Black History Month: Dr. Carl White Ulysse Q&A

What does Black History Month mean to you?

Black History Month (BHM) is a time to celebrate how far the Black community has come over the last few generations. It’s also a time for everyone to educate themselves on the history of the Black community in their area and the numerous ongoing struggles. There are many ways we can all do better for all the patients we serve and the colleagues we work with, and BHM is a great opportunity to set time aside to reflect on that.

Why did you decide to pursue a career in anesthesiology? 

Anesthesia has an incredible balance between technical skills and intellectual work that allows you to become comfortable caring for patients with a wide range of medical or surgical issues. It also allows you to manipulate physiology in real time and quickly see the results of your efforts. Finally, it requires the ability to have complex and high stakes conversations with patients in a short amount of time which is a rewarding challenge.

What is your favourite moment from your time in the program?

Coming back from my MBA into clinical work was an exciting time for me in residency. It allowed me to fall in love with medicine again and confirm that I had chosen the right field. While the circumstances weren’t ideal in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic raging, I still found myself marvelling at the privilege I have to care for people in some of life’s best and worst moments.

As a resident, you also found time to complete an MBA at Stanford University. What was behind that decision? How would you describe that experience?

Much of the day-to-day frustrations of working in healthcare are because of management problems and not medical problems. Unfortunately, many people do not have the background to understand the clinical and administrative sides of these issues. I thought through different ways I could get the training to be part of the solution and ended up choosing an MBA because of the opportunity to learn from people from various industries outside of healthcare. I was lucky enough to get into Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and had a transformative experience there. I met classmates from around the world, regularly heard talks from CEOs of some of the best-known corporations and current and former local and international government officials. I also learned a ton about my own leadership brand and how to manage organizations.

You’ve done a lot of work outside of UofT including being named President of the Professional Association of Residents of Ontario (PARO) and Resident Doctors of Canada (RDoC). What motivated you to get into volunteering and advocacy work? How would you describe that experience?

I’ve always felt that giving back to my community was an important experience. While the culture of medicine has come a long way in the last couple of decades, there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure that physicians, and physicians-in-training can work in a more humane environment. It only felt natural for me to contribute to making that change happen. During my time at PARO and RDoC, these organizations have achieved huge wins for residents, including the sunsetting of the MCCQE2, the achievement of pandemic pay for residents working at the start of the pandemic as well as the creation of the Medical Resident Redeployment Program to ensure residents who take on extra work because of issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic get compensated adequately. Those have made a big difference in the experience of being a resident, and I’m proud to have had a small hand in making them happen.

What are your hopes for the future of your career?

Next year, I want to pursue a fellowship in paediatric anesthesiology at the Hospital for Sick Children. I’m then hoping to build an academic practice in the field. I’m sure management and advocacy will always be a large part of my career, but I am not entirely sure what form that will take. Many people I admire whose leadership had a transformative impact in medicine told me that some of the best opportunities they received were when they least expected it, so I’m planning to keep my eye open for things that come my way.