When public health researcher Beth Hoffman's sister, Emily, was fatally injured by a car two years ago, Hoffman recalled a discussion about organ donation they shared years earlier while watching a powerful episode of the long-running TV show, “ER.” That conversation made it less difficult for her and her parents to honor Emily’s wishes.
Last week at Pitt’s School of Public Health, Hoffman—an assistant professor of behavioral and community health sciences—moderated a panel discussion featuring actor Noah Wyle. Wyle, best known for his role in “ER,” is currently starring in and serving as executive producer and writer for “The Pitt,” a new medical drama. For Hoffman, it was a meaningful moment that brought her journey full circle.
“My sister got me hooked on ‘ER’ all those years ago,” Hoffman said while holding Emily’s memorial card, which Wyle autographed.
“The Pitt” airs on Max and is set in Pittsburgh, “…telling a story in 48 to 60 minutes that is really, really powerful,” explained Wyle. “It's not a documentary, it is a drama show, but you want it to feel as authentic as possible. It’s those more prosaic moments, the quieter moments, the ones where it's like, ‘who took my lunch out of the fridge?’ or ‘I gotta pee.’ that make it real,” he added, eliciting laughter from the audience, which included medical professionals, community leaders and public health faculty and students.
“For a lot of us, it's hard to watch because it's so real, but you make us appreciate what we do and I just want to thank you for that,” said Sylvia Owusu-Ansah, MD, associate professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, and advisor to the show. “It's finally a show that we feel validated by, and I so appreciate the opportunity to advise on it.”
“The Pitt” is similarly realistic in its portrayal of Pittsburgh. Hospital staff eat Primanti’s sandwiches and name check Mr. Rogers and Roberto Clemente.
Panelist Sheila Roth, PhD, professor emeritus at Carlow University and another advisor on the show, recalled receiving an email one night from the Norman Lear Center, a nonpartisan research and public policy organization at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. “The email said they wanted to talk to me about a new TV show that was coming to Pittsburgh because they saw my resume online. I thought, ‘This is just junk. I'm going to delete it.’”
Her spouse, Ronald Roth, MD, professor emeritus of emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, said, ‘Wait a minute, let’s look at it.’ “So, I googled the center and the woman's name who wrote me the email. And I thought, ‘Oh my God, she’s a real person.’ I met with the writers a couple times, and it was just an amazing experience,” she said.
During the event, clips from the show were shared that addressed contemporary issues like a child poisoned by his father’s cannabis gummies and a conversation about organ donation after a teenager’s death.
According to Hoffman, who teaches an undergraduate class on entertainment media and health at the School of Public Health, medical TV shows are known to influence people’s perceptions about health, disease and providers. An audience member and medical professional spoke of finding “The Pitt” particularly authentic in the way it acknowledges the trauma many medical professionals feel but “shove inside and keep going,” she said.
For Wyle, working on “The Pitt” has been transformative for his career. “We film 300 feet from the soundstage where I lived for 15 years [on “ER”]. I saw a lot of ghosts and heard voices that aren't there anymore as I came aboard with this new cast. This time, I was more focused and worked smarter. I had an instrument I used to play, and then I played it. There was some rust that kicked off. There was a new tone to it all, as well.”
Other panelists and special guests included Chelsie Sobecki, donor family support coordinator at the Center for Organ Recovery and Education (CORE), and two original members of Freedom House ambulance service—widely acknowledged as the first paramedic program in the U.S.—Chief John Moon, the program’s emergency medical technician and former assistant chief of Pittsburgh Bureau of EMS, and Darnella Wilson, former Freedom House dispatcher and registered nurse.
Attendees were encouraged to attend a follow-up event at the School of Public Health on Tuesday, February 25 called Rescue to Reel: From Freedom House to Hollywood’s “The Pitt.”
To cap off the visit, Chief Moon personally signed a copy of “American Sirens: The Incredible Story of the Black Men Who Became America's First Paramedics”—for Wyle. The book tells the story of Freedom House, which operated in Pittsburgh’s Hill District from 1967-75.
And, naturally, Owusu-Ansah presented Wyle with his very own Terrible Towel along with more T-shirts than he could possibly wear in a week.
“I went crazy in the Strip District negotiating,” laughed Owusu-Ansah. “I told them, this is for a Hollywood star.”
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Rescue to Reel will take place from 6-8:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 25 in Room G23 at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, 130 De Soto St. An RSVP for the event is required as space is limited. “The Pitt” screening will be held 6-7 p.m., and a panel discussion with members of Freedom House will take place after the screening from 7-8:30 p.m.
-Clare Collins
Photography by Rayni Shiring/University of Pittsburgh