A new way to measure heart disease risk

This week on Health Matters, Tarah Schwartz and Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta discuss RESET, a study that could potentially reverse type two diabetes for some patients. Dr. Allan Sniderman describes a new way to measure heart disease risk that could save countless lives. Dr. Bruce Mazer explains what you need to know before cold and flu season starts. Mitchell Rosenberg shares the impact of the Raymond James Charity softball tournament.

Cette semaine à Questions de santé, Tarah Schwartz et la Dre Kaberi Dasgupta discutent de RESET, une étude qui pourrait renverser le diabète de type 2 chez certains patients. Le Dr Allan Sniderman présente une nouvelle façon de mesurer le risque de maladies cardiaques qui pourrait sauver d’innombrables vies. Le Dr Bruce Mazer rappelle les choses à savoir avant le début de la saison du rhume et de la grippe. Mitchell Rosenberg partage l’impact du tournoi de balle molle Raymond James.

Transcript

Tarah Schwartz: 0:00

Hello there. Thank you for joining us. I'm Tarah Schwartz and this is Health Matters on CJAD 800. On today's show, a senior scientist discusses a discovery that has the potential to change preventive cardiology as we know it. It is a new method to determine your risk for cardiovascular disease, and it has the potential to save countless lives. And we share how the Raymond James charity softball tournament is fundraising to help Montrealers breathe easier. But first, many diabetes patients have to manage their treatments themselves, checking their blood sugar, injecting insulin. Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta is working on a study where people living with type two diabetes could potentially reverse their condition with diet and exercise. Dr. Dasgupta is a physician and researcher professor of medicine at McGill University and Director of the Centre for Outcomes Research and Evaluation at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. Dr. Dasgupta, thanks so much for being with us.

Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta: 1:04

It is such a pleasure.

Tarah Schwartz: 1:07

Dr. Dasgupta, how far has diabetes research advanced, in the last say, five to 10 years?

Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta: 1:14

it's advanced very far. My focus is type two diabetes and in the last 10 years, we've had a number of new medications that are really life-changing, and life-saving for people with type two diabetes, who already have kidney disease or heart disease. Now we want to make similar advances in people who don't have those complications and really prevent them.

Tarah Schwartz: 1:41

Now you say your focus is really type two diabetes. What is diabetes versus type two diabetes? Can you give us a bit of a course on that?

Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta: 1:50

Absolutely. So diabetes is a condition where your blood sugar levels are higher than normal. So blood sugar is kind of like the money or the dollars in our blood, and it goes to the different parts of the body to provide energy for what we do in our lives, whether it's running a marathon or just thinking. What happens in diabetes is that that blood sugar cannot get to where it needs to go; in the cells of the body. So in type one diabetes, which is a different form of diabetes, that happens or starts mostly in kids and young adults. The blood sugar can't get in because there's not enough of a hormone called insulin, that helps the sugar enter to where it needs to go in the body. In type two diabetes, the sugar can't get in not because there isn't enough insulin, but because the body won't let the insulin work. And that's because of a whole complicated series of reactions that happen, that are related to gaining a bit more weight than our particular bodies can handle or not being quite active enough. And there's also some genetic side to it as well.

Tarah Schwartz: 3:07

That was really well explained, I understood that really, really well. Do you find there are misconceptions associated with diabetes?

Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta: 3:15

There definitely are. I think for type one diabetes, a lot of people with that condition gets frustrated when they're told oh, you can make yourself better by just eating differently and being more active. And their problems are really primarily related to their immune system attacking the part of the body that makes the insulin, the pancreas. In type two diabetes, they also have a very similar kind of stigma, because people will tell them again, just be more active and eat less. And that's not really a fair comment. Because how we eat, what we eat, and what makes us gain weight can be different for every person. So two people with the same eating habits and the same exercise patterns. One person will be heavier, the other lighter. One person will have type two diabetes, the other one won't. So we really need to think of individuals and their particular predispositions.

Tarah Schwartz: 4:18

I'm glad that you brought that up. We are speaking with Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta, and we're talking about a new study around type two diabetes. So you launched this study into using a controlled diet and exercise to potentially reverse type two diabetes. Tell us about your study. I'm excited to hear about it.

Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta: 4:34

We're really excited about this study.

