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PODCAST

Doctor Vs Comedian

Doctor Vs Comedian

Is Laughter the best medicine? We attempt to answer this and other pressing questions in Doctor Vs Comedian. Dr Asif Doja is a pediatric neurologist and Ali Hassan is a stand up comedian and actor (CBC‘s Laugh Out Loud, Designated Survivor, Goon) who are each fascinated by what the other one does. In each episode, Asif picks a topic for Ali from comedy and entertainment and questions Ali about it. Then Ali picks a topic from medicine and health and grills Asif on that subject.We talk about serious

health & fitness medicine

All Episodes

49:49

Episode 215: Family medicine, private clinics…and...

Doctor Vs Comedian ·

2025/07/02

Today, Ali and Asif are joined by family physician and the inaugural Primary Care and Health Policy Scholar at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, Dr. Danyaal Raza. The guys start off by asking Dr. Raza about how healthcare is structured. Then, they ask him about a recent article he wrote in the ‘Toronto Star’ regarding the privatization of family medicine clinics, data brokering and how these developments can be compared to Saturday morning cartoons we watched as children. After a brief aside about

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49:49

Episode 215: Family medicine, private clinics…and...

Doctor Vs Comedian ·

2025/06/27

Today, Ali and Asif are joined by family physician and the inaugural Primary Care and Health Policy Scholar at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, Dr. Danyaal Raza. The guys start off by asking Dr. Raza about how healthcare is structured. Then, they ask him about a recent article he wrote in the ‘Toronto Star’ regarding the privatization of family medicine clinics, data brokering and how these developments can be compared to Saturday morning cartoons we watched as children. After a brief aside about

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47:13

Episode 214: ‘You’re My Hero’ / Hypoxic Birth Injury

Doctor Vs Comedian ·

2025/06/20

Today, Asif asks Ali about Ali co-starring in the CBC Gem TV show ‘You’re My Hero’ (2:21). Ali talks about how he was offered the role and co-starring with professional wrestler Chris Jericho. They talk about creator Sean Towgood, “disabled” vs “differently abled” and the (lack) of representation of people with disabilities on television. Asif then gives his thoughts on the show and the cast (Spoiler: he liked it!). In ‘You’re My Hero’, the main character has cerebral palsy due to lack of oxygen

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53:13

Episode 213: Interview with Addiction Medicine Expert...

Doctor Vs Comedian ·

2025/06/13

Today, on a special episode, Asif and Ali interview addiction expert Dr. Jason Giles. For over two decades, Dr. Giles has helped more than 10,000 patients overcome substance use disorders. Dr. Giles combines clinical expertise with personal experience, having navigated his own journey to recovery 25 years ago. Dr. Giles is the founder and Medical Director of Addiction Doctors, a leading telemedicine practice specializing in comprehensive addiction care.Dr. Giles discusses his personal story with

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45:49

Episode 212: Billy Joel / Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus

Doctor Vs Comedian ·

2025/06/06

Today, Asif and Ali discuss the career of the legendary singer Billy Joel (1:08). They start off by discussing his accolades, how Joel is compared to his contemporaries and his early years. They then discuss some of his seminal songs that Ali and Asif experienced growing up, including ‘Vienna’, ‘Piano Man’, ‘My Life’, ‘Uptown Girl’, and ‘We Didn’t Start the Fire’. Then the guys each list their favourite Billy Joel songs.Joel recently cancelled several tour dates due to normal pressure

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01:09:09

Episode 211: Bill Burr, ‘Drop Dead Years’ and Sudden...

Doctor Vs Comedian ·

2025/05/30

Today, Ali and Asif, after a digression about Paris restaurants and Reddit trolls, discuss the career of Bill Burr (7:33). They discuss his early life, starting out in comedy, his Philly rant and his podcast. They \then discuss his television cartoon ‘F is for Family’ and his acting roles, his film ‘Old Dads’ including his recent broadway turn in ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’. They then discuss Burr’s standup style, whether comedians can be “happy and funny”, and Burr’s recent special ‘Drop Dead Years’.

