Ditch The Labcoat

Candid conversations between healthcare experts, every Wednesday at 5am EST on Labcoat.fm, your destination for evidence-based insights into the world of medicine, with no holds barred debate about hot topics in healthcare. This is for all the closet doctors, nurses, pharmacists and all others who are deeply fascinated about medicine but view the headlines with science-based skepticism.

Episodes

Free Speech Is Good For Mental Health with Dr. Chloe Carmichael

November 26, 2025 • 48 mins

Clinical psychologist Dr. Chloe Carmichael joins Dr. Mark Bonta for an important and timely conversation about free speech, emotional regulation, and the psychology of open dialogue. Drawing on her clinical work and her new book, Dr. Carmichael explains how suppressing opinions affects stress, anxiety, and even physical health. She describes her own experience with media self censorship, the impact of masking policies duri...

Mark as Played

Making Mental Health & Addiction Visible with Matteo Esposito from the Invisible Challenge

November 19, 2025 • 52 mins

In this powerful conversation, Matteo Esposito shares the story that shaped his mission to help others reclaim their lives from addiction and mental illness. Matteo is a Certified Addiction Recovery Coach and co-founder of Invisible Challenge, a movement focused on ending the stigma around invisible illnesses including bipolar disorder, substance use disorders, and suicidality.

Mark and Matteo explore the difficult real...

Mark as Played

Voice: The 5th Vital Sign with Dr. Kang Hsu

November 12, 2025 • 38 mins

Your voice says more than you think.
In this episode, Dr. Mark Bonta sits down with Dr. Kang Hsu, Chief Medical Officer of Canary Speech, to explore how AI and vocal biomarkers could make the human voice the next vital sign in medicine.

They unpack the science behind this breakthrough, showing how subtle shifts in tone, rhythm, and cadence can reveal early signs of depression, anxiety, Parkinson’s, or cognitive decline l...

Mark as Played

Erections: A Window into Cardiovascular Health? with Dr. Eliott Justin

November 5, 2025 • 37 mins

Welcome back to Ditch the Labcoat. This week, host Dr. Mark Bonta sits down with Dr. Elliot Justin, emergency physician, innovator, and founder of FirmTech, for a conversation that’s equal parts fascinating, funny, and paradigm-shifting. Together, they explore a topic that most people find awkward to talk about—but everyone is curious about: male sexual health.

Dr. Justin shares how a personal injury and a deep curiosit...

Mark as Played

Trick, Treat or Trauma with Dr. Mark Bonta

October 29, 2025 • 28 mins

Mark as Played

Life Span - Redefining longevity with anti-aging expert : Dr. Filippo Ongaro

October 22, 2025 • 42 mins

Welcome back to Ditch the Labcoat. This week, Dr. Mark Bonta sits down with Dr. Filippo Ongaro. He is a physician, bestselling author, and former flight surgeon at the European Space Agency who joins Dr. Bonta in the studio to explore a topic that’s redefining how we think about aging: the pursuit of healthspan over lifespan.

In a world obsessed with biohacking, supplements, and quick fixes, Dr. Ongaro brings the conver...

Mark as Played

Gut Health: A collaborative episode with The Gut Doctor

October 15, 2025 • 43 mins

In this week’s episode of Ditch The Labcoat, host Dr. Mark Bonta sits down with gastroenterologist and podcast host Dr. Neil Parikh—known from The Gut Doctor Podcast—for a fascinating journey through one of the most complex and misunderstood systems in the human body: the gut.

Together, they unpack the modern obsession with “gut health,” the hype around the microbiome, and why everyone from wellness influencers to scien...

Mark as Played

Unlocking Peak Performance With The Mindset First Approach (Part 2)

October 8, 2025 • 43 mins

This episode applies a clinical lens to the mindset first philosophy shared by Dr. Cassidy Preston in Part 1.

