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FIRH in the Media

FIRH in the Media – 2022

May 2022

  • McMaster course works to simplify science. Now, the YouTube channel has 124,000 subscribers. The Hamilton Spectator

APRIL 2022

  • Manali Mukherjee on long COVID Toronto Star
  • MIRC Experts Charu Kaushic and Dawn Bowdish on why boosters are more important than ever. The Canadian Press

FIRH in the Media – 2021

February 2021

  • Canadians living with interstitial lung diseases don’t have time to waste. Martin Kolb (Medicine/Respirology) Toronto Sun.

FIRH in the Media – 2020

December 2020

  • The race to deliver the hypoallergenic cat. Marc Larché (Medicine/Clinical Immunology and Allergy) Nature.

October 2020

  • What we know and don’t know about COVID-19. Jeremy Hirota (Medicine/Respirology) participated in a CBC Hamilton Facebook Live session on what we know and don’t know about the damage COVID can do to your body.

August 2020

  • Researchers find clues to why COVID-19 impact patients differently, Part 2. There was further coverage of Jeremy Hirota‘s (Respirology) research searching for how the SARS-CoV-2 virus infects the lungs, which included Select Science, Health24, International Business Times, KitchenerToday and Exchange Magazine.
  • Researchers find clues to why COVID-19 impact patients differently, Part 1. Jeremy Hirota (Respirology) spoke with CHML radio about his research searching for how the SARS-CoV-2 virus infects the lungs. Other media that reported on the research were CTV News Kitchener, The Tribune (India), Outbreak News Today and several scientific media websites.
  • Hospital workers on the front lines of COVID-19 share how their patients moved them. Dr. Rebecca Amer (Medicine/Respirology) spoke to The Hamilton Spectator about the difficulty of hospital isolation on the critically ill and how video calls can improve mental health and combat loneliness.
  • Vaping illness. Dr. Martin Kolb (Medicine/Respirology) appeared on Yes TV to discuss severe respiratory illness caused by vaping.

July 2020

  • How Hamilton researchers are contributing to the fight against COVID-19. CBC Hamilton wrote about funded COVID-19 research projects at McMaster including research led by Jeremy Hirota(Medicine/Respirology). Hirota also spoke to CHML radio.

FIRH in the Media – 2019

September 2019

  • Youth anti-vaping campaign. Marcel Tunks (Medicine) spoke to The Hamilton Spectator about health concerns around vaping.
  • Dangers of vaping are still emerging. CTV’s Your Morning and CBC Radio’s The World This Hour interviewed Martin Kolb (Respirology) about emerging evidence of the dangers of vaping.

August 2019

  • Why dogs are better than cats according to science. Newsweek talked to Mark Larché (Medicine/Immunology and Allergy) about why people are more likely to be allergic to cats than dogs.The piece was picked up by MSN.com and MSN Australia.
  • Why seasonal allergies are getting worse for city dwellers. The CBC interviewed Susan Waserman (Medicine/ Immunology and Allergy) about rise in allergies in urban areas.
  • The dangers of vaping. Martin Kolb (Medicine/Firestone Institute) spoke to CBC The National, CBC Metro Morning and CTV about the increasing concern of respirology problems from the growth of vaping.

June 2019

May 2019

  • The latest in allergy advice. Susan Waserman (Medicine/Allergy and Immunology) was featured in an ‘Ask the Expert’ column in Zoomer magazine.
  • Thumb sucking could be healthy. Practical Parenting quoted Malcolm Sears (Medicine) in an article about research that shows children who sucked their thumbs or bit their nails had a low risk of getting allergies.
  • Lung health risks and benefits of using cannabis. The Regina Leader-Post wrote about Jeremy Hirota(Medicine) receiving a cannabis research award to investigate whether smoking cannabis increases the risk of developing viral respiratory tract infections.
  • Allergens that can make you itch, sneeze or cough. Susan Waserman (Medicine/Allergy and Immunology) spoke to Global News about how to treat seasonal allergies.
  • Grants to study medicinal cannabis. NewKerala.com noted that Jeremy Hirota (Medicine/Respirology) has received a grant to study whether smoking cannabis increases the risk of viral respiratory tract infections.

April 2019

  • Allergy fact or fiction. Susan Waserman (Allergy and Immunology) spoke to The Weather Channel about myths around allergies.
  • Adults can lose immunity as they age. Dawn Bowdish (Pathology and Molecular Medicine) talked to Global News about vaccines and how antibodies that were created during boosters start to wane as adults age.

