White Coat, Black Art is calling on overweight doctors, nurses and other health professionals. A US study found that 44 percent of male physicians are overweight, and 6 percent are obese. We don't have published data on obesity in female physicians. However, the Nurses' Health Study demonstrated that 28 percent of female nurses in the United States are overweight, and 11 percent are obese. These stats among health professionals compares to those that show more than 40 percent of American adults are classified as obese (as opposed to merely overweight) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

With rising rates of obesity in Canada, a growing number of health professionals find they're advising more and more patients to drop some weignt. We want to know what it's like for an obese doctor who tells patients to go on a diet? Do you ever get teased by your patients? Do you feel stigmatized by colleagues? We're looking for docs, nurses, paramedics, physiotherapists, anyone who can shed some light -- and some weight -- on the subject.

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