In this insightful episode, Dr. Mark Bonta, Dr. Sebastian Mafeld, and Dr. Cassidy Preston delve into the intersection of mindset and medicine. They explore how principles from sports psychology can enhance medical practice, emphasizing the importance of adaptability, presence, and continuous learning. Through p...

Mark as Played

Unlocking Peak Performance With The Mindset First Approach (Part 1)

October 1, 2025 • 44 mins

In this conversation, Dr. Mark Bonta and Cassidy Preston explore the critical role of mental resilience in high-stress environments, particularly in sports and medicine. They discuss Cassidy's journey from being an elite athlete to a coach focused on mental skills training, the evolution of mental coaching in various fields, and the importance of measuring success through mindset rather than just results. The discussion al...

Mark as Played

Try Before You Dialyze: Reinventing Kidney Care with Dr. Bijal Patel

September 24, 2025 • 46 mins

This week's episode will be with Dr. Bijaj Patel a nephrologist who has done amazing work developing transitional dialysis centers.
DISCLAMER >>>>>> The Ditch Lab Coat podcast serves solely for general informational purposes and does not serve as a substitute for professional medical services such as medicine or nursing. It does not establish a doctor/patient relationship, and the use of information fro...

Mark as Played

What Healthcare Can Learn from Navy SEALs with Brian Ferguson

September 17, 2025 • 48 mins

Welcome back to Ditch the Labcoat, where we break down the highs, lows, and real talk of life on the frontlines of medicine. In this episode, Dr. Mark Bonta sits down with Brian Ferguson—a former military special operator and founder of Arena Labs—to explore what it truly means to perform under pressure in today’s healthcare landscape.
Drawing on his unique experience in both military special operations and high performance...

Mark as Played

Why Access, Not Innovation, Holds Healthcare Back with Mike Druhan

September 10, 2025 • 48 mins

Welcome to this episode of Ditch the Lab Coat, hosted by Dr. Mark Bonta—a show where curiosity meets science and skepticism, all in the name of practical healthcare innovation.
This week, we tackle a problem plaguing healthcare systems across Canada (and beyond): the painfully long wait times to see a dermatologist, especially when it comes to skin cancer. Our guest is Mike Druhan, President of Dermatology Services at MedX ...

Mark as Played

Why Virtual Medicine Might Be Better Than In-Person Visits with Dr. William Cherniak

September 3, 2025 • 37 mins

Welcome back to Ditch the Lab Coat! In this episode, host Dr. Mark Bonta sits down with Dr. William Cherniak, an emergency physician, global health leader, and CEO of Rocket Doctor—a Canadian tech company on a mission to shake up how we access healthcare. As the world continues to grapple with the lessons learned from COVID-19, Dr. Cherniak and Dr. Bonta dive deep into the evolution of virtual care and its role in both epi...

Mark as Played

Is Gambling the Next Public Health Crisis? with Dr. Daniela Lobo

August 27, 2025 • 50 mins

Welcome back to Ditch the Labcoat. Today’s episode dives deep into a topic that’s been quietly reshaping lives and families across the globe: gambling addiction. Host Dr. Mark Bonta sits down with Dr. Daniela Lobo, a leading expert in addiction psychiatry, to explore just how dramatically gambling—especially online and sports betting—has surged in prevalence, fueled by intensive marketing and made even more accessible by t...

Mark as Played

The Road from Suffering to Science with Dr. Diana Driscoll

August 20, 2025 • 50 mins

This week on Ditch the Labcoat, Dr. Mark Bonta sits down with Dr. Diana Driscoll, an optometrist, researcher, and internationally recognized authority on the autonomic nervous system—who also happens to be one of the rare non-MDs to join the show.

After her own sudden and life-altering health collapse, Dr. Driscoll found herself deep in the world of dysautonomia—a group of disorders affecting the autonomic nervous syst...

