White Coat, Black Art
CBC Podcasts & Radio On-Demand
Trusted ER doctor Brian Goldman brings you honest and surprising stories that can change your health and your life. Expect deep conversations with patients, families and colleagues that show you what is and isn't working in Canadian healthcare. Guaranteed you’ll learn something new. Episodes drop every Friday.
Location:
Canada, ON
Networks:
CBC Podcasts & Radio On-Demand
Description:
Trusted ER doctor Brian Goldman brings you honest and surprising stories that can change your health and your life. Expect deep conversations with patients, families and colleagues that show you what is and isn't working in Canadian healthcare. Guaranteed you’ll learn something new. Episodes drop every Friday.
Twitter:
@wcbadoctorbrian
Language:
English
Contact:
Dr. Brian Goldman White Coat, Black Art, CBC Radio P.O. Box 500, Station " A", Toronto, Ont., M5W1E6 1-866-648-6714
Website:
http://www.cbc.ca/whitecoat
Email:
whitecoat@cbc.ca
Episodes
What will the federal parties do for health care?
4/24/2025
With election day just around the corner, we know Canadians have questions about health care and how the next federal government can help make it better. That's why we asked candidates from the five major parties about three priority issues: how they would ensure every Canadian has a family doctor or nurse practitioner, what they would do to make it easier for doctors to work across the country, and how they would address the creep in private-pay primary care.
Duration:00:31:39
How is the federal government responsible for health care?
4/17/2025
Much of the federal election campaign’s focus has been on the U.S. But health care is always on the minds of Canadians. So what are the federal government’s responsibilities when it comes to health care—especially when six and a half million Canadians don't have a primary care provider? Amélie Quesnel-Vallée, a McGill professor and Canada Research Chair in Policies and Health Inequalities, explains.
Duration:00:26:43
Public healthcare is a national crisis. So why isn't it an election priority?
4/11/2025
The federal election campaign so far has been dominated by curveballs from the U.S. But meanwhile, the state of public healthcare in Canada remains dire. We look at what our listeners have to say about the creep of a two-tier healthcare system, and check in with health law expert Colleen Flood about how Canadians should demand healthcare reform no matter which party they choose.
Duration:00:26:45
A life or death 40-hour wait in the ER
4/4/2025
Christina Shehata waited 40 hours in an Ontario hospital ER to get an inpatient bed. It’s a common reality in hospitals across Canada. What makes Christina's story different is that her husband, Dr. Adam Shehata, was keenly aware that she could have died. While the hospital did the best it could, Christina says without the aid of a physician spouse, her stay could have been even longer. They're highlighting the need for systemic change.
Duration:00:26:42
BONUS: The Dose: What do I need to know right now about measles?
3/28/2025
Measles is on the rise, highlighting how a disease considered eliminated in Canada is making a comeback. Recent dramatic outbreaks are worrying people like infectious diseases specialist Dr. Sumon Chakrabarti. He explains why more people are getting measles, how it spreads, the symptoms and the long-term complications. He says getting vaccinated provides the best protection. (Originally published Mar. 6, 2025.)
Duration:00:22:40
Measles in Canada: Where we're at and how we got here
3/28/2025
We're seeing the worst measles numbers in Canada in more than a decade. Dr. Ninh Tran, medical officer of health in the country's hardest hit region of southwestern Ontario, describes how they're fighting to control the spread. And University of Alberta infectious diseases specialist Dr. Lynora Saxinger reflects on the "undead zombie of disinformation" that's helped lead us here.
Duration:00:26:44
Meet the people who help sedate you
3/21/2025
A shortage of anesthesiologists in Canada often means postponed operations and procedures. But some hospitals are using anesthesia assistants (AAs) to get more patients into surgeries and routine procedures needing sedation. Dr. Brian Goldman observes AA Rob Bryan during a colonoscopy at an Ontario hospital to find out what he does. And Nova Scotia pediatric anesthesiologists Dr. Sally Bird and Dr. Mathew Kiberd say AAs have become an essential part of their anesthesia team.
Duration:00:26:41
Saving elderly patients from the hazards of the ER
3/14/2025
It may seem counterintuitive, but hospital emergency rooms can be hazardous to the health of elderly patients. An innovative geriatric multidisciplinary ER team at St. Mary's Hospital in Montreal is getting elderly patients discharged quickly and safely, saving them from preventable harms and the hospital millions in preventable admissions.
Duration:00:26:47
A career, three young kids, and colorectal cancer
3/7/2025
A growing number of young people in Canada are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and their needs often differ from older patients. Melissa Groff was diagnosed at age 34, with three small kids, in the prime of her career. She says she would have benefitted from more age-appropriate care. Sunnybrook's Young Adult Colorectal Cancer Clinic offers this care including support for mental health, sexual health, body image issues and family planning.
