Dr. Alison Fox-Robichaud

An elderly woman with a gentle smile, facing the camera directly. Her dark hair is pulled back neatly and covered with a red patterned headscarf tied under her chin. She wears a dark red knitted sweater adorned with a colorful handmade flower brooch (white petals, orange center, green leaves) on the left side. The background is a softly blurred outdoor scene with green and earthy tones, suggesting grass or foliage. The photo has a warm, slightly vintage tone.

One day in the 1980s, Wilma Pelly injured her hand at her factory job.
While she recovered, she decided to try out acting.
What started with work as an extra, led to her beloved role as Elsie on North of 60 and a successful acting career.
This is her story.

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JAMA study: "The Role of Vaccination in Maternal and Perinatal Outcomes Associated With COVID-19 in Pregnancy." Figure 1 shows monthly cases from April 2021-December 2022, tracking hospitalization and critical care rates, with a Delta and Omicron phase. Graph shows hospitalization rates decreasing after Dec 2021.

#COVID19 vaccination before or during pregnancy was associated with lower risks of hospitalization, ICU admission, and preterm birth among those infected with SARS-CoV-2 in Canada.

ja.ma/45gaS4e

Calgary ERs face 'extreme overcapacity,' internal hospital memo says | CBC News Hospitals are tightening policies to prevent patient bottlenecks, even if beds aren't available, according to a memo obtained by CBC News.

Please, please get your vaccines.

Good for you. Good for community. Good for healthcare system.

Emergency wards coping with 'extreme overcapacity' in flu season: cbc.ca/news/canada/...

#VaccinesWork

💡 PASSERELLE’s Trainee Advisory Committee led Canada’s first national survey on the needs and experiences of trainees in patient-oriented research (POR).
Key takeaway: While most value POR, fewer feel confident leading it.
📖 The full report will be released in 2026.

Six red flags in the centre, each one has a warning sign. There's a magnifying glass in the upper right. Text in the graphic: "Trusted Health Source Starting to Feel Off? 6 Signs A Source Is Unreliable. Breaks from broad expert consensus. Uses studies or data in a selective or misleading way. Ignores corrections or credible scientific criticism. Uses ideological or politicized language. Keeps moving the goalposts. Asking for impossible proof or proof of a negative” #ScienceUpFirst

Science is built on many voices, not one institution.

A single surprising statement, even from a familiar or historically trusted source, doesn’t replace the wider consensus.

But how to gauge reliability?👇
scienceupfirst.com/misinformati...

#ScienceUpFirst

Child deaths under 5 believed to be rising for first time in decades Cuts to development aid from several countries is a key factor, researchers said.

Child deaths under 5 believed to be rising for first time in decades wapo.st/3KIeg0N

"Immunizations 'remain the best buy in global health.'"

"If funding cuts persist ... 12 million more children under 5 could die by 2045."

Thx, MAGA.

🎥 Missed a PASSERELLE webinar this year? Watch recorded sessions on patient-oriented research, best practices & innovative approaches. Thanks to our amazing speakers & everyone who joined!
👉 www.youtube.com/@PASSERELLE-...

50-cent drug could save hospitals thousands of dollars The drug is predicted to have the potential to save some $4,950 per patient on average, according to a new study.

NEW! Health economic evaluation of the REVISE trial: 50-Cent Drug Could Save Hospitals Thousands of Dollars www.newsweek.com/50-cent-drug...

A layered, rainbow-coloured pyramid, with each layer tied to a different part of the hierarchy of evidence. Text in graphic: "The Hierarchy of Evidence: Risk of Bias, Systematic Review/Meta Analysis, Randomised Controlled Trials, Cohort Studies, Case Control Studies, Case Series/Reports, Editorials/Expert Opinion. Not all evidence is the same. #ScienceUpFirst

Did you know that not all scientific evidence has the same weight?

The more the study relies on an expert's opinion, rather than many data points and peer-review, the higher the risk of bias.

🔺https://www.scienceupfirst.com/project/hierarchy-of-evidence/

#ScienceUpFirst

Measles deaths fall globally but drop in vaccine coverage raises case counts: WHO | CBC News Measles deaths dropped 88 per cent over 24 years thanks to global immunization efforts but the number of cases surged in 2024, the World Health Organization says.

Surging measles cases could augur poorly for other diseases, @who.int says www.cbc.ca/news/health/...

What it will take for Canada to regain its measles elimination status?

"Better communication, building trust with undervaccinated communities & fighting misinformation."

Hello #HamOnt! On Oct 16th I'll be at the @hamiltonlibrary.bsky.social talking about fascinating research on how vaccinations protect the aging brain. It's free, it's fun, and I would love to see you all there. Register below. @miramcmaster.bsky.social

This World Sepsis Day, 98 structures will illuminate pink across Canada to raise awareness of sepsis!

Not only does this break 2024’s record, but this year will also see the first illumination in one of Canada’s 3 territories. A key moment in raising awareness in the North.

Thank you to the governments of Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, and the Yukon for officially proclaiming World Sepsis Day 2025.

This stands as a critical contribution to raising awareness of sepsis throughout Canada!

It is important to recognize both physical and mental health impacts when helping survivors recover from sepsis.

Here is Amalie sharing her mental health experiences both before and after sepsis.

#SepsisAwarenessMonth #WorldSepsisDay #SepsisAwareness #Sepsis #SepsisSurvivor

Video in Clinical Medicine: Abdominal paracentesis can be performed as either a diagnostic or a therapeutic procedure. The use of ultrasound for guiding paracentesis generally results in fewer complications and increased operator comfort and procedure success rates. nej.md/3I1o5FN

Cover of Labwork to Leadership

In the new book Labwork to Leadership, chemist Jen Heemstra offers actionable leadership advice to principal investigators.

Check out the #ScienceBooks Review on #ReadABookDay: https://scim.ag/46l2X6y

Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia has a case fatality rate of 15% to 30% and causes 300 000 deaths per year worldwide.

This Review discusses management of S aureus bacteremia.

ja.ma/47lAvCO #MedSky

Visual representation of the FLUID trial, which evaluated lactated Ringer’s solution vs. normal saline for routine intravenous administration of fluids to hospitalized patients.

Whether lactated Ringer’s solution is clinically superior to normal saline for routine intravenous administration of fluids to hospitalized patients is unclear. Research findings from the FLUID trial are summarized in a new Quick Take video. nej.md/4oCRgQ4

#MedSky #CriticalCare

oh, not nearly as good as one might hope

Organizations disinvited from CDC vaccine workgroups U.S. health officials have informed more than half a dozen leading medical organizations that they will no longer be invited to participate in developing vaccination recommendations.

Organizations disinvited from CDC vaccine workgroups medicalxpress.com/news/2025-08...

- American Medical Association
- American Academy of Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases Society of America, et al

Removal "irresponsible, dangerous to our nation's health, & will further undermine public trust..."

The walking wounded: sepsis survivors grapple with post-sepsis syndrome There were times I didn’t know why I survived sepsis, and even darker times when I wished I hadn’t. After surviving septic shock in May, 2021, after a colon perforation erupted from undiagnosed divert...

Jackie Duda is a BEAST!!! This woman does so much advocating for sepsis awareness & changing lives for the better for all sepsis survivors.

This is her latest article in @thelancet.com.

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Ventilator-associated pneumonia: mechanisms, an appraisal of current therapies and the role for inhaled antibiotics in prevention and treatment

CCR Journal Watch - tracking the critical care literature daily
https://criticalcarereviews.com/latest-evidence/journal-watch

CCR Down Under 2025 Critical Care Reviews Meeting Down Under - The Edge, Federation Square, Melbourne, December 9th - 10th, 2025

🚩The 3rd trial result for CCR Down Under 2025 is ARISE-AFRICA🚩

➡️Standard low flow oxygen vs nasal high flow oxygen vs CPAP in hypoxaemic respiratory failure

➡️Presenter Arthur Kwizera

➡️Join us in Melbourne
criticalcarereviews.com/meetings/ccr...

@precordialthump.bsky.social

Neutrophils drive vascular occlusion, tumour necrosis and metastasis - Nature Neutrophils actively induce tumour necrosis, driving vascular occlusion, pleomorphic necrosis and metastasis.

Nature research paper: Neutrophils drive vascular occlusion, tumour necrosis and metastasis

go.nature.com/4lzilSb

The Miseducation of Maria Montessori Her method was meant for the public. Then it became a privilege.

Maria Montessori and her many disciples believed that children are, in their essence, methodical, self-directed beings with a strong work ethic.

Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at McGill University(Fully-funded scholarship to Canada) - Opportunities for Youth The Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program is the largest scholarship and leadership initiative of its kind in Africa. Through a broad network of Pan-African

Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program at my university @mcgill.ca

Fully-funded scholarship to Canada!!

opportunitiesforyouth.org/2025/07/14/m...

Tackling misinformation is a long game: here’s how science journalists can help A panel of writers, researchers, and industry experts shared their insights on how to spot and counter misinformation at #abswss25. By Jasmeen Kanwal.

Tackling misinformation is a long game: journalists can help www.absw.org.uk/resources/ta... v @absw.bsky.social

1) Publish on a topic widely & repeatedly
2) Prebunk—inoculate your audience against common misinformation tactics
3) Report on science with extreme care
4) Choose your experts carefully

Harnessing adiponectin for sepsis: current knowledge, clinical insights and future therapies

CCR Journal Watch - tracking the critical care literature daily
https://criticalcarereviews.com/latest-evidence/journal-watch

Beyond the signature: Is consent truly informed? - Healthy Debate Moving forward, making informed consent truly informed – rooted in both equity and accessibility –  needs to be a priority, not just an ideal.

Happy to share this collaboration between my undergraduate student, a post doctoral fellow and patient partners healthydebate.ca/2025/07/topi...

Reconsidering the Language of Serious Illness - PubMed Reconsidering the Language of Serious Illness

#ICUreadings

One of my favorite recent meditations on the language we use, by the brilliant @jackykruser.bsky.social: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37486663/

And the classic DAHLIA trial that is part of why I am so liberal with precedex:
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26975647/