White Coat Rebels will be premiering at the AFI Docs Film Festival this Thursday, June 24 and the movie features part of the Free the Vaccine for COVID-19 campaign.
There will be a virtual screening (with a 48 hour viewing period) and a conversation with the filmmakers and subject Neda Ashtari. The film follows a committed group of medical students, doctors, and activists who battle the structural inequalities of America’s health care system, in which their physicians’ oath to “do no harm” is challenged by the insidious power of the global pharmaceutical industry. More details here!
The organizing work of one of our campaigns, Free the Vaccine for COVID-19, is featured towards the end of the White Coat Rebels film, which began shooting in 2019 and ended with the rise of COVID-19 in the USA.
Following the screening, watch a special conversation with director Greg Barker, producer Dr. Harriet Fraser and subject Neda Ashtari moderated by CQ Roll Call Health Care Editor Rebecca Adams.
About White Coat Rebels
“First, do no harm.” For generations, this oath has been taken by matriculating medical students donning their white coats for the first time. But what if those words were a lie? In this probing look inside the medical profession, filmmaker Greg Barker examines the corrupting influence of Big Pharma and the courageous “white coat rebels” fighting back against the status quo. These rebels include medical student Neda Ashtari who challenges UCLA’s cozy relationship with private drug companies; Dr. Michael Fine, Rhode Island’s former Health Director, who organizes adequate health care on behalf of marginalized communities; and Dr. Danielle Ofri of New York’s Bellevue Hospital who, during the height of the pandemic, senses the possibilities for change: “It’s our duty to speak about the inequalities.” Now, that’s an oath we can all get behind. –Ken Jacobson