White Coat, Black Art on CBC Radio: Recent Episodes
CBC Radio
CBC Radio's Dr. Brian Goldman takes listeners through the swinging doors of hospitals and doctors' offices, behind the curtain where the gurney lies.
For decades, Ian Stedman lived with severe rashes, constant joint pain, red eyes and debilitating migraines. He saw dozens of doctors, but no one knew what was wrong with him. So he gave up. But when his infant daughter started showing the same symptoms, he turned to the internet. After a lot of research, he successfully diagnosed himself with a disease so rare, only one in a million people have it.
Pete Pearson, 74, is not ready to die. He was diagnosed six years ago with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which has an average survival rate of 2-3 years after diagnosis. He knows he's on borrowed time, and has been dealing with anxiety and depression. That’s why he's seeking approval from Health Canada to use psilocybin as part of a treatment called psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy. His son Blake, who is also a family doctor, believes it can help his dad live the rest of his life to the fullest.
They needed certainty. They got chaos. For over a decade, countless people from at least five different countries put their trust in a company offering prenatal paternity tests. It promised clients “99.9% accuracy” — but then routinely, for over a decade, identified the wrong biological fathers.
Investigative journalists Jorge Barrera and Rachel Houlihan track down the people whose lives were torn apart by these bad results, the shattered families and acrimonious court cases that followed, and the story behind the company that continues to stand by its testing and is still operating today.
More episodes of Uncover are available at: https://lnk.to/AiF3rdPo
Many women report sexual health difficulties and don’t always know where to go for help. A small cadre of Canadian doctors specializing in women’s sexual health is trying to change that. They’re helping patients boost pleasure, while empowering them to get to know their sexual anatomy.
When the last full-time doctor left the small town of Carberry, Manitoba in 2023, the responsibility of providing healthcare was left on the shoulders of nurses. In our second show from Carberry, Dr. Brian Goldman learns from a retired nurse just how robust rural healthcare once was. And when Brian witnesses a health emergency first hand, he sees the toll a town without doctors is taking on one nurse practitioner.
Like many Canadian small towns, Carberry, MB had become a healthcare desert. In 2023, the small ER closed and the last doctor left. Carberry embarked on the fight of its life to get healthcare back. And now, just days before the first of two new MDs starts work, Dr. Brian Goldman visits Carberry to learn about the Herculean efforts it takes for one town to reinstate healthcare, and make sure they don't lose it again.
When Mary Jarratt's brother, Billy, had a debilitating stroke at the age of 58, she was thrown into the role of power of attorney. That meant making significant decisions on Billy's behalf, including his personal care, the care of his high school-aged son, and whether to sell the family home. It has taken a physical and emotional toll on her and she wants people to know what they’re getting into when they sign up to be a POA.
When he's not working in the ER, Dr. Nicholas Sparrow spends his spare time in a surprising way. He responds to critical threat-to-life calls as a volunteer through the Kootenay Emergency Response Physicians Association (KERPA), a charity he created. Dr. Brian Goldman rides along on one of Dr. Sparrow's shifts to learn how - and why - he does it.
Companies are spending big bucks advertising weight-loss drugs like Rybelsus. But in Canada, "reminder ads" can give only the medication's name, not what it's for, telling people to ask their doctor for more. Special guest Terry O'Reilly, host of CBC's Under the Influence, says it can result in bad ads that turn people off, while pharmaceutical policy expert Barbara Mintzes says reminder ads can do more harm than good.
A first-of-its-kind medical school, part of Queen's University in Ontario, is recruiting and training students with the sole intention of graduating family doctors. But can it prepare them for the daily realities of the job?
Every two weeks, tenants of a Toronto Community Housing high-rise benefit from an on-site food bank. It's run by an embedded healthcare team, to build trust and get people the help they desperately need.
A behind-the-scenes chat about the making of the CBC collaboration "Overheated" where White Coat, Black Art, What on Earth, and Quirks and Quarks explore how heat is affecting our health, our communities and our ecosystems.
How far would you go to test your body in extreme heat? Ironworker apprentice Britnee Miazek travels hundreds of kilometres to Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario for a gruelling experiment to see how her body deals with high temperatures. She wants to find out why she stopped getting her period while working in sweltering conditions on a coke oven. Researchers are hoping to find answers for Britnee, and understand more about the long-term health effects of working in an increasingly hot environment.
This episode is part of a CBC collaboration called "Overheated" where White Coat, Black Art, What on Earth, and Quirks and Quarks explore how heat is affecting our health, our cities and our ecosystems.
Pediatrician and vaccine scientist Dr. Peter Hotez warns the anti-vaccine movement has morphed into a dangerous anti-science force. In The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science: A Scientist's Warning, Hotez says failing to act now will threaten governments’ ability to fight serious infectious diseases.
The CBC’s Julianne Hazlewood takes us on a familiar journey that for her is filled with uncertainty and peril. Julianne is in the late stages of pregnancy. She also has epilepsy. For additional support, she joined a research program called The Lullaby Project. It paired her with a musician to help her write and record a song to soothe her baby, and her fears.
Childhood neglect and abuse can lead to serious health problems in adults. Toronto psychiatrists Dr. Bob Maunder and Dr. Jon Hunter are calling for radical change to deal with this national epidemic in their new book, "Damaged: Childhood Trauma, Adult Illness, and the Need for a Health Care Revolution."
Some doctors believe a minor gynecological procedure called an opportunistic salpingectomy can reduce dramatically the risk of ovarian cancer.
Scott Hedlund and David Broman design, build, fit and fix prosthetic appliances like artificial limbs. They talk about the challenges and joys of their jobs.
When cancer patients receive chemotherapy, they often lose their hair, and that can wreak havoc on physical and mental health. Cairo Gregory was just 15 when she got ovarian cancer. Chemotherapy meant she lost her long curly hair just when she started to love it. She struggled to find a suitable wig through the hospital. She says the healthcare system must do more to help women deal with hair loss, especially young Black women like her.
Esther Schreiber felt like the luckiest woman when she married her sweetheart Eddi. They enjoyed a busy life until he was diagnosed with young onset dementia a decade ago. Now he's almost completely non verbal. The caregiving demands are all-consuming but she draws inspiration and support from other spouses.
Primary care providers don’t always recognize menopause symptoms for what they are, focusing instead on whether they’re a sign of a more serious problem. Not all know that menopausal hormone therapy is a safe and effective treatment for many women. We explain why that’s the case, and the range of treatments that can help women.
When famed British neurosurgeon Henry Marsh was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, he was forced to confront aging and his own mortality. Marsh reflects on both in his book, And, finally: Matters of Life and Death.
Canada’s nursing shortage is so dire that many provinces are stepping up efforts to recruit nurses from the Philippines. And as producer Stephanie Dubois discovered from Manila, that recruitment process is a well-oiled machine with a lot of players involved. From the Philippines government, to recruiters, to nursing schools, the message to nurses is clear: better opportunities only exist abroad.
Health-care workers are making sure they're ready for increasingly severe wildfire seasons. An EMS manager and hospital co-ordinator share how they evacuated high-needs patients from northern Alberta towns affected by wildfires in 2023. And how their best practices have already been tested this year.
Dr. Erin Sullivan worked a gruelling schedule as a family doc in rural Saskatchewan, struggling to balance ER shifts with a busy family practice–while lacking the system support she craved. She explains why she decided to retool her career when it had barely started.
A single book can have the power to help us heal. A panel of celebrated physicians and nurses, along with members of the audience, weigh in on the books that inspired them at a live event recorded at Hamilton’s Central Library, hosted by Dr. Brian Goldman.
Judith Morrison needs a kidney. While she's on dialysis, her sister Catherine is putting out a public plea for a living donor. But the search has been hard. And if they do find a donor, the sisters say that person will have to go through a long and opaque testing process - one that experts say needs to be improved across Canada.
Provinces are permitting pharmacists to prescribe for minor ailments, but in Alberta, pharmacists have been doing that and much more for 15 years. Because of their expanded powers, they’re filling gaps in health care. But it’s raising questions about the line between pharmacists and family doctors.
Sharon Chakkalackal was diagnosed with Young-Onset Parkinson’s at 38. Now, two years later, Sharon’s life is transformed – but not for the worse. Her days are filled with self-care, including exercise and community involvement, to treat and slow her symptoms. Dr. Brian Goldman joins Sharon on her volunteer gardening shift to learn how she's gleaning good from the not-so-good.
At 28 years old, Dr. Soania Mathur was building her medical practice and expecting her first child. Then, she was diagnosed with Young-Onset Parkinson’s Disease. She tried to ignore her diagnosis for a decade, but as the symptoms progressed, she had to close her practice. Now, the self-described "Unshakeable MD" uses her experience as both a patient and a doctor to advocate for especially young people living with Parkinson's, as up to 10% of patients are under 40.
Attracting a family doctor to work in a community is challenging, with fewer physicians choosing family medicine. That's why Cheryl Gnyp, the recruiter for Castlegar, B.C., needs to stand out. She uses the board game Operation and specialized coffee as part of her 10-minute sales pitch to potential recruits at conferences. It can take years before a doctor actually starts working in the community, but she’s in it for the long haul.
