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In Our VoICES

In Our VoICES

By: ICES
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 In Our VoICES is an ICES podcast that takes you beyond the data to meet the people – and hear the stories – that help shape health and healthcare, for all of us. Hygiene & Healthy Living Science
Episodes
  • The Palliative Care Revolution with Dr. Hsien Seow and Sheli O’Connor

    The Palliative Care Revolution with Dr. Hsien Seow and Sheli O’Connor
    Feb 25 2026
    What if reframing palliative care as an early, community‑rooted approach could transform how Canadians navigate serious illness? In this episode Dr. Hsien Seow and Sheli O’Connor discuss how education, public engagement, and patient‑centered care can reduce stigma and ensure more compassionate support for patients and families. Dr. Hsien Seow is the Canada Research Chair in Palliative Care and Health System Innovation and a Professor in the Department of Oncology at McMaster University. He is an ICES scientist who publishes health care research focused on palliative care and serious illness. He is the cohost of the Waiting Room Revolution podcast, and author of the book, Hope for the Best, Plan for the Rest. Sheli O’Connor’s more than 30‑year career in community‑based work has focused on educating, supporting, and empowering people to advocate for themselves within the health care system, including developing an elder abuse response network and strengthening supports for vulnerable older adults. She went on to lead a three‑year Advance Care Planning initiative and, as Director of Community Engagement for Hospice of Waterloo Region, worked to reduce stigma around dying, death, and grief through cross‑sector collaboration and public engagement. Most recently, she founded “Dying to Learn,” a consultation and project‑based business dedicated to building compassionate, community‑rooted approaches to palliative care. Guided by her conviction that “if it doesn’t happen in the community, it doesn’t happen,” Sheli focuses on building compassionate communities where people are supported where they live, work, pray, and play. She holds a Master of Social Work degree in Community Development and brings over three decades of experience collaborating with the public and community partners in creative, evidence-informed ways to strengthen collective understanding and confidence in caring for one another. ICES Research you heard about ICES | Timing of palliative care, end-of-life quality indicators, and health resource utilization ICES | Identification of the physician workforce providing palliative care in Ontario using administrative claims data ICES | Effect of early palliative care on end-of-life healthcare costs: a population-based, propensity score-matched cohort study ICES | Community-based specialist palliative care teams and health system costs at end of life: a retrospective matched cohort study ICES | End-of-life outcomes with or without early palliative care: a propensity score matched, population-based cancer cohort study EPISODE CREDITS:Produced, edited and mixed by Will Mcintyre, Richard Villeneuve and Pop Up PodcastingArtwork designed by Stella-Luna HaMusic licensed through Melodie MusicLINKS:Be sure to follow and tag ICES on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. To find out more about our organization, visit us at ices.on.ca
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    40 mins
  • Leading with Data, Guided by Purpose: Reflections from Dr. Michael Schull

    Leading with Data, Guided by Purpose: Reflections from Dr. Michael Schull
    Dec 17 2025

    How do you guide a research and data analytics institute through massive growth, a pandemic, and the rise of AI? In this episode, Michael Schull shares insights from 12 years as CEO of ICES, celebrating its achievements and outlining the opportunities he sees for ICES to advance health care and health research in Ontario.

    Michael Schull, MSc, MD, FRCPC, is a nationally recognized leader with a track record of driving digital transformation, building national and international research and data partnerships, and organizational growth and sustainability. Prior to joining the Digital Research Alliance of Canada, he served for 12 years as CEO and Senior Scientist at ICES, Canada’s leading health services research and data analytics institute. He is a founding member of Health Data Research Network Canada (HDRN), a pan-Canadian network of health data and research centres seeking to facilitate and enable pan-Canadian research, and past co-director of the International Population Data Linkage network.

    During his tenure at ICES, Michael led major initiatives related to expanding researcher access to new data types, creating a virtual data platform for linked datasets and launching a health AI data and analysis platform. He also engaged the public and communities in the work of ICES to ensure alignment with public values and strengthened relationships with Indigenous partners.

    Michael is a Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto and a Senior Scientist at the Sunnybrook Research Institute. His research areas include health service utilization, quality of care, health system integration and patient outcomes, and evaluation of health policy. His work has focused on strengthening Ontario and Canada’s health research infrastructure for the analysis of large, routinely collected data sets, and creation of new data access models for research and health system evaluation.