Tarah Schwartz: 4:37

So Dr. Dasgupta, you already talked about how So in this study, we're really focusing on young adults with type two diabetes. So anywhere between 18 and 45 years of age, who've had type two diabetes for less than six years, who are not taking insulin, and do have an excess of weight. We're building on another recent study which was done in the UK, called the people have said, if you change the way you eat, exercise, that direct trial, that showed with a low-calorie diet with shakes and protein bars under the supervision of a dietician. Over a period of around three months, people with type two diabetes could lose a lot of weight and reverse their diabetes. So no longer require glucose, blood sugar lowering medication, and still have normal blood sugar levels. And that with the right you can manage your diabetes. What's different in the study support, that benefit could persist out for at least two years. 30% at two years, still had a reversal of their disease. In our study, we're adding supervised exercise to that diet, because we want to look at reversing type two diabetes, but also improving fitness and increasing the health of our hearts.

Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta: 5:56

That's a really good question. I think that you're doing? the big difference is that usual, traditional dietary and exercise approaches involve counseling, and trying to help people make changes to what they eat, and really kind of progressively change their eating habits. And there's nothing wrong with that. But it is tough to change eating habits. What this kind of strategy does is it, it kind of takes a lot of the decision making out of your hands for the first three months. Basically, because it's a very prescribed diet for those that are in the active arms. So we give them the products. We give them the bars; we give them the shakes. They still have a little bit of regular food, but the dietician tells them specifically what to eat. So all of that decision-making, that has to happen, initially doesn't happen. So that's for about three months. As far as the exercise goes, we have exercise trainers. They come to exercise with us actually, at the Perform Centre where we're doing the exercise. So they're really watched and guided. After three months of that, then they return to regular food progressively. It's not as strict of a diet anymore, and they returned to exercising more independently, but the exercise trainer still keeps close contact. So I think it's the level of supervision and having that initial improvement, without having to worry about making a lot of choices, that's making the difference.

Tarah Schwartz: 7:48

So very exciting possibility to reverse type two diabetes. Now Dr. Dasgupta, you're actually actively recruiting people to take part in this study. So tell us who you're looking for and how they can get in touch with you.

Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta: 8:03

We are looking for anyone with type two diabetes 18 to 45 years of age, and are not taking insulin. You can contact us at reset at MUHC dot McGill dot ca. So that's reset R-E-S-E-T, which is actually the name of our study. And we're funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the John R McConnell Foundation, as well as the Medical Research Council in the UK because it's a Canada-UK study. If they send us an email at reset at MUHC dot McGill dot ca, we will speak with them and figure out if they are eligible. We have about 12 people in right now. And our goal is to get to 50 here in Montreal, so lots of room. And we're really looking forward to hearing from your listeners.

Tarah Schwartz: 8:57

Where do you see things going from here? So how long is your study going to go on for?

Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta: 9:03

The study is going to go on to around 2024. We're hoping though, if we can complete it earlier; the sooner, the better. This is what we're calling an initial trial or a pilot trial where we're seeing what happens. We have two groups, one group gets the diet and the supervised exercise right away. The other group doesn't get it right away, but does get a diet program after we finish their assessments. It runs over six months and we look to see what happens at the end of the six months. In a future study, we want to be able to follow people for much longer and have continued support and management. And we really want to see if we can sustain the remission of diabetes, but also we're looking very importantly, to look at the fitness level, as well as the preservation of their muscle. Because when we try to lose weight just through diet, we lose fat, but we can also lose muscle mass and we want to keep our muscle mass. We're also looking at heart function through a cardiac MRI. We're going to see if the heart function stays strong. In young people with type two diabetes, they can have some early disease that we can detect through the cardiac MRI. So we're going to be able to do that.

Tarah Schwartz: 10:33

Lots going on...

Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta: 10:35

Yeah, I'd love to see this become a program available to people in Montreal and Quebec and in Canada, and I think there's a real movement for that.

Tarah Schwartz: 10:46

Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta is an expert in type two diabetes. Absolutely fascinating study where you can reverse your diabetes. So if you want to take part, she gave you the criteria; 18 to 45 years old, type two diabetes, you can email at reset at MUHC dot McGill dot ca. Well, Dr. Dasgupta, we're certainly going to want to have you back in a couple of months once you've had some time to digest some of those results and let us know how it all went.

Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta: 11:12

It will be my pleasure, Tarah.

Tarah Schwartz: 11:15

Thank you so much. Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta for joining us on the show today. Coming up on Health Matters, researchers working on a better way to measure your risks for cardiovascular disease. I'm Tarah Schwartz. Welcome back to Health Matters on CJAD 800. Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death for Canadians. 70,000 Canadians lose their lives to it every year. We have spoken to many experts at the McGill University Health Centre who are working to find better treatments for cardiovascular disease. But two researchers have discovered a better way to measure the risk of cardiovascular disease than what is currently being used. This discovery has the potential to change preventative cardiology as we know it and to save many lives. Dr. Allan Sniderman is a Senior Scientist at the RI-MUHC and a physician in the department of Cardiology at the MUHC. Thank you so much for joining us, Dr. Sniderman.

Dr. Allan Sniderman: 12:12

Thank you. My pleasure.

Tarah Schwartz: 12:14

So we're talking about a new way of measuring cardiovascular disease. So let's begin with how it is currently measured.

Dr. Allan Sniderman: 12:25

The current technique to identify people who are at high risk is to measure their cholesterol levels, in particular the level of cholesterol we call LDL cholesterol. That's the standard measurement.

Tarah Schwartz: 12:40

And so what are you suggesting?

Dr. Allan Sniderman: 12:45

There's no question that LDL cholesterol was a huge advance in medical care. People with higher levels of LDL cholesterol are at higher risk of heart disease, and lowering LDL cholesterol substantially diminishes the risk of heart disease. Our research, however, has demonstrated that LDL cholesterol only incompletely estimates the risk from the particles in which the cholesterol is carried the low density lipoprotein particles.

Tarah Schwartz: 13:28

And so did you see a lack somewhere? Is that why you and I know your colleague, Dr. Thanassoulis, did you see a lack somewhere? How did you decide okay, we need to find a new way to measure the risk for cardiovascular disease?

Dr. Allan Sniderman: 13:41

The cholesterol in the blood doesn't circulate freely. Cholesterol is a fat and blood is water, so fat and water don't mix. The cholesterol in the blood is carried in particles. They're bubbles, in which the cholesterol is in the middle of the little bubble. On the outside of the bubble is a protein called ApoB. This protein allows the cholesterol to be carried in the middle in a particle which can move through the bloodstream.

Tarah Schwartz: 14:23

We're speaking with Dr. Allan Sniderman, and we're talking about a new way to measure risk of cardiovascular disease. I would like to know a little bit about cardiovascular disease, Dr. Sniderman. Is it increasing in our population? Is it staying steady? Tell us a little bit about it. Who's most susceptible?

Dr. Allan Sniderman: 14:45

The incidence of cardiovascular disease was decreasing. But about five or 10 years ago, that decrease leveled off and in fact it's increasing. The increase in the incidence is due to the increase in the obesity that everybody should be aware of, and the increase in the diabetes that everybody should be aware of. And that's where it turns out that measuring the ApoB has a particular advantage.

Tarah Schwartz: 15:23

We were actually just speaking, our previous guest on the show was Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta and we were talking about diabetes. So you brought it up in sort of connection with your research, how often are cardiovascular disease and diabetes linked?

Dr. Allan Sniderman: 15:42

Vascular disease is the major cause of death and disability in patients with diabetes. So vascular disease is a principal way in which diabetes expresses its adverse health outcomes. There are other ways that it does this, through disease of the small vessels. We're particularly concerned about the disease that occurs in the large vessels of the heart, or in the brain, or in the kidneys. So it's a huge component of the health care disadvantage of diabetes.

Tarah Schwartz: 16:23

Now, you mentioned discovering this protein, talking about a new way of preventing cardiovascular disease. So what do you do with the study that you have now? You take the information and what happens next?

Dr. Allan Sniderman: 16:40

There's one molecule of the protein for each of these bad particles. So by measuring the level of ApoB in the blood, we know the number of bad particles. And it turns out that the size of these particles can vary. Larger ones have more cholesterol, smaller ones have less. So many people have normal levels of cholesterol, but an increased number of particles. So by measuring the particles, we capture those people who would be missed by a cholesterol measurement, we also get the ones who would have a normal amount of cholesterol. So it's a more accurate and sensitive test than cholesterol.

