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| Something the Lord Made |
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| Date: |
June 27, 2009 |
| Time: |
2:00 - 5:00 p.m. |
| Location: |
Los Angeles Public Library
Alma Reaves Wood Branch
10205 Compton Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90002 |
| Guest Speaker: |
Vidya S. Kaushik , MD
Department of Internal Medicine,
Charles Drew University |
| Medical Theme: |
History of Medicine, Cardiac Surgery,
Blue Baby Syndrome, Tetrology of Fallot |
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Based on a true story, “Something The Lord Made” tells the absorbing tale of two doctors who bucked tradition and racial prejudice to revolutionize the medical world. The American south in the 1940s could be a fearsome place for anyone attempting to ply a well-meaning trade, as it was riddled with strictly-enforced racial boundaries. The two men in question--Dr. Alfred Blalock (Alan Rickman) and African-American lab technician Vivien Thomas (Mos Def)--work fastidiously on a new technique for helping babies with heart problems, and achieve some impressive, and innovative results. Under any other circumstances the men would have been exhilarated by their advances, and widely applauded throughout the medical profession. But the dark heart of the south causes innumerable problems for the brave pioneers, as the prejudices brought to bear on the men become unbearable. Moving and dramatic in equal measures, director Joseph Sargent's film is a bold retelling of a vital chapter in the history of the medical profession.
| Starring: |
Alan Rickman, Mos Def, Mary Stuart Masterson, Kyra Sedgwick, Merritt Wever, Doug Olear |
| Genre: |
Drama |
| Year: |
2004 |
| Run Time: |
1 hour, 50 minutes |
| Rating: |
not rated |
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About the speaker: Vidya S. Kaushik, MD graduated from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in 1964. Following his Cardiology training at Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Dr. Kaushik joined the Charles Drew Post Graduate Medical School faculty in 1975. He started as the Director of Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and established the first cardiac catheterization program at Martin Luther King Jr. Hospital. He was a key player in initiating the Open Heart Surgery program in 1977. Over the past thirty years he has served the South Central community with total dedication. As Chief of Cardiology and lately Chair of Internal Medicine, Dr. Kaushik has trained hundreds of residents, fellows and taught the principles and practice of Internal Medicine to a multitude of |
medical students and physician assistants. Over the past three decades he has served with distinction on almost all CDU University committees including Undergraduate Selection Committee, Appointment and Promotions Committee, Strategic Planning Committee, and the Board Finance Committee. He currently also chairs the Budget and Finance Committee of the Academic Senate. He is a past president of the Professional Staff Association as well as the King Drew Medical Foundation. Dr. Kaushik is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and American College of Chest Physicians.
A life long volunteer and philanthropist he has served on the Boards of multiple nonprofit organizations. He was the President of the American Heart Association Greater Los Angeles affiliate, and has received multiple awards including their highest honor “Heart of Gold” award in 1996. |