The climate is changing. So are we. On What On Earth, you’ll explore a world of solutions with host Laura Lynch and our team of journalists. In 1970, 20 million people showed up to fight for the environment on the first Earth Day. More than five decades later, is it time for this much tamer global event to return to its radical roots?
OG organizer Denis Hayes recounts how – amidst other counterculture movements at the time – his team persuaded roughly one in ten Americans to take to the streets. As he approaches 80, Denis offers his singular piece of advice to the next generation of climate leaders. Then, environmental warriors Maria Blancas and Axcelle Campana share ideas on what a reinspired Earth Day could look like – including making it a public holiday.
More episodes of What On Earth are available at: https://link.chtbl.com/L2RFol4W
We love to hear from our listeners and regularly feature them on the show. Have a question or idea? Email Earth@cbc.ca
And if you’d like to learn more about the very special guest Dr. Goldman mentioned, please check out this classic episode of White Coat, Black Art.
Amie Archibald-Varley and Sara Fung are registered nurses who advocate for better healthcare on The Gritty Nurse podcast. Now they’ve published a book called The Wisdom of Nurses: Stories of Grit from the Front Lines. They join host Dr. Brian Goldman for a chat about why nurses make incredible leaders, and how healthcare can improve when we listen to nurses.
Newfoundland and Labrador leaders are ramping up virtual care for the thousands of residents without a family doctor. They’ve turned to private company Teladoc Health Canada to not only have doctors see patients virtually but also fill in on remote and rural ERs, for the next two years. But medical associations say it comes at the expense of recruiting and retaining healthcare workers long-term, and patients aren’t getting the care they need.
A restaurant in Muskoka, Ontario is doing its best to respond if necessary, after the slate of poisonings with a more dangerous form of fentanyl in Belleville. A manager and employee have taken training to accompany their new naloxone kit. But the deputy chief paramedic says the best hope to save people may be to teach bystanders to do CPR and rescue breathing and not flee the scene.
A unique medical team in the UK is able to treat hospitalized patients in their own homes. The team can make a diagnosis in the field, so they can offer treatment on the spot. The result? They're providing the same volume and complexity of care as a 20-bed ward, active 24/7. And it’s cheaper.
As a rapper, Bishop Brigante is no stranger to on-stage battles. Now, the 45-year-old is battling Stage 4 colon cancer, which he says was caught too late. Bishop wants Canadians to have easier access to colonoscopies and says advocacy has given him newfound purpose.
The burden of loneliness on seniors is real and well-documented. That’s why med students at McMaster University in Ontario are visiting a seniors’ home one Saturday a month… not with clipboards, but with emery boards. With manicures comes conversation – helping seniors feel less isolated, and helping med students “polish up” on their soft skills.
Receiving a cancer diagnosis and trying to weave through the health-care system can be confusing and frustrating. That’s where cancer patient navigators come in. They’re the person who takes your calls and listens when it seems like no one else will, and they’re the nurse who wants the best for their patients. They're not available to everyone in Canada — but both navigators and their patients think they should be.
Manitoba nurse Jennifer Noone was assaulted outside her hospital’s staff entrance, leaving her with a concussion and PTSD. She took the unusual step of having her assailant charged with assault. Now, she’s advocating for better protection against violence in hospitals, which nurses' unions say is on the rise.
Dr. Kate Greenaway is devoted to providing gender-affirming care to the trans and nonbinary folks who desperately need it. But with ever-increasing wait times and a lack of funding, she’s done something she never thought she’d do: go private. And as this care falls increasingly under threat in Canada, Kit Sparrow explains how Dr. Greenaway’s clinic saved his life – even though he feels he should have never had to pay for it.
People with complex medical needs are welcome at Centretown Community Health Centre in Ottawa, one of about 120 CHCs across Canada. Teamwork by nurses, dietitians and others frees up family physicians to focus on patients, not paperwork.
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.
Women are advocating for regular breast cancer screening to begin at age 40, pushing back against the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care guidelines that recommend starting at age 50. They’re fighting for their voices to be heard, as the taskforce reviews its guidelines.
Patients don't like waiting in a clinic or ER to get them, doctors hate writing them, and yet, some employers continue to demand sick notes for a minor illness like the flu or a cold. Now, some doctors and other health-care providers are pushing back. They say sick notes tie up an already overloaded system, arguing that more paid sick days are needed instead.
Twenty years after her daughter died, Winnipegger Elaine Stevenson is still fighting to get people better and faster treatment for eating disorders. Roughly a million Canadians have been diagnosed with an eating disorder, and as many as 15 percent will die because of it. Despite that, wait lists for treatment in Canada can be over a year, and it's not offered in every province.
When Mary Jarratt's brother, Billy, had a debilitating stroke at 58, she was thrown into the role of Power of Attorney. She had to make tough decisions about his care, the care of his teenaged son and whether to sell the family home. She wants people to know what they’re getting into when they sign up to be a POA.
Tara de Pratto donated part of her liver to a stranger, saving her life. The recipient was Farah Ali, and she and her family will never forget that act of kindness. In this second episode on living donors, we hear how Tara responded to a unique callout for a donor on social media, thanks to one woman’s passion for connecting donors with people in need. And how it led to a powerful bond between people whose paths might never have otherwise crossed.
Sherbrooke Community Centre’s intergenerational program, iGen, is unique in Canada. The long-term-care home in Saskatoon doubles as a Grade Six classroom and is helping both kids and seniors.
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. In two weeks, we’ll have the story of one of the families she has helped.
B.C. family physician Dr. Stuart Bax co-founded the virtual cancer screening service CanScreenBC.com to get people checked as early as possible so they don't end up getting a cancer diagnosis too late.
The Alberta government is about to change health care like never before. It’s taking what’s been administered exclusively by Alberta Health Services and breaking it up into four independent parts: acute care, primary care, continuing care and mental health and addiction. Doctors and nurses, patients and experts are worried what this new healthcare system could look like for patient care. One health economist calls it a "train wreck."
You wouldn’t expect to find an overdose response and prevention team at a library. But Edmonton’s flagship library is going next level to take care of some of its most vulnerable citizens. They also have a team of social workers and other programs because their community needs are growing.
Dr. Maureen Mayhew didn't always want to practice medicine in Afghanistan. When Doctors Without Borders offered her a nine-month contract to work there in 2000, Mayhew initially turned it down, only accepting after careful consideration. That began an almost decade-long connection with the country, which Mayhew captures in her book, Hand on My Heart: A Canadian Doctor's Awakening in Afghanistan. Though her work there was challenging, it changed both her outlook on medicine and her relationship with herself.
30-year-old Aisha Uduman was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer and told her life expectancy was less than a year. But she and her family wanted more than the treatment plan her doctors could provide, so they sought out promising alternative treatments.
To some, Ozempic and drugs like it are a weight loss silver bullet. But to others, they’re hyped medications with severe side effects. Dr. Daniel Drucker is a Canadian physician-scientist whose research helped pave the way for Ozempic. He wants more research, especially as ever more effective weight loss drugs are developed. But with the potential to also reduce major cardiovascular events, he’s hopeful we’re in a new era of medical therapy to treat obesity.
In this bonus podcast interview, Trent McCleary gives his perspective on the night when he came perilously close to dying on the ice. It may have been his most dramatic encounter with longtime Montreal Canadiens physician David Mulder, but it’s not the only one.
As the Canadiens' physician since before the days of helmets and face guards, esteemed trauma surgeon Dr. David Mulder has not only witnessed hockey history unfold – he’s been part of it. And after a remarkable 60-year career, he’s retiring. Dr. Brian Goldman sits down with Dr. Mulder to hear about some of his greatest plays – from saving Trent McCleary’s life to discovering Saku Koivu’s cancer.
Wait times for dermatology appointments have patients lining up before dawn at a unique rapid-access clinic. Their conditions range from severe rashes to hair loss to potentially cancerous moles. Dermatologists say they’re taking on more referrals, many are nearing retirement, and there aren’t enough new graduates.
For Jacob Trossman’s whole life, his mother Marcy White has had to fight for his medical care. Jacob has an ultra-rare degenerative disorder called PMD, and at 12 years old, he became a patient in the Complex Care Program at SickKids in Toronto. But now, at 21, Jacob has aged out. SickKids says their services can be adequately replaced by specialists in the adult care system. But Marcy White is fighting harder than ever to keep Jacob with his pediatric team.
Hamilton’s hospitals are trying out a novel solution to deal with its overcrowded hospitals: they’ve turned a former hotel into a “satellite health facility” for patients who no longer need acute care, but are too unwell to go home (like those waiting for home support or long-term care). Dr. Brian Goldman heads to the former Hamilton Crowne Plaza to “check out” its new life as an overflow hospital.
A safe consumption site in Saskatoon is making a huge difference in the lives of people hard hit by substance use. Saskatchewan has had more than 1,200 overdose deaths since 2020. It also has the highest rate of HIV in Canada. Nonetheless, Prairie Harm Reduction has been operating the safe consumption site for three years, without provincial funding.
Nova Scotia is pursuing a radical solution to help with the primary care crisis: Virtual Care Nova Scotia. The province was the first in Canada to offer free virtual doctor visits to every resident without a family doctor. Dr. Brian Goldman visits the picturesque community of Martins Brook to meet some of the patients, nurses and doctors leading the charge for virtual care. Though it’s not a cure-all, they say it’s helping fill the gap in primary care.