Tarah Schwartz: 17:31

So once you figure out who these people are, what do you do to prevent cardiovascular disease? What do you do with these people once you have found them and isolated them, if they would have slipped through other tests just testing cholesterol?

Dr. Allan Sniderman: 17:46

We use the measures that are already established and proven a healthy lifestyle, totally discouraging smoking, try to get people to a healthy weight; plus, using the medications that we use to lower cholesterol. It turns out that the way you lower cholesterol is to lower the number of these particles in the blood. So that when we treat people, we track the ApoB. And it turns out that the level of ApoB is a more accurate index of the adequacy of therapy than is cholesterol itself.

Tarah Schwartz: 18:33

We're speaking with Dr. Allan Sniderman, an expert in cardiovascular disease now I know research is something that is a part of your life a part of your career. When you start to discover things like this, is there always sort of a level of excitement? Did you expect to find something like this? Tell us how it feels to come up with something that is going to help so many people moving forward?

Dr. Allan Sniderman: 18:56

Totally astonished. I never intended to have a career in research. I wanted to be a doctor and I've adored being a doctor treating patients. And it's an incredible privilege to be someone who can help people. But as part of my education, I had an opportunity to also do research. I didn't intend to discover anything, but it just sort of turned out that way.

Tarah Schwartz: 19:35

Well, it's interesting. And so I know you and your colleague, Dr. Thanassoulis. So what do you do with this kind of research now? Do you continue on it, do you pass it on to people and doctors who can use it in their everyday life with treating patients? What happens now?

Dr. Allan Sniderman: 19:49

We've published a substantial amount of literature. In 2019, the European guidelines stated that ApoB was the most accurate measure to identify people that are at high risk of coronary disease and to guide their treatment with. ApoB is in the Canadian guidelines for how to identify and treat people to prevent heart disease. So we're engaged in both trying to provide further knowledge to doctors but also to educate them. There's no word that's better known than cholesterol and deservedly so. To try and change the paradigm when we've got a good thing going, to move it to a better thing; that's a challenge that we're trying to meet.

Tarah Schwartz: 20:48

And it sounds like it is much needed considering that cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death for Canadians. There needs to be, I imagine, another way to deal with prevention.

Dr. Allan Sniderman: 20:59

Oh, absolutely. And the more accurately we can identify people who are at high risk; the earlier we can do it, the better the results are going to be. A major focus of our research has been to try and develop the evidence that treating early is better than treating later in the course of the disease.

Tarah Schwartz: 21:26

Dr. Allan Sniderman, congratulations on this amazing discovery. And thank you so much for joining us on the show today.

Dr. Allan Sniderman: 21:33

You're very welcome. Thank you.

Tarah Schwartz: 21:35

Next up on Health Matters, we speak with a researcher who has been on the front lines of the COVID pandemic since the very beginning. I'm Tarah Schwartz and this is Health Matters. Many researchers temporarily put aside their own work at the start of the pandemic to unite, learn about and find treatments for what was then a brand new virus. With a common goal, the scientific and medical community came together and accomplished so much from understanding the virus better to discovering multiple vaccines. Joining us is a Senior Scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, and one of the Associate Scientific Directors on the COVID-19 Immunity Task Force since the very early days of the pandemic. Dr. Bruce Mazer, Dr. Mazer, thank you so much for being here.

Dr. Bruce Mazer: 22:23

Hey, thanks so much for having me on.

Tarah Schwartz: 22:26

Dr. Mazer, I'm always very excited to talk to you because you have really been on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic from the beginning, which seems like a really long time ago now. In a very general sense, how are you feeling about where we are now as a society who has to a certain degree, made it through something the world has never seen before.

Dr. Bruce Mazer: 22:47

So I think we have to be first humbled by the fact that we learned from this pandemic, that A- we still have a lot to learn, and B- that history repeats itself, in many ways. The original SARS epidemic, which was much more localized, much smaller, mirrored a lot of what we saw here, and we learned some lessons. But then 20 years later, we started to recreate the systems again. And I think that we have to be able to learn from this pandemic, how we should handle things going forward. And that's a really important perspective.

