“Mensch” Film East Coast Premiere

You may not have heard of Professor Ludwik Hirszfeld... yet. Documentarian Pawel Wysoczanski wants to change that. His new documentary "Mensch" tells the story of Hirszfeld’s unwavering faith in science amid the harsh reality of two world wars, his never-give-up attitude, and the love that helped him through it all. The New York Academy of Medicine Library is proud to present the East Coast premiere of this new film. Immediately following the film, join us for a panel discussion with the director and interviewees featured in the documentary. This will be moderated by Dr. Rita Charon. 

Watch the trailer

About the Panel

Pawel Wysoczanski is a multiple award-winning director, screenwriter and producer. His student film "Point of View," created during film school, received multiple awards. His debut feature, "On the Road," follows a coal miner from Silesia on a journey to meet the Dalai Lama. "We Will Be Happy One Day" tells the story of a boy from a poor district in Silesia who makes a film with his cell phone about his friends' dreams. This film was purchased by several TV stations and has garnered admiration from many, including Martin Scorsese. In 2015, Wysoczanski released "Jurek," a portrait of Jerzy Kukuczka, the renowned Himalayan and Karakorum mountaineer. In 2019, he created "Long Day Tomorrow," focusing on Polish doctor Helena Pyz, who has worked in Jeevodaya, India, for over 33 years. His latest film, "Mensch," about Ludwik Hirszfeld, was released in February 2024. He is currently working on a project about film director Roman Polanski.

Rita Charon, M.D., Ph.D. is a general internist and literary scholar and a founder of the field of narrative medicine. With an MD from Harvard and PhD in English from Columbia, she is Professor of Medicine and Professor and Chair of Medical Humanities and Ethics at Columbia. Her research is funded by federal and private sources. She published four books on narrative medicine, lectures and teaches internationally, and appears in leading medical and literary journals.

William H. Schneider, Ph.D. has taught and published numerous books and articles on medical humanities, the history of medicine and global health, serology and blood transfusion, and health philanthropy. Currently he serves as Professor emeritus of History and Medical Humanities at Indiana University. Among his publications, he is co-editor of the annotated English translation of Ludwik Hirszfeld’s autobiography, The Story of One Life.

Steven L. Spitalnik, M.D., a pathologist with subspecialty expertise in transfusion medicine, has been a Professor in the Department of Pathology & Cell Biology at Columbia University since 2003. Although initially focused on basic questions in glycobiology, for the last ~20 years he has studied the causes and consequences of RBC clearance in settings of transfusions of storage-damaged RBCs, hemolytic transfusion reactions, G6PD-deficiency, and malaria. He also participates in efforts to eradicate Rh disease with the Worldwide Initiative for Rh Disease Eradication (WIRhE).