Pediatrician and vaccine scientist Dr. Peter Hotez warns the anti-vaccine movement has morphed into a dangerous anti-science force. In The Deadly Rise of Anti-Science: A Scientist's Warning, Hotez says failing to act now will threaten governments’ ability to fight serious infectious diseases.
Provinces are Increasingly turning to the Philippines to recruit nurses as fast as they can to help with a critical shortage of front-line nurses in Canada. But it’s a short-term fix with serious implications for both Canada and the Philippines.
Canada’s nursing shortage is so dire that provinces are stepping up efforts to recruit nurses from the Philippines. And that recruitment process is a well-oiled machine. From the Philippines government, to recruiters, to nursing schools, the message to nurses is clear: better opportunities only exist abroad.
A ride-along with TAIBU, a mobile crisis response team in Scarborough, Ontario that provides a non-police response to urgent mental health crises in the community.
After hearing from dozens of women about their experience with IUD pain, we find out how some gynecologists like Dr. Fiona Mattatall are making the experience of getting an IUD more comfortable, though there’s no standardized pain control method proven to work for everyone.
Shauna Pinkerton is waging a one-person campaign to save lives by passing out fentanyl testing strips, naloxone kits and safe drug paraphernalia. The people she is trying to save aren’t her clients. They’re her friends and sometimes her family.
30-year-old Aisha Uduman was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer and told her life expectancy was less than a year. But she and her family wanted more than the treatment plan her doctors provided, so they headed to Germany to try promising alternative treatments.
Women who have had troubling health experiences say perimenopause and menopause should be recognized and treated faster because it would reduce needless suffering. Four women share their stories and offer ideas about what should change in the health-care system to improve the experience for others.
On his 45th wedding anniversary, Ramesh Karnick was at home with his wife when he appeared to lose consciousness. He was in a coma for five weeks before he passed away. His daughter, Sonali has spent years trying to answer the question: how did her father die?
Author and activist Morningstar Mercredi is calling for coerced and forced sterilizations to be criminalized so that other women, especially Indigenous, Métis and Inuit women, won’t suffer the physical and mental trauma that she did.
Ketamine helped one police officer get through a childhood trauma. Some experts say psychedelics could help people with PTSD but much more research is needed.
Saskatchewan has lost so many of its family doctors in the last year that 200,000 "orphaned" patients are relying on walk-in clinics to get medical attention. Legends Medical Clinic in Warman is in the middle of the crisis, trying to meet the needs of all who seek their walk-in services but patients often wait for hours to see a doctor.
Nine-year-old Zack Bulger is wise beyond his years. He lost his older brother to cancer. He expresses his grief through play therapy and provides guidance for grown-ups on how to recover from loss.
Some doctors believe a minor gynecological procedure called an opportunistic salpingectomy can reduce dramatically the risk of ovarian cancer.
Some cancer patients are willing to go to great lengths to keep their hair through chemotherapy. But few hospitals offer cold capping: a system that cools the scalp to constrict the blood vessels to potentially reduce hair loss. A growing chorus of patients and doctors say more hospitals should offer it.
Cairo Gregory was just 15 when she got ovarian cancer. Chemotherapy meant she lost her long curly hair, just when she started to love it. She struggled to find a suitable wig through the hospital and says the healthcare system must do more to help women deal with hair loss, especially young Black women like her.
Famed British neurosurgeon and author Dr. Henry Marsh thought he was well-versed in human illness. That is until he was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer and was forced to see things from the patient’s point of view.
Now that single-event sports betting is taking off in Canada, ads and incentives are encouraging people to make a wager. But a recovering gambling addict and a gambling counsellor worry it’s easier than ever to get dangerously hooked. And they want way more done to limit advertising and to support treatment.
People with complex medical needs are accepted at Centretown Community Health Centre in Ottawa, and thriving because of it. Patients at about 120 CHCs across Canada are more likely to get cancer screenings and avoid costly trips to emergency. Teamwork by nurses, dietitians and others means the family physicians aren't saddled with paperwork that can lead to burn out.
If laughter really was the best medicine, Gavin Crawford would have cured his mother of Alzheimer’s disease. As a son, his mother’s dementia has been devastating. As a comedian though…it’s been sort of funny. Honestly, how do you respond when your mom confuses you with her teenage crush and wants you to take her to the high-school dance? Well, you laugh. Because it’s the only thing you can do. In this seven-part series, Gavin tells the story of losing his mother — his best friend and the inspiration for a lot of his comedy — to a disease that can be as hilarious as it is heartbreaking. He’s joined by comedian friends who share their experience caring for family members with dementia. The result is a cross between an improv act and a support group. Part memoir, part stand-up, part meditation on grief and loss, Let’s Not Be Kidding is a dose of the very best medicine for anyone dealing with hard times. More episodes are available at: https://link.chtbl.com/dvxFtqRY
Esther Schreiber married her sweetheart Eddi and enjoyed a busy life until he was diagnosed with young onset dementia a decade ago. Eddi, 68, is now almost completely non verbal. As he slowly lost his caring personality, Esther’s caregiving demands became all consuming. Now, the trailblazer draws inspiration and emotional support from other spouses.
Janet Nisbet was primary caregiver to her husband Richard. Since his death, Janet has experienced the gamut of complex feelings that family caregivers sometimes experience following the death of a loved one.
Part two of our series on cancer previvors - the growing number of people who through genetic testing live knowing it’s highly probable that one day they’ll get cancer.
The stories of two women who are cancer previvors. Both Jordyn and Anne had family members with breast cancer. Both got genetic testing and found out they too carried genes that gave them very high odds of getting cancer too. Both of these women decided to deal with the risk preemptively by having surgery.
In Ontario’s Renfrew County, one in four people don’t have a primary caregiver. But an innovative program where community paramedics do house calls is helping take care of patients so they don’t need to go to the ER. And it just got permanent provincial funding.
Alberta allows pharmacists to prescribe medications for a wide variety of ailments. Dr. Brian Goldman visits a pharmacist in that province to ask how it's working out.
Alberta allows pharmacists to prescribe medications for a wide variety of ailments. Dr. Brian Goldman visits a pharmacist in that province to see how it's working out.
The hit TV show 'The Good Doctor' is about a surgeon on the autism spectrum. But JJ Mracek is the real deal. The resident physician has finally found her calling in pathology where she can use her super power of pursuing justice. But she had to overcome severe setbacks in medical school and a rough residency in Internal Medicine, almost quitting the profession altogether.
The Acute Hospital At Home program in Oxford, England keeps patients in their own homes, who might otherwise be admitted to hospital. Professor Dan Lasserson takes Dr. Brian Goldman on the road to show how they bring effective and safe hospital care right into patients’ homes.
Like Canada’s publicly funded healthcare system, the UK’s National Health Service is in crisis. Overcrowded ERs are groaning with patients, there aren’t enough hospital beds and people are paying for some elective surgeries at private facilities. Nurses, ambulance workers and junior doctors are striking. Dr. Brian Goldman takes a guided tour of a hospital in Reading, England to hear their lessons for Canada.
85-year-old Ron Robert graduated from Western University last fall despite being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He's fit and wiry with a strong handgrip. He’s also got a surprising grip on living with dementia. His insight may help us understand a bit more about how to live with this terrible disease.
We think nothing today of calling healthcare workers “front line workers,” engaged in a “battle” against disease. But the roots of the war metaphor in medicine go a long way back — entrenched by pop culture icons like the TV show MAS*H and Hawkeye’s army. Dr. Jillian Horton explores a less heroic but healthier work environment for doctors and health professionals. Hear more IDEAS episodes where you get your podcasts.
The impact of delayed surgery on Nathan Gilson. He’s a sixteen-year old whose surgery to correct severe scoliosis was postponed five times.
The federal government has offered billions to help fund an ailing healthcare system. Help can’t come soon enough for a system that many say is in a state of crisis, if not collapse. Take home care. Nearly one million Canadians rely on it and another half a million will need it within the decade. But the care people are receiving is far less than what they need. We go into three people's homes to bring you their stories.
Scott Hedlund and David Broman design, build, fit and fix prosthetic appliances like artificial limbs. They talk about the challenges and joys of their jobs.
A look at virtual medical appointments. The pendulum is swinging back to in-person visits. But some Canadians say virtual clinics are filling a huge and growing gap in our health care system.
Primary care providers don’t always recognize menopause symptoms for what they are, focusing instead on whether they’re a sign of a more serious problem. And not all know that menopausal hormone therapy is a safe and effective treatment for many women. We explain why that’s the case, and the range of treatments that can help women.
Women who have had troubling health experiences say perimenopause and menopause should be recognized and treated faster because it would reduce needless suffering. Four women share their stories and offer ideas about what should change in the health-care system to improve the experience for others.
Dr. Brian Goldman visits Prairie Harm Reduction in Saskatoon. It's Saskatchewan's only safe consumption site for people using illicit drugs -- and it receives zero funding from the province.
