Gene therapy has emerged as an exciting innovation for Canadians with rare diseases. As more gene therapy treatments gain approval in Canada, there is promise for transforming and advancing healthcare, especially in areas of high unmet need. Access to those new therapies, however, remains challenging. Join us to discover the untapped potential of gene therapy in Canada as this panel of experts addresses the barriers to access and explores innovative solutions to overcome them, ensuring every Canadian who needs it can access gene therapy with timely, equitable, and effective delivery. 

After decades of research and innovation, cell and gene therapies (CGTs) are unlocking new ways to revolutionize medicine. Distinct from traditional pharmaceutical treatments, CGTs represent highly precise and innovative approaches that target the underlying causes of genetic and acquired diseases with the aim of treating, preventing and potentially curing disease.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen the positive impact that CGTs such as CAR T-cell therapy – a blood cancer treatment that modifies T cells to target and eliminate cancer cells – have had on Canadians. With thousands of CGTs in development to treat diseases from cancers to rare disorders to type 1 diabetes and chronic heart failure, the novelty and highly technical nature of these therapies create new opportunities for improved health outcomes for Canadians, but successful integration will require a new playbook from those who assess, deliver and receive care.

From regulation to health technology assessments, reimbursement and education, we must ensure that our health systems are prepared to integrate these new innovations so that Canadians have access to potentially life changing treatments.

This Longwoods Leadership Discussion is funded by The Cell and Gene Therapy Round Table, a group of Canadian pharmaceutical companies interested in policies related to cell and gene therapies.

In Ontario, diabetes affects 1 in 3 people and contributes to 30% of strokes, 40% of heart attacks, 50% of kidney failure requiring dialysis, and 70% of all non-traumatic lower limb amputations. It is also a leading cause of blindness. The toll on patients and caregivers is significant as is the impact on the healthcare system and economy.

In November of 2020, Longwoods hosted an event Diabetes Care and Management for Ontario focusing on the need for more to be done to support people in Ontario living with diabetes. The following year, the Ministry of Health’s 2022/23 mandate to Ontario Health directed the agency to “work in partnership with the Ministry of Health to develop a chronic disease strategy addressing prevention, management and treatment, with an initial focus on diabetes.” This mandate was renewed in 2023/24 with an added emphasis to complete the development and proceed with implementation of the strategy.

In parallel to the commitment made by the Ontario government, in October 2022 the federal government tabled the Diabetes Framework, another important step in the journey to reduce the rising rates of the diabetes epidemic. We are now at a pivotal time with government commitments being made to reduce the rates of the disease and the unsustainable burden it places on our province, population, and health system.

Our panel of thought leaders and healthcare experts will reflect on the current state of diabetes in Ontario and the plan moving forward to develop and implementation a provincial strategy.

Emotional support has historically been defined as an underpinning principle of work conducted by healthcare professionals. Numerous definitions of emotional support exist, incorporating a range of elements. Many of these elements are potentially contained within results pulled from patient satisfaction surveys. Given that emotional support continues to be an important predictor of patient outcomes, efforts to understand the patient’s perspective of the optimal provision of emotional support within healthcare systems remains imperative.  

Unfortunately, efforts within healthcare organizations during the pandemic to collect data with respect to the patient experience have been nimble to non-existent over the last three years.  Furthermore, the pandemic exposed glaring inequities with respect to health outcomes and the provision of emotional support, for marginalized communities that pre-dated the pandemic.  As the system attempts to adapt and reconfigure itself it will be critical to not just focus on scientific advancement, technical aptitudes, and operational efficiency but also on affective qualities or virtues - especially regarding emotional support. 

Authors Keith Adamson and Jatinder Bains will revisit their article “Understanding the Patient’s Perspective of Emotional Support to Significantly Improve Overall Patient Satisfaction" (2012) and provide rationale to support the reasons for which healthcare systems are still failing at delivering emotional support. The authors will reiterate the importance of emotional support and its connection to positive patient outcomes, organizational systems that can enhance emotional support at a systems level, and the need for healthcare leaders to invest in interventions that can enhance the provision of emotional support at the frontlines of healthcare. 

The Mess of the System: Firsthand by Brenda Lammi
Brenda shares her family's experience with the messy healthcare system, highlighting the current struggles impacting families and patients as they navigate dying and death.

More than 150 certified respiratory educators, respirologists, allergists, general practitioners/family physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and respiratory therapists from across the country participated in the first Canadian stakeholder consensus to lay out a path for high-quality respiratory care for Canadians. 

With health systems across the country experiencing challenges, Canadians are struggling to access respiratory care, impacting their ability to control their symptoms, adding more pressure on an already strained acute care system. The cost of asthma to the Canadian economy is expected to climb to $4.2 billion annually by 2030. 

Recommendations from the study present policy makers with a road map and best practices to improve the quality of care, resulting in improved outcomes, quality of life and patient experience for Canadians living with severe asthma and their caregivers. 

Concerted action from policy makers and health system leaders will ensure all Canadians living with asthma have access to the quality and timely care they need.

In today’s turbulent healthcare sector, significant macro-level trends are impacting the health and wellbeing of our doctors, nurses, and support staff. Of all the headwinds straining the physician’s ability to deliver high quality care, physician burnout is the common thread that ties them together. During the pandemic, Canadian physicians faced an unprecedented surge in demand and stress, resulting in a significant increase in burnout rates that have permeated various aspects of their lives. Join us for an insightful discussion featuring Dr. Nadia Alam and Sarah Wilkinson, CEO of Dr.Bill, a medical billing platform, as they explore the potential of simplified billing in alleviating physician burnout. Learn how innovative billing solutions can effectively mitigate administrative burdens, enabling medical professionals to dedicate more time to their vital work and ensure timely compensation. Now, more than ever, it is crucial to support physicians to ensure they can deliver the best care to their patients.