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01:01:23

Episode 210: ‘The Studio’ / Perception of Doctors

Doctor Vs Comedian ·

2025/05/23

After a brief digression about popcorn throwing at ‘The Minecraft Movie’ and Ali’s connection to producer Evan Goldberg, Ali and Asif discuss the Apple TV hit series ‘The Studio’ (10:49). The guys start off by discussing the creation of the show by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg and how it was influenced by ‘The Larry Sanders Show’. They discuss the phenomenal cast and guest stars. Asif then gets Ali’s thoughts on the numerous “one take” shots, as well as the very small writers room. They then give

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47:30

Episode 209: A Quiz on French Culture and French...

Doctor Vs Comedian ·

2025/05/16

This week, Asif is in France on his sabbatical. To commemorate this, the guys give each other a quiz on France. Ali starts off by quizzing Asif about French culture and cuisine (4:55). They discuss croissants, Bouillabaisse, Versailles, and French greetings. Then Asif quizzes Ali about medicine in France (22:57) including the advent of teaching in hospitals, pasteurization, the guillotine (!), as well as a lightning round. The opinions expressed are those of the hosts, and do not reflect those

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32:59

Episode 208: A Discussion on Suicide (w Dr. Daphne...

Doctor Vs Comedian ·

2025/05/09

If you are in crisis or concerned about someone text 9-8-8 in the USA or Canada or visit suicide prevention.ca This week is children’s mental health week, and so today Asif and Ali welcome physician and researcher Dr. Daphne Korczak to discuss the important topic of suicide in children and youth. They discuss the changing language around suicide, how common it is and the complex risk factors for it. They guys also ask Dr. Korczak about how the Covid-19 pandemic impacted suicide rates, as well as

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40:55

Episode 207: Val Kilmer / Throat Cancer

Doctor Vs Comedian ·

2025/05/02

Today, Asif and Ali discuss the career of the late actor Val Kilmer (1:05). The guys start off by discussing the 2023 documentary about Kilmer entitled ‘Val’. They discuss Val’s early life and the tragic death of his younger brother from epilepsy. They discuss Kilmer’s early successes and how he was the youngest person admitted to Julliard in the drama department. They then go over their favourite Kilmer movies including ‘Top Secret’, ‘Top Gun’ (which Asif still hasn’t seen), ‘Willow’,’The Doors’,

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49:39

Episode 207: Snacks and Ultraprocessed Foods

Doctor Vs Comedian ·

2025/04/25

Today, Asif and Ali discuss ultraprocessed foods (no medical topic today). To start off, Asif quizzes Ali about his favorite snack foods (1:29). Then Ali gives Asif a quiz on ultraprocessed foods from the New York Times. They then discuss the obesity epidemic and the the theory that ultraprocessed foods may have contributed to this (25;17). They then go over the NOVA food classification system and give examples of ultraprocessed foods. Asif discusses how often people consume ultraprocessed foods and

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52:57

Episode 206: ‘Adolescence’ / Teenagers and Screens

Doctor Vs Comedian ·

2025/04/18

Today, Asif and Ali discuss the phenomenal Netflix series ‘Adolescence’ (1:28). They discuss the creation of the film and how star and co-creator Stephen Graham came up with the concept for the show to address misogyny and knife violence in the UK. The guys discuss incel culture, the book ‘The Game’ and Andrew Tate and how adolescence tackles these concepts. They then discuss the direction of the series, with each episode being filmed in one take. Then then discuss the tremendous acting in the

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39:07

Episode 205: Period Pain (w/ Kate Downey)

Doctor Vs Comedian ·

2025/04/11

Today Asif and Ali interview podcaster Kate Downey about period pain and her new podcast “Cramped”. The guys chat with Kate about why she wanted to start a podcast about period pain (dysmenorrhea) and her personal journey with what she calls ‘death cramps”. Kate then elaborates on why period pain is often treated differently than other types of pain and the relation between period pain and endometriosis. They then discuss how stigma and bias are intertwined with the lack of awareness of period pain

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47:17

Episode 204: ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ and Belle Gibson /...