    Fluent in both English and French, Michael was born in Montreal and raised in Québec before relocating to Ontario, where he earned a BA and M.D. from Queen’s University. He later completed an MSc in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from McGill University and a Harkness Fellowship with the Commonwealth Fund in the US. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada. He is currently based in Toronto.

    More information about ICES and DRAC

    ICES | About Us | Community of Research, Data & Clinical Experts

    ICES | Applied Health Research Questions | AHRQ

    ICES | Public and Community Engagement at ICES

    ICES | Partnerships & Collaborations | Indigenous Partnerships, Data and Analytics

    Digital Research Alliance of Canada

    EPISODE CREDITS:

    Produced, edited and mixed by Will Mcintyre, Richard Villeneuve and Pop Up Podcasting
    Artwork designed by Stella-Luna Ha
    Music licensed through Melodie Music

    LINKS:

    Be sure to follow and tag ICES on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. To find out more about our organization, visit us at ices.on.ca
    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
  • Putting Housing First with Dr. Stephen Hwang, George Da Silva, and Kefa Omori Mogoncho

    Putting Housing First with Dr. Stephen Hwang, George Da Silva, and Kefa Omori Mogoncho
    Dec 10 2025
    What does the Housing First program reveal about ending homelessness in Canada— and what challenges remain? In this episode, we explore how the Housing First program fits into the bigger picture, why long-term stability goes beyond shelter, and what comprehensive supports are needed to address the root causes of homelessness.Dr. Stephen Hwang is Director of St. Michael’s Hospital’s MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, Canada’s largest research centre focused on health equity and the social determinants of health. He is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto and has worked as a physician serving patients experiencing homelessness for more than 3 decades. Dr. Hwang is a Senior Adjunct Scientist at ICES and a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Homelessness, Housing and Health, leading a research team that develops and evaluates interventions to end chronic homelessness and improve the health of homeless individuals.George Da Silva is a 61-year-old gay male who has been living with HIV for over 25 years. His 18-year relationship culminated in marriage but ended in divorce after suffering years of intimate partner violence. For over 30 years George worked as a director for a major insurance company but felt unable to disclose his HIV status or seek help for his marital issues. Stress and fear cost him dearly but he has since reached out for support and care that changed his life for the better. George draws strength from his community and is empowered by being open and upfront about his HIV status. He is a peer research associate on multiple studies, an advocate, a volunteer and supports others living with HIV by sharing his life experiences.Kefa Omori Mogoncho is a multidisciplinary professional whose work spans finance, community development, and public health research. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from KCA University (Kenya) and a Diploma in Community Developmental Service Work from Oxford College (Canada), combining financial acumen with a deep commitment to social impact, addressing poverty and community empowerment. Kefa is a dedicated peer researcher who leverages his knowledge and lived experience to inform research, advocacy, and program design aimed at addressing homelessness. His primary interests focus on homelessness prevention, immigrant homelessness, and mental health. He has contributed as a peer researcher to different initiatives focused on housing, health equity, and the social determinants of health. Currently, he is sharing his lived experiences towards the design of a Recuperative Health Space project for unhoused patients discharged from the hospital, as well as providing his feedback on research and evaluation projects especially from the Homelessness, Housing and Health team at MAP. Beyond research and advocacy, Kefa is an active member of Toronto Street Soccer, an initiative that fosters inclusion and community among individuals experiencing social and economic exclusion, including those who are unhoused and newcomers. Driven by a strong sense of justice, Kefa identifies as a passionate human rights advocate, committed to promoting social equity, financial inclusion and amplifying the voices of marginalized populations, particularly people experiencing homelessness. ICES Research you heard aboutICES | Housing and support intervention and mortality among homeless adults with mental illnesses: a secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trialICES | The long-term effects of a Housing First intervention on primary care and non-primary care physician visits among homeless adults with mental illness: a 7-year RCT follow-upICES | Effect of a housing intervention on major cardiovascular events among homeless adults with mental illness EPISODE CREDITS:Produced, edited and mixed by Will Mcintyre, Richard Villeneuve and Pop Up PodcastingArtwork designed by Stella-Luna HaMusic licensed through Melodie MusicLINKS:Be sure to follow and tag ICES on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. To find out more about our organization, visit us at ices.on.ca
    Show More Show Less
    44 mins
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