The Gist Healthcare Podcast Bringing Medical Storylines To Life On HBO’s The Pitt
Jun 16, 2025
Sylvia Owusu-Ansah, an associate professor and emergency medicine director at UPMC, shares her unique journey as a medical consultant for HBO's The Pitt. She reveals how she collaborated with writers to bring authentic medical storylines to life, including a powerful focus on sickle cell disease and its racial disparities. Sylvia discusses the challenges and surprises of on-set consulting, emphasizing how the series’ accurate portrayal of emergency medicine reflects real patient experiences. Her insights bridge the gap between healthcare and television storytelling.
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From Email Pitch To Studio Meeting
- Dr. Sylvia Owusu-Ansah described how she was recruited via Hollywood Health and Society and first consulted remotely with writers including ER's Joe Sachs.
- She later met writers in person at John Wells' studio and unexpectedly saw actor Noah Wyle, which she called amazing.
Advisor Role, Not Writer Or Director
- Dr. Owusu-Ansah was an advisor consultant who shared storylines and did not write scripts or direct production.
- She spent roughly four collective hours with the writers across meetings and showed her short film during one visit.
Seeing Contributions On Air Felt Surreal
- Dr. Owusu-Ansah said she was on "cloud nine" after seeing her contributions realized when episode one aired on January 9th.
- A writer later told her they even used a line she had said in a meeting.