nursing workforce in optimizing children's healthcare systems. They discuss challenges such as post-pandemic burnout and emphasize the importance of the newly released Nursing Retention Toolkit for maintaining a competent nursing workforce. The conversation also explores how the toolkit can be scaled to other healthcare professions and systems, providing actionable steps for healthcare organizations to support nursing staff and improve care for children and families.

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

Children’s Healthcare Canada is committed to creating accessible, equitable, and evidence-informed healthcare systems tailored for children. Over the past two years, they have collaborated with healthcare leaders, clinicians, researchers, families, youth partners, advocates, policymakers, and educators to develop recommendations for these "right-sized" systems. In this podcast episode, Board Chair Julia Hanigsberg discusses the progress made and encourages listeners to join in the efforts to achieve this vision.

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Season 4

Episode 1 | Children’s pain management: A new standard to improve care

• Dr. Katie Birnie, Clinical Psychologist, Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, University of Calgary; Associate Scientific Director, Solutions for Kids in Pain (SKIP); Clinician, Alberta Children’s Hospital

Episode 2 | Integrating Pediatric Social Determinants of Health for Children in Canada

• Dr. Justine Cohen-Silver, Investigator, MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions in the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital; Staff pediatrician, Women and Children’s Health Program, St. Joseph’s Health Centre, St. Michael’s Hospital; Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Temerity Faculty of Medicine; Research Director, Department of Pediatrics, St. Joseph’s Health Centre; Medical site lead, Model Schools Pediatric Health Initiative, Parkdale Public School, Unity Health Toronto.

Episode 3 | Navigating the Child and Youth Mental Health Crisis: Challenges and Opportunities

• Guest: Dr. Javeed Sukhera, Chair of Psychiatry, the Institute of Living (IOL); Chief of Psychiatry, Hartford Hospital; Associate Clinical Professor, Yale University's School of Medicine

Episode 4 | SPARK: Conversations LIVE | Creating Equitable and Inclusive Healthcare Systems for Children and Families

• View live video recording
• Guests:
  • Dr. Nel Wieman, Acting Chief Medical Officer, the First Nations Health Authority in British Columbia
  • Dr. John (JC) Cowden, Professor of Pediatrics, University of Missouri-Kansas City; General Academic Pediatrician, Children’s Mercy Kansas City

Episode 5 | A Pediatric Student-Led Clinic: One model to help right-size children’s healthcare

• Guest: Kiersten McMaster, Physiotherapist - Student Led Clinic, BC Centre for Ability

Season 3

Episode 1 | Getting the Facts Straight: Tackling mis/disinformation through patient-provider relationships

• Guest: Dr. Katharine Smart, Pediatrician, Past President of the Canadian Medical Association

Episode 2 | Healing the Healthcare System: staff burnout, honest leadership, and collaboration 

• Guest: Dr. Katharine Smart, Pediatrician, Past President of the Canadian Medical Association

Episode 3 | Community hospitals: Key to an integrated healthcare system for children and youth   

• Guest: Alison Quigley, Senior Vice-President, Patient Care Services & Master Plan Clinical Lead, Trillium Health Partners

Episode 4 | Health Systems Transformation: Learning from Experts on Ways to Inform System Change

• Guest: Helen Bevan

Episode 5 | Spirit Bears Guide to Reconciliation: Utilizing Jordan’s Principle and the Spirit Bear Plan to achieve culturally based equity for First Nations Children

• Guest: Cindy Blackstock, Executive Director and co-founder, First Nations Child & Family Caring Society of Canada; Associate Professor & Director of First Nations Children’s Action Research and Education Service, University of Alberta; Professor, McGill’s School of Social Work

Episode 6 | Child Health Research: Thinking out of the Typical Health Care System Box

• Guest: Dr. Jason Berman, CEO and Scientific Director; CHEO Research Institute; Vice-President Research, CHEO

Episode 7 | Child Health in the Media: A Snapshot of the Media Representation of Child Health

• Guest: Carly Weeks, Journalist, The Globe and Mail

Episode 8 | Health System Leadership: Leading Beyond Complexities to Effectively Transform Health Systems 

• Guest: Dr. Michael Gardam, Michael is the Chief Executive Officer at Health PEI

Season 2

Episode 01 | Integration of and Innovation in Child Health Systems: The promise and perils of Joined-Up Governance

• Guest: Eyal Cohen co-founded the Complex Care Program in the Division of Pediatric Medicine at The Hospital for Sick Children, where he is Program Head of Child Health Evaluative Sciences in the Research Institute. He is a Professor of Pediatrics and co-Director of the Leong Centre for Healthy Children at the University of Toronto with cross-appointments in the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation.

Episode 02 | COVID, Equity, and Child Health: Vaccines, Passports, and Impacts

• Guest: Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng, Department Head of Critical Care, The Ottawa Hospital

Episode 03 | Learning from Lived Experience: Family Partnerships for Pain and Child Health Research

• Guest: Dr. Katie Birnie, Clinical Psychologist, Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine,University of Calgary; Associate Scientific Director, Solutions for Kids in Pain (SKIP)

Episode 04 | Climate Change: A Child Health Issue Now and Into the Future

• Guest: Dr. Anna Gunz, Paediatric Intensive Care Doctor, Children's Hospital, London Health Sciences Center; Assistant Professor, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University

Episode 05 | Getting the Message Across: Clear Communications during the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Guest: Dr. Sankar, Science Advisor & Community Partnerships Lead, ScienceUpFirst

Episode 06 | More than just a Tick Box: Building Back Better through Family Engagement

• Guest: Rachel Martens, Research Engagement Strategist with the Family Engagement in Research Course

Episode 07 | Child Health and Wellness Research: A Priority to Transform Children’s Healthcare

• Guest: Susa Benseler, MD, PhD; Director, Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute at the Cumming School of Medicine; Strategy Lead, Child Health and Wellness Research Strategy; Cenovus Energy Chair in Child and Maternal Health; Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation Chair in Paediatric Research; University of Calgary

Episode 08 | COVID's Impact on Routine Immunizations

• Dr. Sadarangani, Director, Vaccine Evaluation Centre; Associate Professor, University of British Columbia

Episode 09 | Missed Opportunities Can Last a Lifetime: The State of Infant and Early Mental Health in Canada

• Guest: Dr. Chaya Kulkarni, Director of Infant and Early Mental Health Promotion (IEMHP)

Season 1

Episode 01 | Saying Yes to Less: Resource Stewardship in Children’s Healthcare

Episode 02 | Inspiring Healthy Futures: #WeCANforKids

Episode 03 | Pharmacare Fit for Kids

Episode 04 | Learning Systems in Child Health: Connecting 'What We Do' with 'What We Know'

Episode 05 | Raising Hope from the Ground Up: Building children's healthcare in Canada

Episode 06 | Children's Hospitals of the Future: Creating Conditions for Healthy Kids

Episode 07 | The COVID-19 Vaccine and Canada's Children and Youth