When it comes to listing the top health stories of the year, medical breakthroughs often get the most attention.  But in 2012, it's the ones that shine an unflattering light on health issues that top the list. Hit the jump to find out which stories I put on my list and what to watch for in '13. 

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We've come to the end of a great season. We've gone from prescription drug shortages to prescriptions so expensive almost no one can afford them. And from med students bringing a new kind of health care to Saskatoon's core neighbourhoods to young doctors with a new problem of their own: unemployment. And of course, there was the unforgettable story of Nagui Morcos - ill with Huntington's disease -- and the choice he made to end his own life.

We pulled back the curtain on the culture of medicine all season, and in this episode, Brian reveals a little bit of himself.
 

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Shara and Ilana Yurkiewicz are sisters and fellow med students at Harvard. Shara is in third year and Illana is second year.  And they have something else in common -- they both blog about medicine. Shara's blog is called This may hurt a bit and Ilana's is called Unofficial Prognosis. Here's their extended interview with Brian.

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On this week's holiday edition of White Coat, Black Art it's all in the family. We look at what it's like to be a doctor when medicine is the family business. We'll talk to two sisters who both attend Harvard Medical School and a  Las Vegas M.D. who was born into the field -- both his parents are doctors. We talk to Zubin Damania (aka ZdoggMD) about his sideline  -- making wickedly funny medical parodies - and we meet the winners of our contest to find the best med school parody. Keep reading to find out more!

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Last month, the National Post's Tom Blackwell reported that a growing number of hospitals say patients and their families are secretly recording doctors and nurses. Some say it's a symptom of the breakdown of trust being patients and their physicians.  Welcome to a Cowardly New World.

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This week on WCBA, we brought you the stories of some aspiring and inspiring young MDs who all live with a disability. They talked about the barriers they've faced and how they cope in a culture of medicine that expects doctors to be invincible. One of those stories came from Steve Daniel. The former Canadian Armed Forces Sergeant did four tours of duty overseas before he was severely injured on home soil. As a parachute instructor he had done 101 free fall jumps. On his 102nd jump, something went wrong. He gained speed too quickly and landed on his tailbone. He was left paralyzed from the waist down. Undaunted, he made it through rehab and went on to compete in arms-only rowing at the Beijing Paralympics. It was there he met another wheelchair athlete who inspired him to pursue medicine. Now in his second year at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, he told Brian he hopes to practive family and sports medicine once he graduates.

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This week, we're bringing you stories from three up-and-coming MDs. It's not the first time we've focused on young doctors -- but these stories may surprise you. All of our guests live with a disability -- and it's not often their stories get told. That's because there's been a culture of keeping quiet and staying in the shadows when you face any kind of adversity in medicine. Doctors, after all, are the healers -- and there's a feeling that they're supposed to be invincible. But if you needed proof that attitude is changing -- these three are it.

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It came in a little late, but we're a forgiving bunch. And we were all pretty impressed by the creative approach these guys at the University of Alberta took. Not just one parody -- but a whole CD full. Or at least enough for a commercial plugging the CD. We particularly liked "Somebody that I used to sew."  Thanks to Nick Avdimiretz for sending in "Max and Nick's Greatest Hits." He says: "It was created by two University of Alberta medical students, third years at the time, and was screened at MedNite 2012 (our annual comedic show)."  We'll be announcing the winners on the blog shortly!

The two Australian radio DJs behind the royal hospital prank-call say they are heartbroken over the death of one of the nurses who took their call. Jacintha Saldanha, a mother of two children - was found dead on Friday, three days after transferring the call. Mel Greig and Michael Christian pretended to be members of the British Royal Family asking about the health of the Duchess of Cambridge. A story that began with the news that the Duchess is pregnant and suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum has taken a sad twist that provides some lessons for hospital staff everywhere.

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