January 24, 2003
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Partners of the Heart, a documentary chronicling the 34-year relationship between a white physician and a black lab technician that resulted in a major breakthrough in pediatric cardiac surgery, will be shown Monday, Feb. 3, at 4 p.m. at Vanderbilt’s Sarratt Cinema. The special screening is free and open to the public.
Shown only once before in Nashville, Partners of the Heart tells the story of Dr. Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas, whose professional partnership ushered in a new era of pediatric cardiac surgery and broke important ground during one of the United States’ most racially charged periods of time. Through their stories, the film emphasizes African-American contributions to medicine and demonstrates the power of personal relationships to overcome social impediments.
The men met at the Vanderbilt Medical Center in the 1930s, a time when racial segregation cast a dark shadow over personal and professional relationships. Thomas, a lab technician, and Blalock, a surgeon, quickly formed an unheard of partnership in the operating room.
Following the screening, producer and director of Partners of the Heart Andrea Kalin, Vanderbilt history professor Dennis Dickerson and Vanderbilt School of Medicine associate dean for diversity George Hill will discuss medical history, race relations and film making. A reception will follow in the Sarratt Art Gallery.
The event is sponsored by the Division of Public Affairs, the Department of History, the Medicine, Health and Society Planning Group/Workshop, and Spark Media. For additional information, visit www.partnersoftheheart.com.
Media contact: Elizabeth Latt, 615-322-NEWS, elizabeth.p.latt@vanderbilt.edu