We recently did an episode on White Coat Black Art on sports betting addiction, which is on the rise in Canada, and the enormous physical and mental toll it can have. CBC’s The Fifth Estate went to the UK to see how sports betting is playing out there and it’s a cautionary tale for Canada.
Millions of Canadians don’t have a family doctor or primary care provider. Dr. Peter Lin, a family physician and a director of the Canadian Heart Research Centre, spells out practical ways people can take charge of their health when they're searching for a family doctor. [Adapted from a popular episode of The Dose.]
19-year-old Iain White went from serving meals to residents at a long-term care centre to becoming their confidante in the depth of the pandemic. He was nominated as one of White Coat, Black Art’s health-care heroes. We include an update with him now that he’s in a recreation therapy program.
A visit to Saskatoon's Sherbrooke Community Centre where grade-six students spend their school day learning and getting to know the residents.
Ketamine helped one police officer get through a childhood trauma. Some experts say psychedelics could help people with PTSD but much more research is needed.
Ketamine helped one police officer get through a childhood trauma. Some experts say psychedelics could help people with PTSD but much more research is needed.
Brian Goldman and producer Jeff Goodes ride along with TAIBU, a mobile crisis response team in Scarborough that provides a non-police response to urgent mental health crises in the community.
Saskatchewan has lost so many of its family care doctors in the last year that 200,000 "orphaned" patients are relying on walk-in clinics to get medical attention. Legends Medical Clinic in Warman is in the middle of the crisis, trying to meet the needs of all who seek their walk-in services but patients often wait for hours to see a doctor.
In December 2019, Jennifer Fotheringham was stuck in traffic on the Queensway in Ottawa. She heard a White Coat Black Art episode about women in their forties dying of breast cancer, in part because they don’t get access to screening mammograms. She credits that episode with saving her life.
An intimate conversation with Alex Munter, President and CEO of CHEO in Ottawa. Like other pediatric hospitals across Canada, CHEO is bursting at the seams trying to cope with a tridemic of COVID, RSV and flu.
Charles Kinch searches for answers in the death of his wife Leslie Kissel from uterine cancer.
Now that single-event sports betting is taking off in Canada, ads and incentives are encouraging people to make a wager. But a recovering sport gambling addict and gambling counsellor worry it’s easier than ever to get dangerously hooked. And they want way more done to limit advertising and support treatment.
Susie Goulding speaks out about her own experience with long Covid and how that made her an advocate for others like her.
Polio is making a comeback around the world and falling vaccine rates in Canada make us vulnerable to a disease that was once close to eradication. Miki Boleen, an 83-year-old polio survivor, has made it her mission to urge parents to get their infants vaccinated as routine immunization rates slip.
Broadway star and long-time dancer Catherine Wreford Ledlow was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2013. But that hasn’t stopped her from living life to the fullest. She continues to be involved in film and theatre productions and advocates for more brain cancer research, while raising two young kids. And…she just won Amazing Race Canada. We’ll have an update with her on how she’s doing now.
Shauna Pinkerton is waging a one-person campaign to save lives by passing out fentanyl testing strips, naloxone kits and safe drug paraphernalia, and sometimes by being there when people overdose. The people she is trying to save aren’t her clients. They’re her friends and sometimes her family.
Dr. Chris Applewhaite is a family doctor on Salt Spring Island in BC, a place where nearly half of all residents don’t have one. Low pay, a mountain of paperwork and lack of timely access to MRIs and specialists make the work so frustrating to Chris and his colleagues that many are giving up.
Futurist Zayna Khayat and Geriatrician Samir Sinha offer home care solutions which are less expensive and more effective than our current system.
For our new season’s launch, we’re taking an in-depth look at home care. It’s a crucial part of a health-care system that’s on the brink of collapsing. Nearly one million Canadians rely on home care and another 500,000 will need it within the decade. But the care people are receiving is far less than what they need. We go into the homes of three families to bring you their stories.
Dr. Brian Goldman rides along with Constable Scott Woods of the Hamilton Police Service and Sarah Burtenshaw, a mental health worker at St. Joseph’s Healthcare. They are a Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team in Hamilton that responds to 9-1-1 mental calls related to mental health crises. Originally broadcast December, 2021
Maryam Mahdavi musters the courage to make a social breakthrough at university thanks to coaching from Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng, an Ottawa ICU physician.
A surprisingly intimate conversation with Dr. Alika Lafontaine. This weekend, the Metis anesthesiologist from Saskatchewan becomes the first Indigenous physician to lead the Canadian Medical Association.
A feature interview with Dr. Kathryn Mannix. In her new book, "Listen: How to find the words for tender conversations," Mannix shares lessons on how to connect with loved ones and friends on deeply personal subjects.
Likening the 100-year-old hospital gown to a prisoner's orange jumpsuit, a prominent British doctor says the "alien, open-at-the-back garment" is in desperate need of a redesign.
Listen in on the one-on-one coaching sessions between Kealey Pringle and AnnMarie Churchill, a social worker in St. John’s. She's helping Kealey take baby steps towards overcoming her COVID fears and rekindling her in-person social life.
Halifax cardiologist Dr. Gabrielle Horne spent 14 years fighting to restore her reputation after she was bullied and bad-mouthed by supervisors when she was an up-and-coming researcher. She was awarded what was the largest settlement in Canada for loss of reputation. While her story is extraordinary, it's not isolated. This episode explores why doctors bully and what it will take to change the culture that allows it to happen, with insights from Dr. Horne and lawyer Valerie Wise, who represents both doctors and their employers in disputes.
As masking in public places shifts from a requirement to a recommendation, some Canadians are getting called out for continuing to wear masks. Experts say mask harassment could be part of a trend of increased aggression during the pandemic. And it may discourage people from wearing masks as the infectious BA.5 subvariant sweeps across Canada.
Iatrophobia is a fear of doctors. Barbara Old had panic attacks just thinking about doctors, so she avoided them like the plague. Until one day she discovered a lump in her breast.
The Kilala Lelum health cooperative in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside merges Western medicine with cultural practices to help hard-to-reach patients. It also uses an innovative mobile clinic that offers everything from wound care to prescriptions for treating opioid drug addiction.
Emergency room waits across Canada are reaching unprecedented levels, for both kids and adults. There are many factors: nursing shortages, lack of hospital beds and staff unable to work because of COVID. We talk about the stresses, and the solutions. They include more cooperation across hospital departments and building capacity to handle more emergencies.
BONUS PODCAST: Through the coaching of psychologist Hillary McBride, Maria Glavine taps into a powerful emotion to give her the strength to take her daughter on a fun adventure.
After hearing from dozens of women about their experience with IUD pain in Part 1, we find out how some gynecologists like Dr. Fiona Mattatall are making the experience of getting an IUD more comfortable, though there’s no standardized pain control methods proven to work for everyone.
BONUS PODCAST: Maria Glavine's 9-month-old daughter Clare is too young to be vaccinated and has one functioning kidney. Hillary McBride, a clinical psychologist and host of Other People's Problems, is coaching Maria through her first steps back into the world.
IUDs are an effective and popular form of birth control in Canada. But many women experience intense pain from the insertion that they weren’t warned about. In this episode, women across the country share stories of unexpected pain, complications and emotional distress. In Part 2, what some gynecologists are doing to make the experience of getting IUDs more comfortable.
BONUS PODCAST: Maryam Mahdavi finds the courage to make one huge breakthrough thanks to coaching from Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng.
On his 45th wedding anniversary, Ramesh Karnick was at home with his wife, Sandhya, when he appeared to lose consciousness. Ramesh was in a coma for five weeks before he passed away. His daughter, Sonali has spent years trying to answer the question: how did her father die?
BONUS PODCAST: For university student Maryam Mahdavi, COVID crushed her social life and began a sedentary lifestyle with too many trips to the fridge driven by loneliness and boredom. Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng, an Ottawa ICU physician and healthy living advocate helps her take the first steps to getting back on track.
Canada's assisted dying law now includes deaths that are not reasonably foreseeable for people with serious and incurable illnesses or disabilities who aren't dying in the near future. Dr. Stefanie Green, president of the Canadian Association of MAiD Assessors and Providers and Dr. Naheed Dosani, a palliative care physician and health justice activist, share how the law opens the door to Canadians seeking MAiD as a means of escape from intolerable lives.
BONUS PODCAST: Kealey Pringle and AnnMarie Churchill conclude their coaching sessions with a sweet-tasting win over Kealey's pandemic anxiety.
It's a story of gratitude. One year ago, hospital housekeeper Maria Valverde was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. Thanks to treatment, her cancer has stabilized. She says that's given her a second chance for life.
BONUS PODCAST: Listen to the one-on-one coaching sessions between Kealey Pringle and AnnMarie Churchill, a social worker in St. John’s. She's helping Kealey take baby steps towards overcoming her COVID fears and rekindling her in-person social life.
Some family doctors struggling with huge patient loads, paperwork and the pandemic are cutting back or cutting out of medicine altogether. Montreal family doctor Marc Cotran has handed in his medical licence at the age of 45. Dr. Rashmi Bhalla in London has reduced her clinical hours to better cope.
