American Doctor: Movie Screening & Live Panel
About this Event
WHAT IS THIS FILM ABOUT?
American Doctor follows three American physicians, Dr. Thaer Ahmad, Dr. Feroze Sidhwa and Dr. Mark Perlmutter, as they try to bring care to patients in Gaza. It’s a film about medicine at its limits: what doctors do when the need is overwhelming, and what it costs them to answer it.
Film Trailer:
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WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT THIS EVENING?
The doctors you’ll watch on screen aren’t far away. One of them is our neighbor.
After the film, Dr. Nahreen Ahmed takes the stage. She is a pulmonary and critical care physician at Penn Medicine, and she has done the very work you’ll see in American Doctor, in the same hospitals. She volunteered on the front lines at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis in early 2024, returned to Gaza that spring, and later spent 17 days in the ICU and emergency room at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. She has also served in conflict zones in Ukraine, Yemen and Sudan, and she co-leads Penn Medicine’s clinical response for Gaza. Her accounts from inside Gaza’s hospitals have been featured on 60 Minutes, NPR and TIME.
This is a rare chance to hear firsthand, from a Philadelphia doctor, what it takes to practice medicine when the need is overwhelming, and to ask her your questions.
THE PANEL:
- Dr. Nahreen Ahmed, Featured Speaker. ICU physician at Penn Medicine who has volunteered on multiple missions in Gaza, including at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis and Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
- Dr. Afnan Albahri, Moderator. CHOP physician and co-founder and Executive Director of Healing Hands Fund.
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WHERE DOES YOUR TICKET MONEY GO?
Every dollar of the ticket price goes to Healing Hands Fund’s 2027 medical supply budget. The cost of this event is covered by local sponsors.
Healing Hands Fund (H2F) is a Philadelphia 501(c)(3) nonprofit started by local healthcare workers. When volunteer doctors travel into crisis zones, we make sure they arrive ready to work. Our Philadelphia volunteers sort and pack donated medical supplies into suitcases, and traveling delegates carry them straight into the hospitals that need them. We always aim to leave behind equipment and training that keep saving lives after the mission ends.
WHERE HAVE WE HELPED IN THE PAST?
- Gaza: Delivered portable ultrasounds to the emergency department at Al-Shifa Hospital, equipped NICUs to care for newborns, and trained local doctors in bedside ultrasound.
- West Bank: Supplied a surgeon performing cleft lip surgeries on children, and shipped dialysis supplies.
- Northern Syria: Provided airway and ultrasound equipment to train local medical students, and left it in Syrian hospitals for ongoing use.
- Jordan: Launched a prosthetics program in Amman that fits and builds artificial limbs for refugees and displaced people.
- Venezuela: Supported a volunteer doctor responding to an earthquake.
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WHAT IS THE AGENDA FOR THE EVENING?
- 5:00 PM: Doors open. Check in, grab a drink at the Fringe bar, and meet Dr. Ahmed, Dr. Albahri and your fellow guests before showtime.
- 6:15 PM: Head into the theater and find your seat. Come early to grab the good seats.
- 6:25 PM: Welcome from Healing Hands Fund.
- 6:30 PM: American Doctor begins (about 90 minutes).
- 8:00 PM: Film ends. Stay in your seat. The panel starts in five minutes.
- 8:05 PM: A conversation with Dr. Nahreen Ahmed, moderated by Dr. Afnan Albahri, followed by audience Q&A.
- 8:40 PM: What H2F is shipping next, and how you can help.
- 8:45 PM: Thank you and good night.
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WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Whether you’ve followed the news closely or haven’t known where to start, this is a night to support doctors who keep children alive. If you care about children, you’ll fit right in. And if you work in healthcare, this is especially for you. Bring a colleague.
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WHAT WOULD BE GOOD TO KEEP IN MIND?
- The theater only has 246 seats. When they’re gone, they are GONE.
- This film includes graphic depictions of war injuries, bloodshed and medical procedures. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00 to USD 999.00