Mark as Played

Burnout, Boundaries, and Breathwork with Dr. Judy Wright

August 13, 2025 • 52 mins

Welcome back to Ditch the Labcoat with Dr. Mark Bonta! In this episode, we dive into the world of burnout—what it really looks like, how it creeps into even the most resilient among us, and, most importantly, what we can do to prevent it. Dr. Mark sits down with Dr. Judy Wright, a physician, performance strategist, burnout survivor, and the founder of JW Health Consulting.

Dr. Wright brings a unique blend of medical ex...

Mark as Played

Ditch The Labcoat Do's and Dont's: Birthday Reflections with Dr Bonta

August 6, 2025 • 34 mins

Welcome back to Ditch the Lab Coat with Dr. Mark Bonta—a podcast where we cut through health hype with evidence, curiosity, and a good dose of scientific skepticism. In this special solo episode, Dr. Bonta takes a step back to reflect on what he’s learned after recording over 70 episodes with experts across medicine, wellness, and psychology.
Instead of chasing the latest biohacks and trendy do’s, Dr. Bonta shares his take ...

Mark as Played

Awake Patients, Better Outcomes with Kali Dayton

July 30, 2025 • 49 mins

Welcome back to Ditch the Labcoat! In this thought-provoking episode, Dr. Mark Bonta sits down with Kali Dayton, nurse practitioner, international consultant, and the bold voice behind the Awake and Walking ICU movement. Together, they peel back the curtain on a common but rarely questioned practice in critical care: routine heavy sedation of patients on ventilators.
Kali shares her journey from a nurse in a pioneering ICU—...

Mark as Played

Healing Hospitals from within Georg Haymerle

July 23, 2025 • 44 mins

On this episode of Ditch the Lab Coat, Dr. Mark Bonta sits down with Dr. Georg Haymerle—once a top head and neck surgeon in Europe and Australia, now a dedicated advocate for culture change in medicine. Georg’s journey is anything but typical: after reaching the pinnacle of surgical mastery, he made the radical decision to walk away—not because of burnout or failure, but to confront the invisible crisis unraveling healthca...

Mark as Played

The Great Nerve with Dr. Kevin Tracey

July 16, 2025 • 52 mins

Welcome back to Ditch the Lab Coat, the podcast where we break down the fascinating world of medicine with a blend of scientific skepticism and real-world insight. In today’s episode, we dive deep into the mysteries of the vagus nerve—a nerve so ancient and essential, it’s been called the “conductor” in the symphony of human physiology.
Join host Dr. Mark Bonta as he sits down with Dr. Kevin Tracey, neurosurgeon, president ...

Mark as Played

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.

Crime Junkie

Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

The Breakfast Club

The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Advertise With Us

Ditch The Labcoat

Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Free Speech Is Good For Mental Health with Dr. Chloe Carmichael

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Making Mental Health & Addiction Visible with Matteo Esposito from the Invisible Challenge

Voice: The 5th Vital Sign with Dr. Kang Hsu

Erections: A Window into Cardiovascular Health? with Dr. Eliott Justin

Trick, Treat or Trauma with Dr. Mark Bonta

Life Span - Redefining longevity with anti-aging expert : Dr. Filippo Ongaro

Gut Health: A collaborative episode with The Gut Doctor

Unlocking Peak Performance With The Mindset First Approach (Part 2)

Unlocking Peak Performance With The Mindset First Approach (Part 1)

Try Before You Dialyze: Reinventing Kidney Care with Dr. Bijal Patel

What Healthcare Can Learn from Navy SEALs with Brian Ferguson

Why Access, Not Innovation, Holds Healthcare Back with Mike Druhan

Why Virtual Medicine Might Be Better Than In-Person Visits with Dr. William Cherniak

Is Gambling the Next Public Health Crisis? with Dr. Daniela Lobo

The Road from Suffering to Science with Dr. Diana Driscoll

Burnout, Boundaries, and Breathwork with Dr. Judy Wright