Duration:00:26:41
What if palliative care was about living better?
2/28/2025
Palliative physician Dr. Samantha Winemaker says her line of work has a branding problem. Instead of thinking of it as "the Grim Reaper service" to be called in at the 11th hour, she says patients benefit from a palliative approach as soon as they're faced with a life-limiting illness. "Dr. Sammy" meets a new patient and his family for the first time - showing how her person-centered care treads the fine line between honesty and hope.
Duration:00:26:43
Primary care lessons: What the Netherlands can teach us
2/21/2025
Dr. Tara Kiran knows primary care in Canada can be better. That's why the Toronto-based family physician and researcher went to the Netherlands, a world leader in health, to see what we can take away. What she found is a system that provides around-the-clock care and primary care teams who can see patients when they need it most.
Duration:00:26:39
ENCORE: The high cost of sick notes
2/13/2025
Patients don't like asking for them, doctors hate writing them, and yet, some employers continue to demand notes when a worker calls in sick for a minor illness like the flu or a cold. More and more doctors and other health-care providers says that sick notes shouldn't be required for minor illnesses, tying up an already overloaded system. Some provinces have now updated their sick note policies.
Duration:00:26:41
Primary care for all: Lessons from Denmark
2/7/2025
We know there are problems with our country’s health-care system, with millions of Canadians going without a family doctor or nurse practitioner. But Denmark, a country where more than 98 percent of its population is attached to a primary care provider, could have some lessons for us. We travelled to the Scandinavian country to see how the Danish system works for patients and doctors. The differences are startling.
Duration:00:26:39
THE DOSE: How do I know if I have undiagnosed adult ADHD?
1/31/2025
[Encore Presentation]: Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder – or ADHD – is a common diagnosis in children. But more and more adults are also being diagnosed with ADHD. Psychiatrist Dr. Ainslie Gray explains some of the tell-tale signs you might be living with undiagnosed ADHD, as well as some of the ways you might be unknowingly coping with the condition.
Duration:00:24:01
The quest for an ADHD diagnosis in middle age
1/31/2025
CBC producer Adam Killick has spent his whole life believing something was wrong with him. It’s only now, in his 50s, that he’s wondering if he has attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. About four to six per cent of adult Canadians have ADHD. If Adam is diagnosed, it would help him make sense of his life. If not, he's not sure what he'll do. We follow along on his quest.
Duration:00:26:41
Palliative care isn't just for patients – it's for families
1/24/2025
Faced with a life-limiting illness, most Canadians would like to die at home. But only 13% are offered the palliative support to do so, which Dr. Sammy Winemaker wants to change. The palliative home care physician introduces us to the family of patient Shelley McCarthy two years after her death at home from thyroid cancer. They say a palliative approach should be offered early and include everyone.
Duration:00:26:42
Young colorectal cancer patients are different. So is this clinic
1/17/2025
Colorectal cancer is the fourth most common cancer in Canada, but screening doesn’t begin until age 50. Seeing younger people getting diagnosed, Dr. Shady Ashamalla helped launch Sunnybrook's Young Adult Colorectal Cancer Centre in Toronto. It offers minimally invasive care to patients like Catherine Mifsud, diagnosed with three kids at home in the prime of her career.
Duration:00:26:43
Virtual doctors for real ERs
1/10/2025
Like many of Canada’s rural and remote communities, Mackenzie, B.C.’s hospital struggles to staff the ER. But once a week, a doctor hundreds of kilometres away fills in virtually. Many provinces like B.C. are using virtual care in ERs in an attempt to keep the doors open. But critics are concerned about patient safety and the need to balance virtual with in-person care.
Duration:00:26:42
Making hospital food scrumptious, and sustainable
1/3/2025
When Ned Bell’s wife was recovering from cancer surgery at Vancouver General Hospital, the unappetizing food she was served left a bad taste in his mouth. So the five-star chef teamed up with his wife’s surgeon to revamp patient meals. Dr. Brian Goldman visits Chef Bell in the hospital’s test kitchen to see how the new “Planetary Health Menu” helps boost patient health and reduce the carbon footprint of traditional hospital food.
Duration:00:26:41
ENCORE: The gift of life
12/27/2024
In this season of bearing gifts, it’s been said the highest form of giving is the anonymous kind. Heather Badenoch knows that very well. She donated part of her liver to a child she never met in Toronto. Now she uses her communications skills to recruit donors for people in need of an organ.
Duration:00:26:45