What is obesity?
Is obesity a disease?
Does obesity have a genetic component to it?
What are the negative side-effects of long-standing obesity?
How is it determined if someone is obese or not?
Can obesity be cured?
Do “fad” diets actually work? What about “boot-camp” workout regimens?
What is the Canadian Obesity Network?
This video features an interview with Dr. Arya Sharma, MD/PhD, FRCPC. Dr Sharma is a professor of medicine, chair for Cardiovascular Obesity Research and Management at the University of Alberta as well as the scientific director for the Canadian Obesity Network.

Dr. Sharma is heavily involved in research, and has authored or co-authored over 250 scientific articles, dealing mainly with obesity prevention, management and consequences. To learn more about Dr. Sharma or his work on obesity, please visit his website: www.drsharma.ca.

Questions answered in this video include:

1. What is bipolar disorder?
2. How prevalent is bipolar disorder?
3. What are the symptoms of bipolar disorder?
4. Do BPD patients display any characteristic behaviours?
5. Are there different subtypes of bipolar disorder?
6. and many more!

Dr. Peter Silverstone, MB, BS, MD, MRC (Psych), FRCPC, is a clinician and professor of psychiatry at the University of Alberta. He is also a talented researcher and Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) scholar. Currently, he is involved in novel bipolar disease-related research, in which changes in the biochemistry of the brain in response to therapeutic interventions are imaged, using cutting-edge MRI imaging techniques.

Questions asked in this video include:

1. What is acne?
2. How does acne come about?
3. How common is acne?
4. What are the trigger factors for acne breakouts?
5. Are there effective treatment options for acne?
6. Are there any limitations to who can take accutane?
7. Are there any effective over-the-counter treatments for acne?
8. Can anything be done to treat/diminish acne scars?
9. What is dermabrasion?
10. What are some ways by which one can prevent the development of acne scars?
    

Dr. Jaggi Rao is a board certified dermatologist, licensed in both Canada and the United States. He is also a clinical professor of Dermatology and coordinator of the residency training program at the University of Alberta. After completing his dermatology training, Dr. Rao became the first Canadian physician to be accepted to the prestigious American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery fellowship training program. He has authored a large body of scientific articles and textbook chapters, has presented at countless medical meetings, and has served as a peer reviewer for prominent medical journals, including Dermatologic Surgery.

Questions answered in this segment include:

1. How is H1N1 different from the seasonal flu virus?
2. Is H1N1 more dangerous than the seasonal flu?
3. What are common symptoms to look for with the swine flu?
4. How long do these symptoms last?
5. How does a physician determine if someone has come down with the swine flu?
6. How is H1N1 transmitted?
7. Why the “swine” in “swine flu”?
8. Who is considered “high risk” and why?
9. How does the swine flu vaccine compare to the seasonal flu vaccine?
10. What are some good preventative strategies to avoid getting the swine flu?

This interview is with Dr. Sarah Forgie, a medical professor of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Alberta. Dr. Forgie is the coordinator of the undergraduate infectious disease education block at the University of Alberta’s school of medicine, is extensively involved in infectious disease-related research, and is widely recognized as one of the most innovative medical educators in her field.

Questions answered in this video include:

1. What is obesity?
2. Is obesity a disease?
3. Does obesity have a genetic component to it?
4. What are the negative side-effects of long-standing obesity?
5. How is it determined if someone is obese or not?
6. Can obesity be cured?
7. Do “fad” diets actually work? What about “boot-camp” workout regimens?
8. What is the Canadian Obesity Network?

This video features an interview with Dr. Arya Sharma, MD/PhD, FRCPC. Dr Sharma is a professor of medicine, chair for Cardiovascular Obesity Research and Management at the University of Alberta as well as the scientific director for the Canadian Obesity Network.

Dr. Sharma is heavily involved in research, and has authored or co-authored over 250 scientific articles, dealing mainly with obesity prevention, management and consequences. To learn more about Dr. Sharma or his work on obesity, please visit his website:  www.drsharma.ca.

Questions answered in this video include:

1. What is psoriasis?
2. How common is psoriasis?
3. Who can develop psoriasis?
4. Can dry weather trigger psoriasis?
5. What are some other trigger factors for psoriasis flare-ups?
6. Does psoriasis have any other symptoms besides skin rash?
7. What does a psoriatic skin rash look like?
8. What are the most effective treatment options for psoriasis?
9. Do these treatments help with symptoms other than the skin rash?
10. Are all topical treatments steroid-based?

Dr. Jaggi Rao is a board certified dermatologist, licensed in both Canada and the United States. He is also a clinical professor of Dermatology and coordinator of the residency training program at the University of Alberta. After completing his dermatology training, Dr. Rao became the first Canadian physician to be accepted to the prestigious American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery fellowship training program. He has authored a large body of scientific articles and textbook chapters, has presented at countless medical meetings, and has served as a peer reviewer for prominent medical journals, including Dermatologic Surgery.

Questions answered in this video include:

1. Is hypertension considered a disease or a symptom?
2. At what point is blood pressure considered to be hypertensive?
3. What do the two numbers in a blood pressure reading represent?
4. What is the difference between primary and secondary hypertension?
5. What causes hypertension?
6. Does sex or ethnicity affect a person’s risk of developing hypertension?
7. What are the long-term complications of hypertension? What sorts of treatment options are there for hypertension?
8. How effective are current medications at lowering blood pressure?
9. Do blood pressure medications have any major side-effects?
10. What is the prognosis for a middle-aged adult newly diagnosed with hypertension?

Dr. Peter Hamilton is a respected hypertension specialist from the University of Alberta. In his practice, Dr. Hamilton runs one of the largest hypertension clinics in the province. He is currently involved in several large-scale research projects in the area of hypertensive disease, and has published numerous scientific articles on the topic.