Tarah Schwartz: 23:27

Yeah, what is it that we have to learn? What is the lesson there, or one of the lessons?

Dr. Bruce Mazer: 23:33

So the first thing is that we have to try to avoid the temptation to just jump all over the place. If you remember, there was a lot of crazy stuff that came out of both medical and non-medical professionals. The wish to try to study old drugs to see if they made sense to not. The wish to use stuff like bleach and disinfectant, which was good for Saturday Night Live, but also caused a lot of people to take bad treatment seriously. I think the medical establishment has to think things through. Even the communication on masks, we had a lot of very contradictory communications on masks early on. And then when they came forward, I think that led to some of the backlash against masks. People said why did you change your mind? So we have to be I think, mindful of the kind of advice we give. Not do knee jerk reactions, try to think try to use the data and try to reflect on what we've learned from the past to be able to move forward in a much more even way.

Tarah Schwartz: 24:44

Dr. Bruce Mazer is an expert on COVID-19. He's been on the COVID-19 immunity Task Force since the very early days of the pandemic. Dr. Mazer, can you tell us what the evolution of the pandemic was like, has been like from a researcher's perspective, from your perspective? What do you see that the average person doesn't?

Dr. Bruce Mazer: 25:05

So the first thing is that if you really take a full perspective over the last two years, Canada did much better than people probably think in terms of protecting themselves in the first year and a half of the pandemic. Because really what the task force has shown- based on blood samples from close to a million, if not more than a million people- is that from April 2020 until December 2021, no more than about seven and a half or 8% of the Canadian population was infected. That completely changed when we hit Omicron. From December to June, we went from seven and a half percent, to over 50% of the Canadian population. Actually now, close to 60% of the Canadian population have been infected by COVID-19. Now the thing that is most interesting is that the impact in terms of the percentage of people who unfortunately, succumb to COVID, compared to the number of people who were infected was much, much smaller in Omicron. Now is that vaccine? Is that better health care? Is that things that we've learned? It's probably a combination of things. But Canada did quite well until Omicron. And then, since Omicron, we've had a lot of infection but the burden on the healthcare system, and the mortality was nowhere near what we saw it per capita in the first wave or per infection rate was nowhere near what we saw in the first waves.

Tarah Schwartz: 26:41

We virtually knew nothing about this virus. And now it's probably been one of the most studied viruses in the world. What can you tell us about it? And why it keeps mutating? Or is that something that all viruses do?

Dr. Bruce Mazer: 26:53

All viruses mutate. We know that influenza mutates, we know that every summer, kids get Hand Foot and Mouth Disease, because the enteroviruses are the Coxsackievirus that cause that mutate. They do two things- they mutate, and they also try to develop better structures so they can avoid our immune system. And so Omicron has really got a very good combination of mutations. They grab onto our receptors and infect us more easily. Also, they can hide a little bit so that we don't have a strong immune response against it; unless we have a very, very severe infection. And that's the beauty actually of the vaccines. Because the vaccine focusing on one protein gives us a high load of that protein that doesn't infect us and allows our bodies not to be fooled by the virus but to make a ton of antibody against it, which is why they've been reasonably effective, certainly against preventing severe disease, hospitalizations and the like.

Tarah Schwartz: 27:51

The beauty of the vaccine. So Dr. Mazer, it is the back to school season, the weather is changing. I think everyone, I know I am, is a little apprehensive about what lies in wait this winter season, this flu season. Do you see a difficult or more difficult season ahead when it comes to this virus and what it's going to look like?

Dr. Bruce Mazer: 28:11

I think we have to take a look at what's going on around us at the moment. And not only is there COVID, but there's also influenza, there's also other viruses; things Excellent advice. I love that you've covered A to Z on that if called adenovirus and enterovirus. So we're in for a flu season, or COVID season, that's going to be complicated by the fact that we've not seen these viruses as much over the last three years. And now our bodies perhaps... I don't know you've had it, if you haven't had it, if you've had the flu, if our immune system is getting lazy, or the viruses have had a rest and can infect us more. But we're going to be dealing with multiple viruses. I think we need to protect ourselves the not the flu shot. What have we learned from Australia? I know best way possible. I think people who haven't had a flu shot in a year, or two or three, this is a great year to get a flu shot. If you haven't had a COVID shot in the last six months, and you haven't had COVID and you should get a that researchers and people who are you know dealing with the booster. Six months after your last shot. If you've had COVID, we have lots of data from multiple studies in Canada and across the world that shows that if you've had COVID last three flu often look to Australia and what they're going through to months, it's like getting a booster. And so you can wait a little bit on your vaccine. But if you haven't, you definitely should be boosted before the fall season.

