Janelle Vandergrift

 From the Catalyst, Summer 2018

Upstream Medicine: Doctors for a Healthy Society

Edited by Andrew Bresnahan, Mahli Brindamour, Christopher Charles, and Ryan Meili

Purich Publishing, 2017

Reviewed by Janelle Vandergrift

It is hard not to be inspired by the depth of first-hand knowledge and the dedication of the impressive roster of physicians interviewed in Upstream Medicine. The book is a collaborative project between Upstream, a non-profit in Saskatchewan, and the Canadian Federation of Medical Students. In this book, various medical students have interviewed established doctors about the social determinants of health, also-known-as upstream health issues, of the patients they see.

From The Catalyst, Summer 2015

Our Only World: Ten Essays
By Wendell Berry

Counterpoint, 2015

Reviewed by Janelle Vandergrift

Before reading it, I assumed Our Only World would focus solely on climate and environment issues. Instead, Wendell Berry weaves an analysis of today’s social and environmental issues as one in the same.

From The Catalyst, Summer 2015

By Janelle Vandergrift

These days Canadians are more likely to hear ourselves referred to as “taxpayers” than “citizens.” But what if we viewed ourselves as citizens first? We might stop asking “what’s in it for me?” and begin to ask “what’s in it for everyone?”

From The Catalyst Spring 2015

On February 3, 2015, the Dignity for All Campaign released its long-awaited “National Anti-Poverty Plan for Canada.” Support has been widespread: over 15,000 individuals, 600 organizations, and 130 Members of Parliament and Senators have all signed on, agreeing that Canada needs a national plan to address poverty.

All of us who care about issues of justice know that the world we live in is broken. Sometimes the weight of this brokenness can make it difficult to keep working for a better world. We stop waiting for justice, we stop waiting for wholeness, and we numb ourselves to experiencing the pain of all…

The middle class’ concern for their own interests is legitimate, but people of faith must put a particular emphasis on the needs of the most vulnerable and ensure their voices are heard amid the political noise.