The Heart of It

Jun 25 2024 1

The Heart of It Podcast artwork

The Heart of It informs, educates and inspires anyone interested in learning about health care. In each episode, host Dr. Victoria Lee invites guests take us to a part of – and the heart of – health care, where passion, dedication and innovation drive individual, community and planetary health. Through personal stories, guests share what drives them, why they love what they do, what is the impact they see, and how they knew that health care was their calling.

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How we help 100,000 surgical patients have positive experiences

Jun 25 2024 35 mins

Did you know that we perform more than 100,000 surgeries every year? This episode explores how we prepare patients for surgeries, how we support their recoveries, and everything that happens in between to help them have positive experiences.Join host Dr. Victoria Lee for a fascinating conversation with Dr. Dave Konkin and Dr. Feisal Mohamedali, our regional medical directors and de

Season two launches next week!

In season two, we'll be exploring what happens behind the scenes at Fraser Health to ensure patients receive the best care possible. We’re going to dive into what happens when patients need surgeries and CT scans, how to access mental health and substance use services, and the home-based supports available for seniors. We’ll also learn how our hospitals are trying to reduce wai

Special episode: Helen Bevan on improvement, leadership and engagement

Jun 10 2024 19 mins

When we heard that Helen Bevan was going to be in town, we jumped at the opportunity to connect with her. Helen is one of the leading voices in the world when it comes to health care transformation.In this episode, Helen and Victoria cover a range of topics related to how health systems can provide the best care possible for patients, including continuous improvement of care and se

Time is brain

Feb 28 2024 23 mins

Trudy Robertson may not have seen it all – but she’s seen a lot. Throughout a career spanning 40+ years, she’s worked as a licensed practical nurse, a registered nurse, a clinical nurse educator, and now, as the clinical nurse specialist for the Fraser Health Neuroscience Network.In the final episode of season one of The Heart of It, she shares stories from when she was first

Five million trays of opportunity

Feb 21 2024 22 mins

Tina Hartnell and Elaine Chu know that food is an important part of disease prevention and injury and illness recovery. They also know that honouring diversity in food preferences is an integral piece of restorative, person-centred care.In this episode, they share their journeys in the field of dietetics – including how their post-secondary education and first jobs introduced the

The kids say 'just do it': collective action for planetary health

Feb 14 2024 26 mins

Dr. Emily Newhouse and Darryl Quantz have always been interested in the intersection of science and social forces. It’s what drives their planetary health work and commitment to local and global community well-being.In this episode, they discuss how access to education, food, the natural environment and health care is less available to communities most impacted by the climate cri

The medicine people are chosen

Feb 07 2024 32 mins

Both Carolyne Neufeld and Peggy Napope know that health care is their calling. In their respective roles – and as nurses by training – they help strengthen and promote Indigenous health and culturally appropriate care, across diverse settings and communities. A large component of this work? Reframing narratives around what it means to be Indigenous, through stories of resilienc

Unrelenting positivity fueling new solutions

Jan 31 2024 20 mins

Travelling by rail through floodwaters to a town inaccessible by vehicle and delivering medications by helicopter to communities isolated by rockslides – for Dr. Aseem Grover, providing rural health care requires near-constant problem solving.In this episode of The Heart of It, Dr. Grover shares why unrelenting positivity is at the heart of his work, how he balances risk when fin

Compassion as a superpower

Jan 24 2024 27 mins

As health care organizations across the world grapple with challenges, how can we emerge better, stronger and kinder than before? Marika Sandrelli has worked in community education and development projects for more than four decades. In this episode of The Heart of It, she shares why being a mission-driven person is more powerful than any policy or legislation. She also discusses w

We want fish and chips: care before cure

Jan 17 2024 30 mins

What matters to seniors? And how can deep listening ensure that we are not only meeting their needs, but driving compassionate and connected systems of care? In this episode of The Heart of It, Dr. Victoria Lee is joined by Dr. Akber Mithani for a journey into seniors’ care. He shares how he felt pulled to a calling in medicine at an early age, and how his family and community’