Conversations with Jillian
Developed in collaboration with Dr. Jillian Horton to support the Royal College Physician Wellness theme, this series of video interviews provides an opportunity for you to reflect on wellness and coping in these challenging times. Interview transcripts available upon request.
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Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Thomas Piggott [S3E02]
04/11/2025
Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Thomas Piggott [S3E02]
Join host Jillian Horton, MD, FRCPC as she speaks with Thomas Piggott, MD, FRCPC. Together they talk about formative experiences that influenced Dr. Piggott’s desire to become a public health physician. They also discuss the unique challenges that he and other health care professionals encounter when choosing a career in public health. Lastly, Dr. Piggott explains how advocacy and communication are integral to the work of a public health physician whose patient consists of an entire population rather than a single person. Royal College members: you can earn MOC Section 2 - Individual Learning credits for watching this video. Dr. Thomas Piggott is currently the Medical Officer of Health and Chief Executive Officer of Peterborough Public Health in Peterborough, Ontario, having previously served as the Medical Officer of Health and VP lead for Population Health and Rural and Remote Health in northern Labrador. In addition to completing of his residency in Public Health and Preventive Medicine, he also completed his Masters in Public Health at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and his PhD in Health Research Methods at McMaster University.
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Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Nazik Hammad [S3E01]
02/20/2025
Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Nazik Hammad [S3E01]
Join host Jillian Horton, MD, FRCPC as she speaks with Nazik Hammad, MD, FRCPC about her own journey from Sudan to Canada as an International Medical Graduate (IMG) including the joys, barriers and resilience needed when learning and practicing in a new country. Dr. Hammad also speaks of her work in health equity as well as equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging from the point of view of medical education and systems design. Royal College members: you can earn MOC Section 2 - Individual Learning credits for watching this video. Dr. Nazik Hammad is a Professor in the Division of Hematology-Oncology at St. Michael’s Hospital and is a member of the Division of Medical Oncology in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. She also serves as co-chair of the Black Physicians Association of Ontario’s Network for Advancing Medical Learners (N-ABL). Dr. Hammad has an interest in medical education, in particular health professions education in low and middle-income countries. She is a visiting professor at the University of Nairobi, Kenya and teaches at the Clinical Oncology Training Program in Khartoum, Sudan.
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Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. P. Ronan O'Connell [S2E06]
03/11/2024
Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. P. Ronan O'Connell [S2E06]
Join host Jillian Horton, MD, FRCPC as she speaks with P. Ronan O’Connell, MD, FRCSC (Hon) about the importance of mentorship for surgeons-in-training and early career physicians. They also touch on the experience of bearing witness to changes in medicine throughout his career, as well as insights about the future of medical practice for physicians and surgeons. Royal College members: you can earn 0.5 MOC Section 2 credits for watching this video. Look forward to more credits as you apply reflections to the issues brought forward by Professor O’Connell. Professor O’Connell is Emeritus Professor of Surgery at University College Dublin and former president of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). In recent years, Prof. O’Connell led the creation of the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, making the College a degree-granting organization. He was instrumental in developing a strategy to reduce the incidence of obstetrical injury to the pelvic floor and is an expert in the surgical treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer – a technically challenging area of surgical oncology. In September 2023, Professor O’Connell became an Honorary Fellow in the Division of Surgery of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
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Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Jamiu Busari [S2E05]
02/27/2024
Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Jamiu Busari [S2E05]
Join host Jillian Horton, MD, FRCPC as she speaks with Jamiu Busari, MD, FRCSC (Hon) about his career path in medicine and his passion for the science of teaching in medical education. They also discuss Dr. Busari’s approach and work in the equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) space. Royal College members: you can earn 0.5 MOC Section 2 credits for watching this video. Look forward to more credits as you apply reflections to the issues brought forward by Dr. Busari. Dr. Jamiu Busari is a pediatrician and dean at Horacio Oduber Hospital in Aruba. He is widely recognized for unwavering leadership in health care and advancing equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). He is a founding investigator with the Equity in Health System (EqHS) Lab, a transdisciplinary team working to address racism, discrimination, and social injustice in the health system; and a founding member and director of the lab’s international series, Critical Dialogues for Action (CDFA), a monthly dialogue on EDI that focuses on identifying practical steps to bring about meaningful change. In September 2023, Dr. Busari became an Honorary Fellow in the Division of Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
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Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Jan Christilaw [S2E04]
01/09/2024
Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Jan Christilaw [S2E04]
Join host Jillian Horton, MD, FRCPC as she speaks with Jan Christilaw, MD, FRCSC about an impactful experience in her formative years influenced her approach to medicine: “What we need in medicine is not brilliant people, it’s human people.”. Their conversation also touches on the importance of having interests outside of medicine to enable physicians to see themselves in the context of their whole lives and not solely through the lens of their practice. Royal College members: you can earn 0.5 MOC Section 2 credits for watching this video. Look forward to more credits as you apply reflections to the issues brought forward by Dr. Christilaw. Dr. Jan Christilaw is an Obstetrician-Gynecologist who practiced in White Rock-Surrey, British Columbia for over 20 years. She served as President of BC Women’s Hospital and Health Centre from 2008 to 2017 and, as of 2017, was appointed to the Order of Canada for her work in obstetrics nationally and internationally. She is a Clinical Professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia and serves as the Director of Women’s Health with the Canadian Network for International Surgery, an organization that aims to improve health and safety through capacity building and skills training in low-income countries.
