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On the front lines of the opioid crisis, Dr. Talia Varley sees the intersection of social health challenges that impact addiction, including unstable housing, food insecurity and mental health challenges.

“In this field, you see all sides of the story,” explains Dr. Varley. “Kids introduced to street drugs who then spiraled, and otherwise healthy individuals who were given opioids after breaking a bone that then transformed their lives entirely — the unexpected ways that patients develop addictions.”

Dr. Varley earned an MD and certification in the College of Family Physicians (CCFP) at McMaster University before seeking a Master's degree in Public Health at Harvard University. During her medical residency, she learned the breadth of practice that family medicine offers, including the opportunity to develop deeper relationships with patients. After a research fellowship in chronic pain, she began her journey in addiction medicine.

“I began to get into a deeper level of meaningful patient care, with immediate impact helping patients with opioid use disorder turn their life around,” she says. “It is very inspiring to see patients both early in treatment and then someone who is stabilized in the long term. In clinic, accessing the right medications and counselling tools can make a huge difference.”

Dr. Varley sees a big challenge with the volume of patients who relapse despite the supports of their treatment plan. “Sometimes you hear they passed away from an overdose — there’s a lot of cognitive and emotional burden that is natural in this setting.”

Such burdens can contribute to rising burnout among healthcare practitioners, a trend that is supported by data showing considerable fatigue across sectors.

“This is a moment in time where the problem of burnout is worsening and pushing the boundaries of system resilience,” she says. “We’re seeing this in early retirements and people opting out of demanding healthcare roles, leaving us with gaps in staffing.”

Prioritizing workload balance and having systems in place to address staffing shortages and create operational redundancies are necessary early steps toward physician wellness. Dr. Varley believes the key is supporting individual needs while not inadvertently also adding stressors to other colleagues.

“We have so much work to do with health care in Canada. I also see it on the corporate side. How do you best support women in the workplace with access to physical and mental [health] leave or maternity leave?” she asks. “There are many specific unique factors influencing the ability of women physicians to to optimize their resilience.”

That corporate side includes her role as Physician Lead for Advisory Services at Cleveland Clinic Canada, where she influences the conversation around how healthcare insights can support companies across the country to foster better employee and patient outcomes.

Her work has had a population level impact on the health of Canadians by helping companies mitigate risk and improve the health of their employees through health-focused, strategic solutions that support operational continuity as well as talent engagement and resilience.

Financial health and wellness were key topics that inspired Dr. Varley to join the MD Physician Council.

“When we think about the pillars of health, we think about mental, physical, social and financial health,” explains Dr. Varley. “Physicians’ self-care and financial well-being are important parts of that discussion.”

She jokes that physicians may not always be known for their accounting and finance skills, but financial planning is a topic that cannot be glossed over.

“It’s important for physicians to understand their unique financial planning needs, especially for women physicians,” she says. “It’s how you know you can support your family and retire well. For me to have a seat at the table and advocate to help close critical knowledge gaps and support is very motivating.”