Tarah Schwartz: 29:22

The last thing I read, which was about a week sort of give us an indication of what we're in for. What have you found? ago, was that Australia was going through its worst flu season in years. I think you make a really good point Dr. Mazer that those are

Dr. Bruce Mazer: 29:50

I think that of all things, it really just Oh dear. underlines the fact that we need to get our flu shot. It to CNN yesterday just said, Australia had its worst flu season in five years. So even pre-pandemic, we have viruses that are going to be coming here. We really need to, as I said, protect ourselves and maybe learn some of the lessons we've learned through lessons we need to take with us. The wearing the mask, the the pandemic. If you're sick, don't go to work. If you're coughing, and even if your COVID test is negative, you could have the flu, you could have adenovirus; don't go to work. If you go to work, and you still have a little bit of symptoms at the tail-end of your time off, wear a mask. Wash your hands. Stay away from people. I think all of these things are... I was washing the hands, the staying away if you're sick. COVID or talking to a friend who said, I know I used to tell my employees toughed it out, come into work. But no longer am I going to say that. There's no such thing it's toughing it out. Let's take care of each other. Let's be respectful to each other and not cough all over each other. And then we will not spread things non COVID, those are things that we should take with us moving out around as much. The same thing for kids in school. I know how parents count on having their kids in school. But if your child is sick, keep them home. Let's try to keep the schools running as well as possible and not get caught up in both a flu and a COVID epidemic within the class. forward. So I'm glad that you that you reminded us of that. Absolutely.

Tarah Schwartz: 31:32

Dr. Bruce Mazer, it is always such a pleasure to speak with you. Thank you for coming on the show and for sharing your immense expertise.

Dr. Bruce Mazer: 31:38

My pleasure, Tarah. I look forward to speaking to you again in the future.

Tarah Schwartz: 31:42

Thank you so much. Coming up on Health Matters, let's play ball. It is a special softball tournament fundraising to help Montrealers breathe easier. I'm Tarah Schwartz, you're listening to Health Matters. Softball tournaments are always a fun and special way to fundraise for the MUHC Foundation. We are fortunate to have the Raymond James charity softball tournament which took place yesterday. This is an annual charity softball game where the Raymond James Bulls go head to head against the Montreal Chest Institute Lobes. All to raise money in support of the Montreal Chest Institute at the MUHC. Mitchell Rosenberg is the event organizer and a portfolio manager in his spare time at Raymond James. Thanks so much for joining us, Mitchell.

Mitchell Rosenberg: 32:26

Oh, you're very welcome, Tarah.

Tarah Schwartz: 32:28

So congratulations on another successful event.

Mitchell Rosenberg: 32:32

Thank you. And we got lucky the weather held out this year again. So everybody was happy. We had a great time.

Tarah Schwartz: 32:39

How long have you been involved with this tournament?

Mitchell Rosenberg: 32:46

Nine or 10 years? Nine years with? Yeah, it's the ninth year.

Tarah Schwartz: 32:51

And does it get better every year?

Mitchell Rosenberg: 32:54

It gets harder every year. (laughs)

Tarah Schwartz: 32:56

Why is that?(laughs)

Mitchell Rosenberg: 32:58

Well, because we get older every year.(laughs)

Tarah Schwartz: 33:01

Oh, I see. So the playing the tournament is harder?

Mitchell Rosenberg: 33:06

The organizing is really amazing. I mean everybody pitches in, it's a fun event. Everybody has a great time and both teams actually look forward to it every year.

Tarah Schwartz: 33:21

Now, Raymond James Financial is the main sponsor of this event. So tell us why philanthropy and giving back is important to the company.

Mitchell Rosenberg: 33:31

Primarily, I must say it's part of our culture. It's a private foundation established in 2012 to facilitate and nurture the philanthropic work of Raymond James. It grew basically out of our employees. We just grew the foundation. Every year, we donate to many causes, whether it's hurricane relief, JDRF Ride to Conquer Cancer... it's very important to our firm.

