The Houston Lecture ~ Delivering on the Promise of Medicare
Video Conference
Thanks to the generous donation of Dr. Stuart and Mary Houston and the Houston Family Trust, this annual lecture brings together thought leaders, academics, students and community members to hear from leading experts on current issues related to inequality, health and social policy in Canada.
Delivering on the Promise of Medicare
Presented by: Dr. Danielle Martin, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Executive at Women’s College Hospital, Acclaimed Physician and Health Care Expert
What exactly is the Promise of Medicare? For starters, it has to do with living our values, specifically the value of equity of access to health care services. Canada’s health care system was built on a promise we can all be proud of: the promise of access to services based on need, rather than the ability to pay. We can continue to be proud of that promise, but to deliver on it, Medicare needs to be improved. This is more evident now than ever, given the demands and pressures on the health care system due to COVID-19. From the vantage point of a family doctor working in the system, Dr. Martin will explore how we can do better. Now.
January 21 | 7:00 - 8:30 pm (CST)
Due to COVID-19, the 2020-21 Houston Lecture will be delivered via Zoom. Those interested in attending this free, online lecture must register in advance.
About Dr. Danielle Martin
Dr. Danielle Martin is on the frontlines of transforming the healthcare system. An internationally recognized health policy leader and executive, Martin is committed to revolutionizing healthcare to meet the demands of the 21st century. She speaks with passion on our national healthcare system, defending and defining the ways we can make it even more worthy of our national pride.
Currently, Martin is the executive vice-president and chief medical executive at Women’s College Hospital, where she is also a practicing family physician. She’s leading the creation of Women’s Virtual, Canada’s first virtual hospital, and helping to create a hospital that leverages digital tools to bring care directly to the patient, re-shaping modern healthcare to be more accessible, timely, and innovative.
Martin made headlines in 2014 when her testimony on the merits of the Canadian vs. American health systems at a US Senate Subcommittee hearing, with Senators Richard Burr and Bernie Sanders, went viral. The video received over 35 million views online as well as worldwide media attention.
A go-to media spokesperson, Martin frequently provides commentary on health issues in the media, and is a known health contributor for the CBC. She is also the author of the national bestseller, Better Now: Six Big Ideas to Improve Health Care for All Canadians. In addition, she is an associate professor at the University of Toronto and is frequently asked to advise governments on how best to improve healthcare systems.
Martin has been named one of Toronto Life magazine’s “Top 50 Influentials”; called one of the most powerful doctors by The Medical Post; and is listed as one of the Toronto Star’s top “13 People to Watch”. In 2019 she became the youngest physician ever to receive the F.N.G Starr Award, the highest honour available to Canadian Medical Association members.
About Dr. Stuart and Mary Houston
Stuart and Mary Houston grew up in Saskatchewan and spent their lives and raised their family here. Through his practice of medicine and his deep involvement in Saskatchewan history, including books about Tommy Douglas and Saskatchewan’s achievements in health, Stuart developed an insight into the intersection of politics and health, the critical importance of the “social determinants of health” and the vital need for policies impacting health to be based on the best possible evidence. Stuart and Mary were pleased that the Johnson Shoyama School has provided the means through which they can contribute to the development and dissemination of this evidence here in Saskatchewan.
As a reflection of their lifelong commitment to social justice particularly as it involves health and income inequalities, the Houstons, along with their family, established the Houston Family Trust for Evidence-Based Public Policy at the Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy.
The Houston Lecture is one of the activities made possible by the Houstons’ support.
Click here to watch past Houston Lecture Series presentations by Andre Picard (2019) and Jody Wilson-Raybould (2018).
Event Details
- When:
- Time:
- 07:00 PM - 08:30 PM CST
- Location:
- Delivered by Zoom - Please register online and a link will be emailed to you.
- File:
- Download Houston Lecture Poster