Childhood neglect and abuse can lead to serious health problems in adults. Toronto psychiatrists Dr. Bob Maunder and Dr. Jon Hunter are calling for radical change to deal with this national epidemic in their new book, "Damaged: Childhood Trauma, Adult Illness, and the Need for a Health Care Revolution."
In December 2019, Jennifer Fotheringham was stuck in traffic on the Queensway in Ottawa. She heard a White Coat Black Art episode about women in their forties dying of breast cancer, in part because they don’t get access to screening mammograms. She credits that episode of White Coat Black Art with saving her life.
One in five women who get breast cancer are in their 40s. Canada's current guidelines say women in that age group who are at low risk of breast cancer don't need regular mammograms or breast self-exams. But Lucy van Oldenbarneveld disagrees. She and her sister got breast cancer in their 40s. Lucy survived, but her sister did not.
A Canadian-American emergency physician with Doctors without Borders has just led its first Medical Train across Ukraine. Dr. Dan Schnorr and his team evacuated nine trauma patients and their families from Zaporizhzhia, near the frontlines of the war in the southeast, to Lviv in the west. A risky thousand-kilometre journey to bring injured civilians to safety.
The Recovery Sessions Part 3 - Maria Glavine's 9-month-old daughter Clare has just one functioning kidney, and may be immuno-compromised. But Clare needs to get out into the world -- and so does Maria. Under the coaching of psychologist Hillary McBride who is also a new mom, Maria taps into a strong emotion to help her move forward: anger.
Jeremie Saunders has cystic fibrosis but is relieved provinces are lifting Covid restrictions because it means he can get back to a higher quality of life. But the host of Sickboy podcast hopes people who had “road rage” at public health measures become kinder towards others, especially if they’re immunocompromised.
Second edition of The Recovery Sessions, a series of coaching sessions for people who are facing pandemic-related challenges. For Maryam Mahdavi, a first-year psychology and music student at McGill, COVID crushed her social life and began a sedentary lifestyle with too many trips to the fridge driven by loneliness and boredom. She’s paired with Dr. Kwadwo Kyeremanteng, an Ottawa ICU physician and healthy living advocate. Kwadwo challenged Maryam to walk to and from campus. Just doing that made her feel better about herself. It also helped change her sleep and eating habits. But her ultimate goal was to get past her loneliness brought on by pandemic isolation and start meeting fellow students on campus.
Cheryl Hiebert chose to have a medically-assisted death without telling anyone in her family. Her siblings and father say they desperately wish they’d had a chance to say goodbye, and think they should have been informed. But Ontario’s chief coroner says the patient’s right to privacy comes first.
Part One of The Recovery Sessions: Social worker AnnMarie Churchill helps Kealey Pringle overcome her pandemic anxiety so she can reconnect with her friends, family and community.
Falls put more seniors in hospital than any other kind of injury. They can also be lethal. Dr. Brian Goldman visits the Falls Lab in Toronto Rehab Institute. It studies what makes people fall and teaches seniors how to regain strength, mobility and confidence.
All he did was say hello, and he got punched in the face. Toronto ER doctor Qassim Tejpar was assaulted by a patient lying on a stretcher in the hospital waiting room. The Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians says violence in the ER is a grave problem. While healthcare workers have a four-fold higher rate of workplace violence, half of those attacks occur in the ER.
The Kilala Lelum health cooperative in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside merges Western medicine with cultural practices to help hard-to-reach patients. It also uses an innovative mobile clinic that offers everything from wound care to prescriptions for treating opioid drug addiction.
The crisis at Winnipeg ERs. Worsened by COVID, it’s been years in the making. Hospitals are packed with Omicron patients and there are fewer ERs to serve the community. It's driven nurses and health-care workers to the breaking point.
How the nursing shortage is affecting one busy Ontario hospital’s internal medicine ward. That’s where adults are admitted for things like pneumonia, kidney failure, cancer and COVID-19. A veteran nurse/unit coordinator and a young nurse say the situation is so dire that they wouldn’t want loved ones to be admitted where they work.
Two hospital CEOs in Ontario are trying to pilot their respective ships through the Eye of the Omicron Storm. Cyndi Davis is President and CEO of Lakeridge Health located east of Toronto. Alex Munter is the President and CEO of CHEO, a pediatric hospital in Ottawa.
Finding a family doctor is a huge challenge for many Canadians. In British Columbia, a growing number of people are turning to nurse practitioners, who have a scope of practice between a family doctor and a registered nurse.
A feature interview with Dr. Kathryn Mannix. In her new book – Listen: How to find the words for tender conversations, Mannix shares lessons on how to connect with loved ones and friends on deeply personal subjects.
Dr. Brian Goldman speaks with psychiatrist and neuroscientist Judson Brewer about his new book “Unwinding Anxiety: New science shows you how to break the cycles of worry and fear to heal your mind”. It’s just what the doctor ordered to start out the new year.
Because of the pandemic, pharmacists are going way beyond counting pills and filling prescriptions. They administer COVID vaccines, and are poised to expand their scope of practice even more post-pandemic.
Dr. Brian Goldman rides along with Constable Scott Woods of the Hamilton Police Service and Sarah Burtenshaw, a mental health worker at St. Joseph’s Healthcare. They are a Mobile Crisis Rapid Response Team in Hamilton that responds to 9-1-1 mental calls related to mental health crises.
More people are showing up in hospitals with advanced, incurable cancers and it’s taking a toll on the doctors who care for them. Dr. Brian Goldman speaks with Dr. Gerald Batist, a medical oncologist and director of the Cancer Centre at Montreal's Jewish General Hospital and Dr. Irene Ying at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.
Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto tackles vaccine hesitancy among its healthcare workers by friendly peer persuasion. Dr. Adina Weinerman and nurse Diana Beckford explain how it works.
For the most part, Canadians admire doctors. But Ottawa family doctor Dr. Nili Kaplan-Myrth got a death threat because of her public support for COVID vaccines. And she’s not alone.
Dr. Sheila Singh, a pediatric neurosurgeon at McMaster Children’s Hospital talks about the enormous collateral damage of the pandemic. She's now seeing tumours as big as oranges and grapefruits, instead of ping pong balls. Dr. Singh blames it on telling people not to come to hospital, and relying too much on virtual health care -- all lessons for the future.
Climate change is fuelling more and more weather-related disasters, and they have medical consequences. In an encore presentation, Dr. Brian Goldman speaks with officials from health institutions that have endured hurricanes, wildfires and tsunamis to find out how they weathered the crisis, and what lessons can be learned.
Dr. Brian Goldman speaks with Alberta ER physician Joe Vipond and his 15-year-old daughter, Sadie. He’s president of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and she’s one of fifteen young people who are part of a lawsuit against the federal government over climate change. Together, they’re raising their voices about climate change’s effect on our physical and mental health. And now, the family duo is taking their message to COP26.
Ideas with Nahlah Ayed is a deep-dive into contemporary thought and intellectual history. No topic is off-limits. In this episode, Dr. Anthony Fauci tells Ideas host Nahlah Ayed that he finds it "mind-boggling" that partisanship and skepticism of science continue to fuel the pandemic. More episodes of Ideas are available at smarturl.it/cbcideas
Iatrophobia is a fear of doctors. Dr. Brian Goldman speaks with Barbara Old, a B.C. woman who had panic attacks just thinking about doctors, so she avoided them like the plague. Until one day she discovered a lump in her breast.
Falls put more seniors in hospital than any other kind of injury. They can also be lethal.
Dr. Brian Goldman explores intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy, or ISTDP, a kind of talk therapy that is gaining a reputation for helping long-suffering patients with unexplained symptoms. Dr. Allan Abbass, a psychiatrist at QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax says he has been getting good results helping people get back to work.
For patients who survive the COVID ward like Akiva Balter, there’s still a hard road of recovery ahead. But he’s been able to do it from his own home thanks to his wife Carmela and a unique new program run out of Women’s College Hospital.
What if there were a pill that could add decades to your life? Would you take it? For thousands of years, people have searched for elixirs that could delay death and extend human life. Could new advances in medicine finally make this a reality? From madcap medicine to cutting-edge science, the quest to unlock the fountain of youth is teeming with dreamers, skeptics and charlatans alike. More episodes are available at: hyperurl.co/unlocking
Dispatches by two healthcare professionals from the front lines of Alberta’s 4th wave of COVID19: Dr. Raiyan Chowdhury and nurse Michael Gaerlan.
Rabia Khedr is the national director of Disability Without Poverty and has a big personal stake in the upcoming federal election. Rabia and her sister are visually impaired. One brother with an intellectual disability lives in long-term care. Her other brother died of complications following surgery during the pandemic. With more than six million people living with disabilities in this country, Rabia is working to get the next government to listen to their needs, and says implementing the National Disability Benefit is a first step, no matter which party takes the reins.
Dr. Brian Goldman visits a rural hospital in Clinton, Ontario that’s been dealing with a nurse shortage for a decade: a shortfall so acute it forced the hospital to close the ER on the Sunday of a busy holiday weekend.
Long COVID in kids: researchers aren’t certain what causes it and aren’t certain about the numbers. They’re not even sure how to define it. Dr. Brian Goldman meets 11-year-old Alyssa Smyth who has long COVID and talks to Dr. Anu Wadhwa, an infectious disease specialist at SickKids Hospital in Toronto.