Tarah Schwartz: 34:09

And what about the funds from the Raymond James charity fought softball tournament, let's talk about where that money goes.

Mitchell Rosenberg: 34:15

Every year, whatever we raise, it's specifically pegged towards a cause or a research project. This year, we're raising money for a Home Monitoring project, which will allow the physicians a steady stream of data to help better understand a patient's condition and personalize their treatment. So it provides patients the reassurance that anomalies in their health will be noticed by the health care team; prior to even having to go to the clinic. Since COVID, this has been a very important application which the hospital wants to provide.

Tarah Schwartz: 35:00

Yes, and the Montreal Chest Institute is such a wonderful organization with incredible people. So no doubt your support of them is very, very appreciated. Let's talk about what it's like to play in this charity softball tournament. Are the teams very competitive, Mitchell?

Mitchell Rosenberg: 35:21

You know what? I say we were not but then again, I'd be lying. Being in the investment industry, we're basically wired to be competitive to begin with. We tend to like to win. But that said, last year's game, the MCI Lobes just shattered the field. I mean, they made us look like we haven't played ball in 50 years. So it's competitive, but yet we have a lot of fun.

Tarah Schwartz: 35:57

We're speaking with Mitchell Rosenberg, he is the event organizer for the Raymond James softball tournament and portfolio manager at Raymond James. Do you know how much you've raised so far as an organization for this particular tournament?

Mitchell Rosenberg: 36:12

Over the past nine plus years, I think we've raised close to $300,000.

Tarah Schwartz: 36:18

That's incredible.

Mitchell Rosenberg: 36:19

And like I said, every dollar goes to a specific cause.

Tarah Schwartz: 36:26

And how do you encourage people within Raymond James to get involved in these types of events and to be part of the philanthropic community? What is the message there that you that you tell people that you work with, employees, staff?

Mitchell Rosenberg: 36:41

Really, like I said, it's part of our culture. I must say, like the Montreal branch comes together every year, they look forward to playing, we participate in other events, and they're just happy to go out and raise money for a good cause.

Tarah Schwartz: 37:00

So what is the best part of taking part in an event like this?

Mitchell Rosenberg: 37:09

Being part of the MCI, involved on the board, I think the best part is actually seeing what we've done and how we've helped patients. Whether it's with innovative clinic of for lung disease, flexi rigid thoracoscope which we raised money for 2019, the first lung cancer screening program. The fact that I actually see where the money goes, and how it helps people, I think, is just the cherry on the sundae.

Tarah Schwartz: 37:47

Yeah, I think it really makes a difference when you see the impact of what you're doing.

Mitchell Rosenberg: 37:52

Yeah and the fact that we're actually playing against the doctors and the nurses. So it's not like it's two random teams raising funds for a third party. We all share in the same enthusiasm. Dr. Olivenstein, he's crazy about this. Every year, he goes out and he does his best, and he helps, and he raises money in the hospital. It's really both sides that are really pitching in a lot, and really taking charge and focused on the final result.

Tarah Schwartz: 38:28

That's true. That's a good point. You mentioned that the people who are playing for the Montreal Chest Institute are people who are working at the Montreal Chest Institute. So if people want to still donate to this wonderful cause for the Montreal Chest Institute, they can still do that, right, Mitchell?

Mitchell Rosenberg: 38:45

Yeah, correct. We leave the site open for at least 30 days after.

Tarah Schwartz: 38:50

All right, so you can just head to MUHC Foundation dot com. And you can find the donation page in the Get Involved section. Mitchell Rosenberg, thank you so much for everything you do and for joining us on Health Matters.

Mitchell Rosenberg: 39:02

My pleasure, Tarah, nice speaking with you. Thank you.

Tarah Schwartz: 39:06

I'm Tarah Schwartz. Thank you for tuning in. What would you like to hear about on the show? Write to us at health matters at MUHC Foundation dot com. You can also sign up for our newsletter to learn all about the life changing research patient stories, and we mentioned it the impact of your donations. All you have to do is go to MUHC Foundation dot com and sign up. I hope you'll join me again next Sunday. Thanks so much for listening to Health Matters and stay healthy.