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Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Garry L. Willard [S2E03]
10/16/2023
Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Garry L. Willard [S2E03]
Join host Jillian Horton, MD, FRCPC as she speaks with Garry Willard, MD, FRCPC about the extraordinary experience of practicing medicine in a war zone during the Vietnam War and how it forever shaped his world view and identity as a clinician. They also discuss Dr. Willard’s recollections as a battlefield surgeon and the similarities of the COVID pandemic on healthcare professions to battles of the past. Royal College members: you can earn 0.5 MOC Section 2 credits for watching this video. Look forward to more credits as you apply reflections to the issues brought forward by Dr. Willard. Trained as a general surgeon, Dr. Garry Willard also practiced vascular and trauma surgery during his career. He holds a Royal College Fellowship from Edinburgh, Scotland, and is a Fellow of both the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the International College of Surgeons (FICS). Among other professional associations, he is a Life Member of the Ontario Medical Association and the New York Academy of Science. He was a Founding Member of the American Trauma Society.
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Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Cornelia (Nel) Wieman [S202]
10/13/2023
Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Cornelia (Nel) Wieman [S202]
Join host Jillian Horton, MD, FRCPC as she speaks with Cornelia (Nel) Wieman, MSc, MD, about the importance of changing the physician mindset to accept that when you are sick, you “can’t fix it yourself”, and you can seek help to begin the journey of healing. They also discussed the structural barriers facing physicians when reentering practice after treatment for their illness. Royal College members: you can earn 0.5 MOC Section 2 credits for watching this video. Look forward to more credits as you apply reflections to the issues brought forward by Dr. Wieman. Dr. Nel Wieman is a Psychiatrist and the Acting Chief Medical Officer at First Nations Health Authority (FNHA), the first and only provincial First Nations health authority in Canada. The FNHA works with British Columbia First Nations, government partners and others to improve health outcomes for BC First Nations people.
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Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Marie Faughnan and Dr. Robert Stewart [S201]
10/05/2023
Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Marie Faughnan and Dr. Robert Stewart [S201]
Join host Jillian Horton, MD, FRCPC, as she speaks with two physicians about their shared journey of organ donation: one as a living donor and the other as the recipient. Listen to their story about when the healer became the patient and the deliberations of a colleague who decided to donate the life-saving organ. Royal College members: you can earn 0.5 MOC Section 2 credits for watching this video. Look forward to more credits as you apply reflections to the issues brought forward by Dr. Faughnan and Dr. Stewart. Dr. Marie Faughnan is a Respirologist and Associate Scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. Dr. Robert Stewart is a Urologist and a kidney transplant surgeon at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. Dr. Faughnan and Dr. Stewart are Associate Professors at the University of Toronto.
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Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Mamta Gautam [08]
08/14/2023
Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Mamta Gautam [08]
Host Jillian Horton, MD, FRCPC and guest Mamta Gautam, MD, FRCPC reflect upon the insights shared by the four Fellows featured in the four-episode special series, Finding a way back to balance: Wisdom from physician artists. Together Jillian and Mamta explore common themes such as the challenges facing women in medicine, the contribution of the arts and humanities to patient care, as well as the importance of nurturing art for personal and professional wellbeing. Royal College members: you can earn 0.5 MOC Section 2 credits for listening to this podcast. Look forward to more credits as you apply reflections to the issues brought forward by Dr. Gautam. Dr. Mamta Gautam is an internationally renowned psychiatrist, consultant, certified coach, author and speaker. A pioneer in physician health and well-being since 1990, she is known as the “The Doctor’s Doctor”. Dr. Gautam is President and CEO of PEAK MD, a company that focuses on enhancing Leadership Development and Leadership Resilience.
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Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Lucie Filteau and Dr. Claude Mercier [07]
08/14/2023
Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Lucie Filteau and Dr. Claude Mercier [07]
In the final episode of a special series entitled, Finding a way back to balance: Wisdom from physician artists, host Jillian Horton, MD, FRCPC speaks with two physicians about their artistic interests. In the first interview, Dr. Lucie Filteau shares how her Lego building hobby transitioned from a creative way to connect with family into a mindful and restorative activity for her own well-being. In the second interview, Dr. Claude Mercier explains how his passion for jazz music and the tenor saxophone enable him to relieve the everyday pressures of medicine and safeguard his mental health. Royal College members: you can earn 0.5 MOC Section 2 credits for listening to this podcast. Look forward to more credits as you apply reflections to the issues brought forward by Dr. Filteau and Dr. Mercier. Dr. Lucie Filteau is an anesthesiologist at The Ottawa Hospital and currently serves as the President of the Canadian Anesthesiologists Society. Dr. Claude Mercier is a pediatric neurosurgeon and Clinical Associate Professor in the Departments of Surgery and Neurosciences at the Université de Montréal.
