Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, in the documentary The Resilient Heart.
The Resilient Heart, a new feature-length documentary on the work of Valentin Fuster, MD, PhD, Director of Mount Sinai Heart and Physician-in-Chief of The Mount Sinai Hospital, was presented on Wednesday, December 14, at the New York Academy of Medicine. Nearly 300 people attended the screening of the film, which explores the history of cardiovascular disease, its evolution into a global epidemic, and how research, global health initiatives, and policy are aiding populations worldwide. The film tells this story through Dr. Fuster’s day-to-day work. Led by the Emmy-Award-winning director Susan Froemke, a film crew traveled with Dr. Fuster for a year as he pursued projects with partners in Colombia, Spain, Kenya, and Grenada, as well as Harlem and other parts of the United States. Along the way, the film shows firsthand the impact one doctor and his team can have when the mission is to improve lives through research-based cardiovascular education, mentoring, and gentle inspiration. Dr. Fuster says in the film, “If I have the chance to think in my last hour, I want to be sure that I can say, ‘Yes, I have done something that’s not for me, but for someone else.’ And to me that is a critical issue.” The Resilient Heart will be shown during the Tribeca Film Festival in April.