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
ENCORE: The toll of cannabis-induced psychosis
7/4/2025
When Kalpit Sharma started smoking high-THC weed several times a day, he thought he was just “living his life” as a university student. But then, he started hearing voices. Researcher Dr. Daniel Myran shares the science behind stories like Kalpit’s – and why young men are particularly at risk for concerning mental health outcomes.
Duration:00:26:43
ENCORE: The Senator's Singer
6/27/2025
We're replaying this episode in honour of National Indigenous History Month. Former senator and chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Murray Sinclair spent the last months of his life at St. Boniface Hospital in Winnipeg. He found comfort in the music of Quinton Poitras, a Métis musician with Artists in Healthcare Manitoba who played his favourite songs. Niigaan Sinclair says that even though his father was in a lot of pain, the music helped him feel joy in the moment.
Duration:00:26:41
As Dr. Theresa Tam steps down, she urges Canada to stand strong on public health
6/20/2025
Dr. Theresa Tam steps down this week after eight years as Canada’s chief public health officer. Best known for leading the COVID-19 public health response, Tam tells Dr. Brian Goldman in a sit-down interview that Canada urgently needs a national vaccine registry to better manage outbreaks like measles, and must do more to support science and fight misinformation.
Duration:00:32:47
Dr. Eric Topol on the science of longevity when science is in peril
6/13/2025
Cardiologist, scientist and bestselling author Dr. Eric Topol's new book "Super Agers" distills decades of research on how to make us healthier for longer. Topol says that humanity is on the cusp of developing treatments to help tame cancer, dementia and other chronic diseases… just as political forces in the U.S. are shutting down that research.
Duration:00:26:42
Alberta's measles problem
6/6/2025
Alberta is dealing with almost 800 cases of measles, the most in nearly forty years. Dr. Mark Joffe is an infectious disease physician who recently served as Alberta's chief medical officer of health (CMOH). He says there’s a huge need to get the message out that the vaccine is safe and will protect people. Dr. James Talbot, an adjunct professor at the University of Alberta and a former CMOH for Alberta, is concerned provincial leaders aren't taking this measles outbreak urgently enough.
Duration:00:26:39
Family doctor who quit teaches the next gen how to stay
5/30/2025
After 25+ years as a family physician, Dr. Fan-Wah Mang closed her practice because she burned out. Now, she’s at Humber River Hospital in Toronto, teaching the next generation of family doctors how to avoid the pitfalls that made her leave. Two of the residents know what they’ll need to be a family physician long term, and it may surprise you.
Duration:00:26:42
Waiting 84 weeks and counting for a new knee
5/23/2025
Thousands of Canadians are in line for a joint replacement surgery. Tracey Knowlton is one of them, waiting over 84 weeks for a knee replacement. Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Stephen Kwan says long waits are an ongoing, system-wide problem. Health-care policy experts like Tom McIntosh say we know how to make it better and faster for patients, but provincial health leaders need to step up.
Duration:00:26:39
ENCORE: The early bird gets the derm
5/16/2025
A crowd lines up every weekday at a unique walk-in dermatology clinic in Toronto. People have conditions ranging from severe rashes to potentially cancerous moles, and can’t wait months for an appointment with a skin doctor. Dr. Davindra Singh, who runs the clinic, calls it a dermatology crisis.
Duration:00:26:40
The treatment centre that grief built, part 2
5/9/2025
At the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre for men in Winnipeg, over 90% of the staff are in recovery from substance abuse themselves. Staffers like Terrence Morrin use "lived expertise" to create a circle of recovery. He first came to the centre as a participant two years ago, after detoxing on the floor of a prison cell. Today, he's helping other guys like him walk the walk.
Duration:00:26:43
The treatment centre that grief built, part 1
5/2/2025
When sportscaster Scott Oake isn't rinkside at NHL games, he's often hanging out at a substance abuse treatment centre in Winnipeg. He's there to be close to his late son. An urn with Bruce's ashes greets everyone who walks through the doors of Bruce Oake Recovery Centre. In the first of a two-part series, Dr. Brian Goldman visits the centre to meet Scott and learn about the centre's approach to substance-abuse treatment — one that came too late for Bruce.
Duration:00:26:41
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