Dr. Brian Goldman travels to Renfrew County north of Ottawa to ride along with community paramedic, Matt Rousselle who provides end-of-life care to patients living in rural and isolated homes.
To predict the future, some people look into crystal balls. And some peer into the past. Dr. Nicholas Christakis is a physician and medical sociologist who is a student of pandemics. His latest book is Apollo's Arrow: The Profound and Enduring Impact of Coronavirus on the Way We Live. This week on White Coat Black Art, he talks to Dr. Brian Goldman about how we get past COVID-19 by looking at how we emerged from previous pandemics. He says in the past, outbreaks have led to austerity and a turn to religion, but when we finally do emerge from COVID-19, he says our behaviour will mirror the "roaring 20s" that followed the 1918 pandemic. But he also predicts new challenges, which include coping with a large cohort of people who are newly disabled because of having had COVID-19, and a shift in the workforce that could have long-term impacts on women in particular. Buckle up. We're going back to the post-covid future, this week on White Coat, Black Art.
Late last month, BC's heat dome brought record temperatures and caused more deaths in seniors and other vulnerable people than the BC Coroner has (so far) been able to tally. Dr. Brian Goldman talks to Barbara Reed, who took care of a sick and frail family member in the sweltering heat, waiting hours for an ambulance to show up. Jennifer Baumbusch, associate professor at UBC’s School of Nursing and caregiver to family members, talks about the mistakes that were made protecting the most vulnerable members of society, and how unprepared we are for the realities of climate change.
From 1953 to 1966, Christopher Guest lived at the Huronia Regional Centre in Orillia, an institution for people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. For the most part, places like Huronia may be gone, but their legacy remains: not just in the memories of the patients who lived there, but in the ways health-care continues to treat adults with developmental disabilities.
Dr. Brian Goldman celebrates dietary aide Iain White as an unsung hero of the pandemic. During the lockdowns, elderly LTC residents faced loneliness and isolation. Iain stepped up to fill the gap by taking extra time to talk to residents and feed them their meals.
Dr. Brian Goldman celebrates an unsung hero of the pandemic: Maria Boutilier, a housekeeper in the ER at the Halifax Infirmary Hospital. Dr. Sam Campbell is a doctor in the ER. He's amazed at what Maria accomplishes all in day's work.
How a late-night visit to the ER led to the creation of a new app that allows people to report experiences of racism in healthcare. Brothers and app founders, Dr. Kamea Lafontaine and Dr. Alika Lafontaine tell the story.
Dr. Brian Goldman talks to Karen Townsend, a lawyer and mom from London Ontario who says that her cancer would have been found earlier if she had been able to see her doctor in person, but because of COVID, she was only allowed a virtual visit. Dr. Tony Eskander, a surgical oncologist in Toronto he’s seeing many patients with cancers of the head and neck getting diagnosed at later stages than he’s used to. He talks about the impact.
Dr. Brian Goldman explores the idea that pharmacists are poised to do even more primary health care. Guests are Kelly Grindrod, University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy, and Kaitlyn Watson, University of Alberta. Plus White Coat producer takes us to Owl Drugs on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to talk to David Cai, a young pharmacists who not only dispenses prescriptions but helps his clients find food and shelter.
Dr. Brian Goldman visits Doses After Dark, an all-night vaccine clinic at a convention centre across from Toronto’s Pearson Airport. Over 36 hours, this massive, super-efficient vaccinated which uses the Hockey Hub model vaccinated over 4500 people. Brian talks to the doctors who are vaccinating including Dr. Abdu Sharkawy, as well organizers and people receiving vaccines.
Social worker Paula Abramczyk wants to make the journey a little bit better for ICU patients and their families. During COVID, that goal has become a lot more challenging.
Dr. Brian Goldman meets up with veteran paramedic Joanne Skinner just before she heads out on a 12-hour shift. Joanne is part of the team that's been working nonstop transferring COVID patients from overcrowded ICU's in the GTA to hospitals outside the city.
What is the lasting impact of the pandemic on learning for tomorrow's doctors? Especially those who are doing their hands-on residency training. Dr. Brian Goldman talks to residents Larissa Albino and Chris Charles talk about becoming doctors during COVID.
Dr. Brian Goldman donned PPE and returned to Brampton to find out if workers and their families are getting access to the COVID vaccine. Brian talks to Dixon Pinto, who grew up in Brampton and is studying health inequities at McMaster University. Brian meets up with Dr. Shruthi Gowda, a family physician at an urgent-care clinic just a short drive from an Amazon warehouse. Brian also talks to Gurpreet Malhotra, CEO of local non-profit Indus Community Services.
Nurse Nikki Skillen says ICUs in the Greater Toronto Area are dealing with too many patients, burnt-out staff and rising case counts in the community. Meanwhile, ICU doctors in other parts of the country worry they may soon be in the same dire position as Ontario.
Psychiatrist Dr. Judson Brewer says that humans can become addicted to worry and anxiety, and just like any other addiction, our brain can learn to crave the sensation of worry. But good news, like any other bad habit, it can be broken.
Our 2019 show reveals the impact of brain damage sometimes sustained by people who survive fentanyl overdoses. Dr. Brian Goldman visits Kamloops BC to meet one of those survivors: Dayton Wilson is a 24-year old man who survived an accidental overdose of fentanyl. Dayton suffered irreversible brain damage and faces extreme day-to-day struggles to cope with his new life. Unfortunately, the 2019 episode has become even more relevant during the pandemic. This past summer, the number of opioid overdose deaths in Canada doubled from the year before.
CBC producer Imani Walker's documentary, 'Abiola, Temi and Sophie' is a powerful conversation between three nurses talking frankly about the racism that they endure as part of their job. The documentary centres around a regular Zoom call between three Black nurses who turn to each other for friendship and support. The nurses share stories of being mistreated by patients in long-term care and in hospitals. Dr. Brian Goldman and Imani Walker explore the scope of the issue and the lack of tracking of racist incidents by institutions. Amie Varley, a nurse and Quality Patient Safety Specialist at Niagara Health talks about next steps to reduce racial harassment and mistreatment.
Jeff Preston, Assistant Professor of Disability Studies at King’s University College at Western University, has serious concerns with Bill-C7 and worries MAID could become the principle form of treatment offered to people with disabilities. Andrew Adams lives with a chronic debilitating condition - abdominal migraines - and has tried and failed to access MAID in the past. He supports the new law and believes that it can provide the choice to access a dignified death, while protecting vulnerable people.
Can patient and family-centred care survive COVID? Kim Crevatin tells the story of how her mother was kicked out of a hospital for helping her father eat a muffin.
Dr. Brian Goldman takes us to Sherbrooke, Quebec where a unique program aimed at new parents is reducing levels of hesitancy around childhood inoculations and increasing the rate of vaccination. The initiative, called PromoVac, was created by Dr. Arnaud Gagneur. After losing a newborn patient in France to meningitis because the mother was not aware that a vaccine was available, he set out to raise awareness and address concerns parents had about vaccines.
Almost a year into the pandemic Canadians are still coming to terms with what they have lost, whether it’s the loss of loved ones or the life we had before the pandemic. This week White Coat, Black Art explores the stories of Canadians who have found ways to be resilient in light of that loss. In the final installment of the special series “Prescription for Resilience: Coping with Covid,” we feature stories that will lift you up and make you recognise the inner strength that we all have.
RJ was an average teen who loved playing hockey, football and basketball. Then the pandemic changed everything. All of RJ's sports stopped, so he started exercising and began dieting on his own. An eating disorder soon followed.
Canadians reveal how they’ve coped with loss and isolation during the pandemic, in big ways and small. From a working mom who got COVID and a CFL player who lost his season, to a 97-year old who finds hope in daily walks and much more, this is your Prescription for Resilience.
Dr. Brian Goldman talks to Jeff Preston, Assistant Professor of Disability Studies at Western University in London, Ontario. Jeff was born with a severe form of muscular dystrophy. If he gets COVID19, he’s likely to die. He says that Canada needs to prioritize people with disabilities now. Donna Thomson’s 32-year-old son Nicholas has cerebral palsy and needs round-the-clock care. Donna says that excluding extremely vulnerable people like her son is ableism plain and simple.
Producer Lise Hosein tells her story as a patient diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancerUntil recently, treatment meant getting surgery to remove the thyroid glands. Now doctors are discovering that surgery can in many cases be safely avoided. Patients can safely choose to live with their cancer. For Lise, that seismic shift in treatment comes too late.
Lack of funding, distance, a patchwork of provincial laws and stigma are some of the barriers facing women seeking abortions in Canada, says Shannon Hardy, who volunteers as an abortion doula.
In 2003, nurse Susan Sorrenti contracted SARS while working at Toronto’s Mount Sinai Hospital. As a similar virus prompts health warnings in China and around the world, Sorrenti recalls her gruelling experience and reflects on the lessons we can learn as we grapple with this new illness. Plus, an update on the emerging story from infectious disease reporter Helen Branswell of Stat News.