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Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Penelope Rampersad [06]
08/14/2023
Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Penelope Rampersad [06]
In the second episode of a special series entitled, Finding a way back to balance: Wisdom from physician artists, host Jillian Horton, MD, FRCPC speaks with Penelope Rampersad, MD, FRCPC, about her lifelong pursuit of artistry through dance. Together they explore the importance of nurturing interests outside of medicine and creating healthy boundaries to be able to pursue them. The discussion also touches on inclusivity: challenges within medical systems and actions to create fair environments. Lastly, they talk about the experiences of burnout and its impact on physicians, patients and institutions. Royal College members: you can earn 0.5 MOC Section 2 credits for listening to this podcast. Look forward to more credits as you apply reflections to the issues brought forward by Dr. Rampersad. Dr. Rampersad is a critical care cardiologist at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. A student of dance since childhood, she later trained with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre in New York and contemplated a career as a professional dancer while concurrently attending medical school.
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Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Anne Hennessy [05]
08/14/2023
Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Anne Hennessy [05]
In the first episode of a special series entitled, Finding a way back to balance: Wisdom from physician artists, host Jillian Horton, MD, FRCPC speaks with Anne Hennessy, MD, FRCPC, about her passion for painting. Together they discuss the importance of self-care and (re)discovery of one’s human side through play that physicians can often set aside. They also explore being mindful to create space for a pursuit that brings joy so that in times of struggle or great difficulty, physicians can find their way “back to balance.” Dr. Hennessy is a community-based psychiatrist and consultant to Psychogeriatric Outreach at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre in Ottawa. She is a clinical lecturer with the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Ottawa and teaches mindfulness-based coping to caregivers who have partners with dementia. Royal College members: you can earn 0.5 MOC Section 2 credits for listening to this podcast. Look forward to more credits as you apply reflections to the issues brought forward by Anne.
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Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Damon Dagnone [04]
08/14/2023
Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Damon Dagnone [04]
Dr. Dagnone is an attending physician in the Emergency Room with Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) and is an associate professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Queen’s University. He was the lead applicant for a transformative Fundamental Innovations in Residency Education (FIRE) proposal, which saw the concurrent launch of 29 postgraduate specialty programs to competency-based curriculums. Dr. Dagnone is also the author of Finding Our Way Home: A family’s story of life, love, and loss. Special note to viewers: this interview was recorded prior to Dr. Dagnone accepting a position with the Royal College as the Director, Standards and Accreditation. Viewer discretion is advised.
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Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Jane Philpott [03]
08/14/2023
Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Jane Philpott [03]
Host Jillian Horton, MD, FRCPC speaks with Jane Philpott, MD, CCFP about how professional and personal life experiences shape our responses to clinical situations, about moral courage when faced with life’s challenges, and about how to have meaningful impact through advocacy. New for Royal College members: Conversations with Jillian now contributes to your learning! Learn how. Dr. Philpott is an accomplished family physician, educator, and global health champion. She is a former Member of Parliament and served as Minister of Health for the Government of Canada. Prior to her work in politics, Dr. Philpott practised as a family doctor for 30 years and spent the first decade of her career in Niger, West Africa. She was appointed dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences and director of the School of Medicine at Queen’s University in July 2020. Viewer discretion is advised.
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Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Allan Peterkin [02]
08/14/2023
Conversations with Jillian - Interview with Dr. Allan Peterkin [02]
Host Jillian Horton, MD, FRCPC speaks with Allan Peterkin, MD, FRCPC about his lived experience as a gay physician and work with the LGBTQ2S community as well as his perspective on the evolution of physician health and finding happiness as healers. Dr. Peterkin is the author of 14 books for adults on medical humanities, cultural history, narrative-based medicine, human sexuality and physician wellness, including “Staying Human During Residency Training-How to Survive and Thrive After Medical School” (7th edition). He is a founding editor of ARS MEDICA: A Journal of Medicine, The Arts and Humanities, co-founded the first Canadian medical humanities meeting called "Creating Space” and helped found the Canadian Association for Health Humanities: Viewer discretion is advised.
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Conversations with Jillian - Interview with the late Dr. Rob Sargeant [01]
08/11/2023
Conversations with Jillian - Interview with the late Dr. Rob Sargeant [01]
Host Jillian Horton, MD, FRCPC, guides long-time friend and colleague, Rob Sargeant, MD, FRCPC, through reflections on his career in medical education as he faced life with glioblastoma. Shortly after the Royal College published the interview with Dr. Sargeant, he passed away on November 28, 2021. Dr. Sargeant was certified by the Royal College in Internal Medicine in 2004. He practised General Internal Medicine at St. Michael’s Hospital and was also active in teaching medical trainees. Prior to his passing, Rob and Karen Sargeant established a fund to provide immediate support for St. Michael’s General Internal Medicine department in Toronto. If you wish to donate or learn more about Rob’s inspirational work, please visit the fund page: Royal College members: Conversations with Jillian now contributes to your learning. Learn how:
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