How this Pitt professor lent her voice to a hit medical drama

For Sylvia Owusu-Ansah, seeing isn't always believing, especially when it comes to how the medical field is depicted on TV. That's why the assistant professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine in the School of Medicine served as a consultant with writers of "The Pitt," a hospital-based drama set in Pittsburgh that recently premiered on HBO Max.

"For better or for worse, media changes lives, that's why it's important that it be accurate," she said.

Most people aren't going to reference the New England Journal of Medicine when they have an ailment, they are going to think back to something they skimmed on social media or saw on television, she added.

Owusu-Ansah viewed her time with the showrunners as an opportunity to connect with people beyond the confines of patient care.

"As a doctor, there's power in saving lives, but we're doing that in the hundreds, maybe even thousands," she said. "The media can reach millions of people."

In addition to her role in the School of Medicine, Owusu-Ansah is the medical director of prehospital and EMS at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh - fodder for the personal experiences she shared with "The Pitt" producers and writers.

Though she has to stay mum on the plot points she's influenced on the show, Owusu-Ansah was happy to share that Episode 8 references the Freedom House Ambulance Service, a groundbreaking EMS initiative created by Black Hill District residents to serve their community.

"You can't talk about Pittsburgh without talking about Freedom House," she said.

It was a University connection that introduced Owusu-Ansah to the world of script advisement. Her colleague Beth Hoffman, an assistant professor in the School of Public Health, regularly partners with Hollywood, Health and Society, a program led by the University of Southern California Annenberg's Norman Lear Center. Hollywood, Health and Society offers free resources to entertainment industry writers and producers, including a database of volunteer experts dedicated to ensuring accuracy in health care stories.

As for what's next, Owusu-Ansah has declared 2025 "the year of the book" and is committed to finishing writing her memoir. She's also pitching a short film, "In Good Hands," based on her book-in-progress, to film festivals.

While her professional objectives are wide ranging, everything she tackles is motivated by the same creed.

"Making a difference on this Earth is my biggest driver," Owusu-Ansah said.

Photography courtesy of the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for the Health Sciences