Council award
who continue to seek his counsel with challenging
patients.”
Recently, we had the opportunity to speak to Dr.
White about his life and career.
What led you to a career in medicine?
You could say that medicine was in my blood. My father and both my grandfathers were doctors. My mother’s family is from Scotland. After getting his medical
degree in Scotland, my maternal grandfather moved the
family to Wales. My paternal grandfather is from Bristol
in England. He was also a doctor, but he didn’t practise
medicine – he became a wine merchant.
Your father was the renowned neurologist Dr.
Denis Naldrett White who is credited with developing the subspecialty neurology practice at
Queen’s University. What influence did he have
on you and your career path?
I’m very proud of my father’s contribution to medicine. At one time, he was the only neurologist between
Toronto and Montreal. But I always think of him
foremost as a researcher in ultrasound technology as he
spent much of his time working to expand the use of ultrasound in Canada. He was among the first physicians
to demonstrate the advantages of using ultrasound in
place of X-ray in certain circumstances.
I spent several summers working for my father, assisting him in his research and doing basic ultrasound
work.
Did you consider following in your father’s footsteps by specializing in neurology?
The funny thing is that I wanted to be a neurologist
for as long as I could remember! But when I began my
medical training, I quickly realized that I liked the variety of experience and activities that a general practice
afforded.
You were born in London, England, grew up in
Kingston and studied at the University of Ottawa.
How did you end up moving from a background
in large city centres to practising in a small, rural
community in eastern Ontario?
During one of my rotations in residency, I did a month
in Carleton Place and then during my holidays I did a
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Dialogue Issue 3, 2016
week’s locum for Dr. Wayne Barry. When he asked me
to join him, I jumped at the chance. As a general practitioner in a small community, I got to do everything
– treating patients in the clinic, assisting in surgery,
delivering babies, minor surgery, emergency department
coverage, plus committee work and serving as hospital
chief of staff.
Also, in the early days, there were only a handful of
physicians in the community and that meant we often
encountered medical situations that we had not previously been exposed to. It was – and is – exhilarating and
interesting to work in so many areas of medicine.
You’ve been a coroner in Lanark County since
the late 70s. How has that experience changed
over the years?
I was asked to serve as a coroner in 1978. In the early
days, there were more car accidents than there are now
and I used to visit many nursing homes to sign death
certificates, because back then, only a coroner could
pronounce a death. It’s not as busy as it used to be,
but you’re still seeing family members under the most
difficult of circumstances, often after a homicide or a
suicide.
You’ve also served as a College Peer Assessor
for the past decade. Why did you become a peer
assessor and why do you keep on doing it?
I myself was assessed about 20 years ago, and sometime after I was a approached by the College to
become an assessor. I love doing it for a few reasons: I
enjoy travelling around the province to see how medicine is practised in different regions. One day I could
be assessing a physician in Kingston, and another time
I am way up north observing the unique challenges
facing those practising medicine in a remote community. The other thing I like about being a peer assessor
is helping colleagues understand the important educational focus of an assessment. Most assessed physicians
begin the process with trepidation, but by the end of
their assessment they are happy with the experience
and what they’ve learned through the process.
Do you have any advice for young doctors?
Be compassionate and laugh.
MD