February 2019

  • 1M Canadians living with asthma. City News (Vancouver) posted a media release where Paul O’Byrne(Medicine/Respirology) commented on research showing that one-third of asthma patients experience symptoms that cause them to stop or avoid certain activities.

FIRH in the Media – 2018

February 2018

April 2018

  • Dirty rubber ducks connected to superbugs. Two IIDR scientists, Dawn Bowdish (Pathology and Molecular Medicine) and Lori Burrows (Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences), were interviewed by CBC Radio Syndication about bath toys being filled with potentially harmful antibiotic resistant bacteria.
  • Seeing asthma. CTV News spoke to Parameswaren Nair (Medicine) about research using an MRI to get a picture about how much a patient with asthma’s lungs were or were not being used.
  • Unlocking the cause of rising allergies. Susan Waserman (Medicine) spoke to the National Post about why allergic reactions could be increasing.
  • Treating food allergies. Chatelaine magazine spoke to Susan Waserman (Medicine) about the latest developments in the fight against food allergies. There was pick up by MSN.com and KISS FM radio stations.

May 2018

  • What is pollen? The ultimate springtime question answered. Susan Waserman (Medicine) spoke to Metro US about how allergies develop. She also spoke to The Weather Network about what to expect from allergies throughout the year and to CBC about a new food allergy guide that aims to save lives on campus.
  • Study reveals alternative treatment for mild asthma. The CBC, Hamilton Spectator and MedPageToday interviewed Paul O’Byrne (Medicine) about his research published in the NEJM that shows a combined-drug inhaler is a better choice than the rescue inhaler typically used by people with mild asthma.
  • The latest in allergy advice. Zoomer magazine interviewed Susan Wasserman (Medicine) about how the field is evolving in the treatment of allergies.

August 2018

  • Stocking EpiPens at restaurants may reduce fatal allergic reactions. Published research led by Susan Waserman (Medicine), which shows benefits of having restaurants stock epinephrine autoinjectors, was reported on by Reuters and in several media.
  • Innovator 2018 – Summer Edition

October 2018

  • Jeremy Hirota, Benicio Frey, Suzanne Archie, Michael Amlung, James MacKillop and Jason Busse – your questions answered CBC White Coat Black Art.

December 2018

  • Building up a tolerance to allergy. Susan Waserman (Medicine)spoke to Newstalk 770 and OMNI FM about a clinical trial of an oral immunotherapy regimen that aims to reduce kid’s sensitivity to peanut allergy.
  • Innovator 2018 – Autumn-Edition

FIRH in the Media – 2017

January 2017

  • The Globe and Mail sought comment from Susan Waserman (Allergy and Immunology) about McDonalds Canada no longer being nut-free. She was also interview by CFRA radio.

April 2017

June 2017

  • Susan Waserman (Medicine) advised Best Health Magazine on what allergy medications are available over-the-counter and by prescription.
  • CBC News and CHML radio talked to Parameswaran Nair (Medicine) about his research on a new drug that could help people with asthma come off steroid treatment.
  • Several media outlets including The Daily Mail, The Mirror, India TV, Radio Canada International and The Spectator covered new research by Dr. Malcolm Sears (Medicine/CHILD study) that shows delaying the introduction of potentially allergenic foods until after a baby’s first year may increase the likelihood of a food allergy later on.

August 2017

  • Global News spoke to Susan Waserman (Medicine) for a piece about summer colds that can sometimes be confused with summer allergies.

September 2017

  • Susan Waserman (Allergy and Immunology) spoke to The Weather Network about nasal steroid sprays and long acting, non-drowsy antihistamines that are allergy-fighting must haves.
  • Why aren’t life-saving injectors everywhere in public? CTVNews.ca spoke to Susan Wasserman (Allergy and Immunology) about making Epipens available in public places.

October 2017

  • ELOMERCURIO Online (Chile) reported on earlier research by Malcolm Sears (Respirology) that showed nail-biting and thumb-sucking in childhood may have some benefit.

November 2017

  • The Daily Mail, CTV News, Medical Express, Gears of Biz, Celebrity Rave, News2read and more media covered a new finding from the Canadian CHILD study led by Malcolm Sears (Medicine) and Max Tran (BHSc graduate) that will help doctors better predict which children will develop asthma and allergies.
  • Canadian Insider wrote about Sarah Svenningsen (Medicine) who was awarded a Polanyi Prize in Physiology/Medicine. Her research shows that the use of medical imaging and computer programs can dramatically improve asthma measurement and intervention, potentially leading to personalized treatments and better outcomes.

December 2017

  • Cystic Fibrosis News Today wrote about Jeremy Hirota’s (Medicine) New Investigator Research Grant to help create a precision medicine tool for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF).