Scattered Denial: A Film About Radiation Safety

We are excited to announce that we have begun work on the next chapter in Scattered Denial, which will chronicle technological innovations and best practices adopted since Scattered Denial ended its first round of shoots over 18 months ago. In the last year and a half, we have seen the conversation on radiation awareness grow from an afterthought to a lively and vibrant discourse. And while this installment will continue that conversation, it is also our hope that the discussions in this film will mark a new era in this fight—from understanding and awareness to implementation, testing, and success. All episodes of Scattered Denial are available to stream on the film's website and YouTube. Our Website: www.scattereddenial.com Scattered Denial on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/gYHGR693

MedPage Today reports that American Medical Association delegates are working hard to raise cancer awareness among clinicians exposed to ionizing radiation. "'As a radiation oncologist, I do not want to see my colleagues in my clinic with preventable cancers from their preventable exposure to radiation out of their selfless dedication to patient care,' said Kristina Novick, MD, speaking for the American Society of Clinical Oncology. She added that regulations vary across the country 'by geography,' and that while radiation oncologists are especially concerned about exposures, 'radiation safety should be taken seriously by every specialty.'" https://lnkd.in/ee_zw8jx

In 2017 Dr. Edward "Ted" Diethrich passed away due to complications from a brain tumor. He was convinced the tumor was caused by radiation exposure during the course of his work. Dr. Diethrich was a world-renowned Cardiovascular Surgeon and dedicated pioneer in the Endovascular field, whose incredible career of selflessly caring for patients is an example of medical professionalism and service at its finest. His tragic death from prolonged occupational radiation exposure serves as a valuable lesson to focus on our own safety as we provide care. Join ORSIF.org today to learn about risks and solutions, and to lend your voice to our mission of prioritizing radiation safety for caregivers. #radiationsafety

Congratulations Dr. Rizik!

In case you missed it: one of Scattered Denial’s producers and its major voice, Dr. David Rizik, published an article on radiation safety and the genesis of the film’s production in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The article: https://lnkd.in/e-fq5S4Z

Many thanks to TCTMD for publishing this story on Scattered Denial! We are proud that the film has already helped to spur a deeper discourse on radiation safety, and we look forward to spreading the message further.

Producers Wayne Dickmann, Chris Wooley, and Jeff Martin were on hand at the Rocky Mountain Emmys ceremony to celebrate Dick Williams' induction into their Silver Circle. Dick was one of Dr. Ted Dietrich's first hires upon his move from Houston to Phoenix, and his expertise allowed Dr. Dietrich to spread far-reaching messages of awareness to healthcare workers and laypeople alike. To move into the myriad channels through which education reaches audiences, Dick assembled a large and eclectic staff of artists, designers, and filmmakers. Throughout his years of recruitment for these positions he gave countless young people their start in medical education, and his mentorship is a major reason why films like Scattered Denial and Amputation Nation are in production today. Thank you Dick.

To all our Arizona friends: Tomorrow, September 10, is the Arizona PBS premiere of Scattered Denial. The film will air at 9PM AZ time, right after the presidential debate. As many of you know, in 1983 Dr. Ted Diethrich performed the first live heart operation ever broadcasted on national television on PBS. That program also went across the globe via the BBC. Now, 40 years later, Dr. Diethrich appears again on PBS, perhaps for the final time. Scattered Denial presents the arc of Dr. Diethrich's diagnosis, fight, and ultimate death from brain cancer, which he steadfastly attributed to his time spent in interventional labs. But his story is but one of the many presented in the documentary. As we interviewed the numerous doctors, techs, and nurses who appear in the film, the pervasiveness of the cancer and orthopedic injury problems surprised us. The path of pain, suffering, isolation, and death they leave in their wake is an unnecessary blemish on the field and society at large. However, there is good news: some of the technologies that will end this problem are already becoming widely available. Other technologies are being developed rapidly and will be used during the careers of healthcare workers now entering the field. We hope that the film will continue to have a positive impact on advancing the conversation surrounding radiation safety, and we hope that in some small way this broadcast will help our community to be more informed. We are grateful to all of our Arizona friends who participated in the film. Dr. David Rizik, McKenzie Kruse-Pillbury, and Robert Wrasper all contributed moving and insightful interviews, sharing the ways in which radiation has affected their lives. As a production crew that hails entirely from Arizona, bringing these local stories to a broader audience and to the Phoenix community was very important to us. We hope you all can tune in. If you the showing does not fit your schedule, please be aware that the entire film and a truncated hour-long version of the film can be streamed at any time on the film's YouTube page: https://lnkd.in/gEuevV5j Our website: https://lnkd.in/etWn4cxt

Ahead of Scattered Denial's September 10 Arizona TV debut, one of our producers, Dr. David Rizik, appeared on Arizona PBS' "Arizona Horizon" program to discuss the film. We are very proud of the attention the film is receiving in our home state, and we hope that all of our Arizona friends will be able to tune in to Channel 8's broadcast on September 10, at 9pm. Watch the interview here: https://lnkd.in/gkFMJC_J

We are very excited to announce that we have begun production on our next project, Amputation Nation! The film will explore the costs exacted by peripheral artery disease on patients and society at large. We encourage you to follow the page dedicated to this film if you are interested in this topic and what can be done about it.