Claim OwnershipWhite Coat, Black Art
Subscribed: 11,132Played: 193,566
Subscribe
Copyright © CBC 2025
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.
173 Episodes
Reverse
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.
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.
More Quebeckers are paying to see a family doc for services that should be covered publicly. Dr. Martin Potter explains why he founded Clinique Santé Plus after 20 years in the public system. But Dr. Bernard Ho of Canadian Doctors for Medicare says Quebec may be a bellwether for the rest of Canada, and private-pay family medicine puts the public system, and individual patients, at risk.
1In Quebec, family medicine is the latest troubling frontier in a two-tier system that's been quietly growing for years. Dr. Brian Goldman visits Clinique Santé Plus in Vaudreuil to learn why the clinic's youngest doctor turned away from the public system. Two patients - one languishing on a waitlist for a family doctor, and one who can never reach hers - explain why $150 is worth 15 minutes with a private family doctor.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
[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. Family physician 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.
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.
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.
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 Clinic in Toronto. It offers minimally invasive care to patients like Catherine Mifsud, diagnosed with three kids at home in the prime of her career.
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.
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.
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States
To uninitiated outside observers, it seems that sports betting is something akin to a lottery. In fact, only people who are deeply passionate, attentive and collected can make money on sports forecasts. You can find a lot of useful information about this on this site https://beloblog.com
The nurse interviewed mentions that people aren't getting vaccinat3d because there are very loud people spreading misinformation. Would love to know his thoughts on the doctors and nurses who ate part of that loud group? what do you feel, do or say when it is your own colleagues that are basically shooting you in the foot?
Excellent podcast! These two are amazing people!
He brought a knife to a gun fight...yet, he's still alive. This pro gun rhetoric has to stop...skip.
I never subscribed to this. wth?
We adopted two brothers when they were 5 & 6. Both had FASD which I diagnosed even though they had been in foster care for over 2 years. (I studied special education in masters program). I had educational experience and credentials needed to help my sons through school. Their teachers and schools didn't have the programs or even basic understanding of their disorder. Fortunately the social problems were minor. Both are on their own now doing relatively well. I don't know how parents without my background can raise their children.
My doctor has gone part-time and my care has improved. He is happier, rested and seems to be providing better care. I know his schedule so I can plan my appointments without any problems. If I need to come in when he isn't there, I know my records are complete and he can be reached if needed. (Often the "on call" doctor I get is one I've met before because my doctor always has a student doctor he is training.) I'm a retired college instructor. I have had a great career. My only regret is that I didn't spend more time with my kids when they were young. I'm glad my doctor is smarter than me!
some of CBC's best. can't imagine a Canada without the CBC
I continue to struggle and manage PTSD 5 years after having a stem cell transplant. It was a final intervention in a complicated 5 year ordeal with Myelofibrosis that had been caused by radiation exposure in my job as a radiation therapist several years prior. WSBC has finally placed me in an excellent rehab program in Vancouver. I am finally feeling a shift inside me that feels like happiness. It has been worth it all to still be here with my young family.
Fantastic episode! I think the point about "taking womens' pain seriously" is the key. In my experience too, complaints about abdominal pain related to menstruation are largely pooh-poohed even by otherwise excellent female physicians. Probably this is due to the systemic discrimination in medical training and research. The same is true of other female complaints, such as the impact hot flashes and other menopausal syptoms can have yet there appears to be virtually no research or awareness campaigning being done on the causes, prevention or possible treatments. I camnot imagine that if men suffered from issues which left them incapacitated by untreatable pain for 30 to 50 days per year, (like period pain can do), for decades of their lives, that it would be condidered anything short of an epidemiological crisis. Thank you for this podcast.
I was so surprised to hear the Dr. say this was the First M.A.I.D. he had attended. That is sad, but understandable, as this is such a private event for the family. How would it feel to have a journalist, a stranger, amongst you all at that time? There must have been a lot of discussion between all involved before this interview, this observance, could occur. I am So Proud of CBC for shining a warm & caring light on this subject, for it needs to be heard.