Most Canadians take universal healthcare for granted - secure in the knowledge that all you have to do is walk into a clinic or hospital and you will be treated. For some half a million people who live and work amongst us, it's a different reality. This week, Dr. Brian Goldman reveals what happens to those who have no health insurance. Grace is a 52-year-old woman who came to Canada 19 years ago to work as a nanny. She lost her access to health insurance when she lost her job. She remained in Canada, working under the table, paying for medical appointments in cash. Four months ago, she discovered a lump in her breast. She paid up front for tests that detected a tumour, but soon ran out of money. By the time she was diagnosed at a clinic for the uninsured in Toronto last month, the tumour was 3 times bigger. She now has stage 3 breast cancer, and needs life-saving surgery. Dr. Paul Caulford heads the Canadian Centre for Refugees & Immigrant Healthcare, which runs the clinic. He's fundraising for Grace's treatment and trying to find a surgeon to operate for free. Despite his best efforts, he tells Dr. Brian Goldman, the delays and lack of treatment can be deadly for some of his uninsured patients. Note: Grace is pseudonym given to the patient who has been granted confidentiality to protect her privacy.
Nearly 3 out of 4 Canadian men live unhealthy lifestyles. The DUDES Club on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside shows that with the proper support, men can take better care of their mental and physical health no matter where they live.
Lawrence Weschler's memoir 'And How are You, Dr. Sacks' recounts his 30-plus year friendship with the famed neurologist and author, Oliver Sacks.
Three guests bring a book that touched them personally, and says something important about heath care
Twenty percent of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer are in their forties. But Canadian screening guidelines say little about what women at that age should be doing to stay on top of the “big C.” The recently updated recommendations from the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health advise against women 40-49 getting mammograms, and suggest they have a conversation with their doctor to make a ‘shared decision” about screening. They also say women shouldn’t do breast self-exams. The authors of the guidelines say they are based on the best scientific evidence, and that the guidelines help to guard against the significant issue of false positives which cause needless worry and biopsies. But some experts and breast cancer survivors worry that women are getting the wrong message. Lucy Van Oldenbarneveld found a lump when she was 49. She got treatment and survived. Her sister was just 44 when she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. She died last year. Dr. Jean Seely, the head of Breast Imaging at The Ottawa Hospital, is critical of the guidelines. She's leading the charge to inform women about their risks, and what they can do about them. Meanwhile, BC is one of three provinces that deviates from the guidelines. Dr. Goldman visits Dr. Colin Mar at B.C. Cancer to take a look at an online decision aid the province developed to help women understand their risks and make informed choices about breast cancer screening.
Dr. Brian Goldman talks both as a parent and as a doctor about teenagers and harm reduction. It's a practice that focuses not on abstinence, but minimizing harm and potential danger.
E-cigarettes were heralded as a means to help adult smokers quit. But a recent Health Canada survey found nearly one in four students in grades 7 to 12 have vaped. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, 47 people have died and nearly 2300 cases of vape-related damage have been documented this year. This week we talk to a Halifax teen who tells us how she and her friends started vaping, and how she ended up being treated by paramedics after routinely vaping the equivalent of 2.5 packs of cigarettes a day. Health authorities are not required to track those cases, but incidents involving much more serious lung damage have been reported, including the case of a US teen who required a double lung transplant. Dr. Hassan Nemeh, the surgeon who did that operation tells us what he saw, and what he thinks public health authorities should do.
Quebec-based residential treatment program helps mothers build their confidence and skills as a parent
Dr Brian Goldman takes an unflinching look at how medicine has treated people with developmental disabilities, and what's being done to remedy the cruelty of the past.
Award-winning Irish author and playwright Arnold Thomas Fanning sits down with Dr. Brian Goldman to discuss his new book Mind on Fire: A Memoir of Madness and Recovery.
A petition based on research by Dr. Anna Banerji is calling for Nunavut to expand the use of an antibody to all Inuit babies to protect them against a contagious respiratory virus. But the territory’s health department says it needs “conclusive evidence” to change its policy.
Rooming in allows mothers who are dependent on opioids to bond with newborns experiencing withdrawal, a practice that research says is as effective as putting the infants in the NICU and giving them small doses of morphine.
Jay DesMazes is bedridden with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). extremely limited movement; Using only eye movement and an ipad, DesMazes assembles words one letter at a time. Through his tablet, Jay tells Dr Brian Goldman about his life and abuse he received at the hands of nurses and health care staff.
We’re making mention of the common yet often unmentionable problem: pelvic floor dysfunction. Close to 40% of older women are affected by pelvic floor disorders.
Canada’s healthcare system is maxed out. In response, 8.1 million Canadians have stepped into the breach to care for ageing family members and loved ones who are chronically-ill or disabled. That allows many with complex care needs to remain in their homes longer. But it's taking a toll. Donna Thomson is a caregiver advocate and co-author of the new book "The Unexpected Journey of Caring." She says families are reaching a breaking point. "There's a big difference between shopping for your mother every once in a while and setting up tube feeds and ventilators. The type of nursing families are expected to take on today is unprecedented and there is no upper limit." She cared for her mother until she died at the age of 96 as well as her son, who has cerebral palsy. During this election many caregivers are calling for a national senior's strategy that recognizes the work caregivers do, and which offers them meaningful support. How politicians respond will sway their votes, says Dr. Samir Sinha. As the head of Geriatrics at Mount Sinai hospital in Toronto, he says we are in a crisis of caregiving. He's talks to Dr. Goldman about why caregiving needs to be a priority on the election agenda and what caregivers most need from their government.
Lyme Disease is on the rise in Canada. Despite this, it's not well understood by many physicians and the chronic version of the tick-borne disease remains a controversial diagnosis, making it difficult for patients to get treatment. In this edition, we hear from a a Kemptville, Ont.mother whose toddler got Lyme Disease this summer, medical experts on all sides of the issue as well as Jane Bailey, a Nova Scotia woman who had to leave Canada and spend $50,000 for treatment in the U.S. She's part of a vocal patient movement that's demanding more recognition of Chronic Lyme Disease and more aggressive treatment, which goes beyond the guidelines widely accepted in the medical community. At the heart of the issue is a difference of opinion between medical experts who take very different views of the disease. Dr. Brian Goldman unpacks how the so-called "Lyme Wars" developed and what can be done to help patients who've been caught in the middle.
Seeking a new generation of doctors who may connect with their patients better because they come from similar financial and social backgrounds.
Dr Brian Goldman pulls back the curtain of hype to examine the facts around CBD. He visits a medical cannabis clinic in Hamilton and finds out how easy it is to get CBD and who is taking it. Then two experts answer listeners' questions about CBD: Maddie Brown, an Ottawa-based medical cannabis consultant and a registered practical nurse; and M-J Milloy, a professor of cannabis science at the University of British Columbia.
Not a lot of doctors expect to work part-time while in the throes of a demanding medical school education. But more are choosing to do so after they graduate. It's estimated that 15 percent of Canadian doctors work part-time. Some do it because they want to, others need to, as a means of coping with stress that's inherent in the job This week, Dr. Brian Goldman speaks with two part-time doctors who explain their choice.
Elizabeth Rathbun is one of more than 77,000 Canadians who live with multiple sclerosis. She shares her 30-year journey with the disease and offers insight into what it's like to live with MS and the health-care system.
Halifax cardiologist Dr. Gabrielle Horne spent 14 years fighting to restore her reputation after she was bullied and bad-mouthed by supervisors when she was an up-and-coming researcher. She was eventually awarded the largest settlement in Canada for loss of reputation. While her story is extraordinary, it's not isolated. Recent Canadian surveys reveal 60% of medical students and 75% of residents report being harassed, intimidated or personally mistreated by someone in authority. This week White Coat, Black Art explores why doctors bully and what it will take to change the culture that allows it to happen, with insights from both Dr. Horne and lawyer Valerie Wise, who represents both doctors and their employers in disputes.
Bland, boring...and beige. It's how a lot of patients describe the meals they've been served in hospitals. But there's a serious side to those gripes. Dr. Goldman speaks to Joshna Maharaj (Josh-nuh MUH-huh-raj) a chef and food activist who has helped to overhaul menus in hospital kitchens and cafeterias, taking them from what she calls "miserable monochrome" to locally sourced and delicious. Dr. Goldman also visits the Childern's Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa where they are tackling picky-eater syndrome among their young patients by offering room service. And we drop in on a cooking class where the chefs are future physicians from the University of Toronto medical school, who are making a hands-on connection between good food and good health.
Amy Willans was a driven 22-year old nursing student, and a member of Canada's national precision skating team who was dating a university quarterback when she was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder. Amy suffered from debilitating depression, delusions and paranoia, to the point where she had to be repeatedly hospitalized. This week, the published poet and acclaimed peer support worker from Edmonton talks to Dr. Brian Goldman about her journey to recovery and how she dealt with the stigma ttached to the disease she's lived with for more than 20 years. The show features some of her original poetry.
Joanna Rankin was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 32. She had a double mastectomy and then breast reconstruction. Her implant surgery was plagued with infection and complications, and ended with an emergency removal of one of her implants. Joanna ultimately decided to give up the entire implant procedure and go flat. Edmonton journalist Alex Zabjek who has been a friend of Joanna's since they were children, tells the story in a documentary. Host Dr Brian Goldman talks to Dr Angel Arnaout, a Surgical Oncologist at Ottawa Hospital who explains why cancer surgery and breast reconstruction are so closely entwined, both in medical procedure and in our culture.