Doctor Vs Comedian ·

2025/04/04

Today, after a brief discussion of shows Ali and Asif have been watching lately – including ‘One Day’ and ‘Adolescence’ (as well as shows they bailed on… ‘Breaking Bad’ and ‘The White Lotus’) – they discuss ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’ and Belle Gibson (7:43). They go over Belle Gibson’s rise from Instagram “Wellness Warrior” to being exposed as faking having brain cancer. They then discuss the Netflix TV show based on Belle Gibson’s story ‘Apple Cider Vinegar’. They discuss how the show weaves in Belle’s

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48:11

Episode 203: ‘Deli Boys’ / Dangers of Ayurvedic Medicine

Doctor Vs Comedian ·

2025/03/28

Today Asif and Ali discuss the new critically acclaimed Disney Plus /Hulu series “Deli Boys” (1:15). They discuss creator Abdullah Saeed’ background and how he came to develop the series. They discuss what they love about the show including the superb cast including Saagar Shaikh. Asif Ali, and Poorna Jagannathan. Then, based on some recent news articles, Ali asks Asif about the dangers of Ayurvedic medicine (27:24). They discuss this practice of this form of medicine, its history and basic

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45:32

Episode 202: Gene Hackman / Hantavirus from Rodent...

Doctor Vs Comedian ·

2025/03/21

Today, Ali and Asif discuss the career of the late Gene Hackman (2:04). They discuss his early life, getting into acting and his friendship with Dustin Hoffman and Robert Duvall. They also discuss Hackman’s other interests including architecture and writing. Asif and Ali then discuss their favourite Gene Hackman roles including in the movies ‘Superman’, ‘Hoosiers’, ‘Crimson Tide’, ‘Unforgiven’, ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’ and ‘The Birdcage’. Then, Asif and ALi discuss the details of the untimely

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52:09

Episode 201: Composer John Williams / Pacemakers

Doctor Vs Comedian ·

2025/03/14

Today, after Asif admits that he saw “Home Alone” for the first time in December 2024, the guys discuss the prolific career of the composer John Williams and the recent documentary on his life “Music by John Williams” (5:33). They discuss his early life and his unusual connection to Newfoundland. They discuss his origins as a jazz pianist, his early career scoring films and his tremendous success after he began collaborating with Steven Spielberg. After discussing William’s family life, Asif does an

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52:57

Episode 200: Interview with Misinformation Expert Tim...

Doctor Vs Comedian ·

2025/03/07

Today, to celebrate 200 episodes, Ali and Asif interview misinformation expert Timothy Caulfield about his new book, ‘The Certainty Illusion: What You Don’t Know and Why It Matters ’. They start off by discussing Tim’s background and how he became involved in the battle against misinformation and how he deals with internet trolls. Ali then asks Tim about certain topics he addresses in his new book including gluten, fresh vs frozen sushi and organic foods. Asif then asks Tim about some topics from

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45:33

Episode 199: 97th Oscars Preview

Doctor Vs Comedian ·

2025/02/28

After a brief discussion about plane crashes and measles outbreaks, Asif and Ali preview the upcoming 97th annual Academy Awards. taking place on March 2, 2025 (no medical topic this episode). After discussing the amazing score for ‘Conclave’, the guys go over their Oscar picks in the following categories: Original and Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Picture. In the course of their conversation they also go into

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43:27

Episode 198: ‘The Substance’ / Botox

Doctor Vs Comedian ·

2025/02/21

Today Asif and Ali discuss the Oscar nominated movie “The Substance” (1:44) (mild spoilers follow). They discuss the overall genre of body horror and the classic Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg and how the end of the substance is similar to the end of ‘The Fly’. They then chat about how ‘The Substance’ was developed by acclaimed director Coralie Fargeat. They discuss the cast – including an award winning turn by Demi Moore – and the superb make up and special effects. They also briefly discuss

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