Canadian astronaut and ER physician Dave Williams speaks to Dr. Brian Goldman about what it took for him to achieve success. As he recounts in his book "Defying Limits: Lessons from the Edge of the Universe" he almost dropped out of school and didn't become a doctor. And at each stage of his life he faced challenges that he had to overcome to achieve success. Learning from failure he says is the key to success.
After a homeless woman died of breast cancer, the doctors, nurses and shelter workers who helped to ease her final days gathered to remember her.
You may not know Dr. Michael Klein's name, but if you've had a child in the past 30 years, he may have played a key role in how that baby came into the world. Klein was a pioneer in pushing the medical system to put the needs of mothers and babies first -- including exposing the fact that the episiotomy, a once-routine procedure performed on mothers giving birth was doing more harm than good. Brian speaks to him about his new memoir: Dissident Doctor: Catching Babies and Challenging the Medical Status Quo, and finds out how Klein's past as a Vietnam draft deserter whose father was blacklisted in the McCarthy era, led him to a revolutionary career in medicine. (Perhaps you've heard of his daughter...Naomi?)
As the regular season draws to a close, White Coat, Black Art looks back to update some of the programs that "made a difference" — by sparking change and shedding light on under-reported issues. Jennie Dale recounts how our story about the hidden dangers of breast density had a ripple effect across Canada, spurring provincial governments to review their breast cancer screening policies. Poet and peer support worker Amy Willans reveals how she was positively impacted after revealing her life with schizoaffective disorder. That broadcast led to new connections and frank conversations about stigma and mental illness. Lastly, Mark and Jennifer Lederman unveil the strides they have made in their campaign to reform palliative care for medically complicated adults. Their story about the palliative treatment their son Tristan, received in his last days is now getting an independent medical review. Their concerns have also been heard by the Minister of Health in Ontario.
Dr. May Cohen is a member of the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame and an Officer of the Order of Canada. Early in her career as a family doctor, Dr. Cohen fought for legal access to abortion, which she saw as a fundamental part of women’s health. She tells Dr. Brian Goldman about her experiences seeing a woman die after seeking an illegal abortion, and that the fight for women's right and access to safe abortion is never over.
In the second of a two-part series Dr. Brian Goldman pulls back the curtain on a side of Canada's opioid crisis that's gotten little attention. After documenting the story of Dayton Wilson, a 24-year-old man from Kamloops who sustained a brain injury from overdosing on fentanyl, Dr. Goldman pays a visit to a Vancouver ICU,which frequently sees patients like Dayton - some of whom will never recover enough to live independently. Critical care specialist Dr. Delbert Dorscheid ays despite the efforts to fight the opioid crisis, the number of overdose patients is not going down, and some end up so damaged by fentanyl overdoses, they are non-responsive and will never recover brain function. Others are going into long- term care homes like Holy Family Hospital n Vancouver, where site director Rae Johnson says they are now caring for 30-something patients with overdose acquired brain injuries, alongside elderly residents.
Dr. Brian Goldman travels to BC, and in the first of a two-part series tells the story of the men and women who are being largely overlooked in Canada's opioid crisis: Those who survive overdoses, but are left with permanent, debilitating brain damage. Authorites regularly track and release the numbers of people who die each month as a result of the opioid crisis, but they do not have a handle on those who suffer brain injuries. Dayton Wilson is one of the them. The 24-year-old Kamloops man took an accidental hit of fentanyl and was left with permanent brain damage that has compromised his ability to speak, his balance and left him with chronic pain. The once-aspiring musician now works part time as a custodian at a ski resort and recieves disability payments. He and his mother piece together the events that led to his overdose, and make the case that as the opioid crisis continues, patients like Dayton are being forgotten.
Two doctors in rural Newfoundland are teaching locals what they need to know about switching to a plant based diet. It's a win-win for their patients who ditch cod and salt beef in favour of tofu and broccoli. Not only are they losing excess pounds, they are also regaining their health.
Meet three doctors who eat a low-carb, high-fat diet, and find out why they'd like to see it more commonly prescribed to patients who are facing metabolic disease, even though some critics call it a fad.
This month marks three years since the announcement that Gord Downie of the Tragically Hip had glioblastoma, a terminal brain cancer.This week, Dr Brian Goldman talks to two people who were profoundly affected by Gord Downie and his illness: Dr James Perry, the Sunnybrook neuro-oncologist who treated Downie and Denis Raymond, an Ottawa social worker and teacher who also has GBM.
Halifax cardiologist Dr. Gabrielle Horne spent 14 years fighting to restore her reputation after she was bullied and bad-mouthed by supervisors when she was an up-and-coming researcher. She was eventually awarded the largest settlement in Canada for loss of reputation. While her story is extraordinary, it's not isolated. Recent Canadian surveys reveal 60% of medical students and 75% of residents report being harassed, intimidated or personally mistreated by someone in authority. This week White Coat, Black Art explores why doctors bully and what it will take to change the culture that allows it to happen, with insights from both Dr. Horne and lawyer Valerie Wise, who represents both doctors and their employers in disputes
Meet Matthew Sias: a small-town paramedic, deputy coroner and funeral assistant. Dr. Brian Goldman speaks to Sias about the tricky challenges when his different jobs collide.
White Coat Black Art looks at ways of dealing with loneliness in seniors. We visit roommates Cara Duncan, 23 and Lesly Adamson, 92. Dr. Mayur Lakhani, a family doctor and president of Britain's Royal College of General Practitioners, talks about the social prescribing expert in his office who guides his patients to local community activities. Dr. Helen Kingston, another U.K. doctor, tells Brian about the Compassionate Frome Project, a plan to treat lonely patients in her hometown of Frome.
Dr. Brian Goldman looks at the global spread of measles, what it means to Canadians, and how we went from believing the disease was cornered to a crisis point in less than 2 years. Brian speaks to Jayda Kelsall, an Ottawa cancer patient with up-to-date vaccines, who contracted the disease on a trip to the UK, and New York Times "plagues and pestilences" reporter, Donald G. McNeil Jr., who has traced the origins of the current outbreak in New York, and the resurgence of measles around the world.
In this bonus podcast Dr. Goldman speaks to Donald G. McNeil Jr. a New York Times science reporter who unpacks how New York City ended up declaring a public health emergency over the measles, as well as revealing the factors at play in a worldwide resurgence of the disease.
Christine Lumilan wasn't sure she'd ever become a mother. The Toronto woman knew that having cerebral palsy, diabetes and polycystic ovaries could make pregnancy challenging. When she unexpectedly found herself pregnant, the 39-year-old woman turned to a unique clinic, and doctor to help her through her pregnancy and the birth of her son, Dawson. The Accessible Care Pregnancy Clinic and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre has exam rooms and a birthing unit that are wheelchair accessible, as well as chairs, scales and beds that accommodate a variety of disabilities. They also coordinate specialists appointments to ensure there's a continuity in care for patients with more complicated care. But as Dr. Anne Berndl, the specialist who runs the clinic explains, the clinic is also helping women overcome another hurdle when it comes to giving birth -- attitudes from people -- even healthcare workers --- who still believe that disability is a barrier to giving birth and parenting.
A mom, a doctor and a person with FASD talk about living with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Laurie Whyte talks about raising her son Richie. Dr. Ana Hanlon-Dearman explains the symptoms of the disorder and how best to support people with FASD. Myles Himmelreich tells how he copes and thrives as an adult with FASD.
Karla Van Kessel's GP failed to recognize she had symptoms of cervical cancer and her Pap smear results were misread causing a delay in diagnosis that took away her best shot at a cure. Now, she thinks women need to demand better screening tests and keep tabs on their medical records to avoid the same fate.
Alan Alda is best known for his 11 seasons on MASH but he's also forged a second career as an expert in communication. He tells Dr. Brian Goldman it began with hosting Scientific American on PBS, where he talked to some of the world's smartest people and helped them get their ideas across. About a decdade ago the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science was established. It's trained more than 13,000 doctors and health professionals, using improvisation as a key tool. Alda also talks about his new podcast, Clear + Vivid which is all about human relationships, and he reveals why he went public with this diagnosis of Parkinson's disease last summer.
After a homeless woman died of breast cancer, the doctors, nurses and shelter workers who helped to ease her final days gathered to remember her.
Dr Brian Goldman talks to Jessica Grossman, a twenty-nine year-old marketing executive with Crohn's disease. In an effort to battle the stigma of having an ostomy, she uses social media to post photos of herself with her ostomy clearly visible. Brian also talks to Karen Bruton, a frontline nurse in Victoria BC who specializes in wound, ostomy and continence care - or NSWOC for short. In her 34-year career, Bruton has taught dozens of patients how to live with an ostomy. She says much of the stigma surrounding ostomies comes directly from health care providers themselves.
Not a lot of doctors expect to work part-time while in the throes of a demanding medical school education. But more are choosing to do so after they graduate. It's estimated that 15 percent of Canadian doctors work part-time. Some do it because they want to, others need to, as a means of coping with stress that's inherent in the job This week, Dr. Brian Goldman speaks with two part-time doctors who explain their choice.