Doctor Q

 

Film Logline: Dr. Q’s remarkable journey from undocumented farm worker to Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon reveals a profound mission of healing and saving lives, amidst overwhelming odds and a life of adversity.

“One of my jobs as a physician is to get to know the unique journey that every patient travels.
In each patient’s story can be found the miraculous capacity to rise above the odds
and become a hero in the battle he or she faces.”

– Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa

Overview

Doctor Q (working title), a feature-length documentary, profiles internationally renowned neurosurgeon and neuroscientist Dr. Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa. Now a medical pioneer working on the front lines to find a cure for brain cancer, Dr. Q, as he is known, grew up in an impoverished Mexican village, jumping the border fence as a teenager to pursue a better future. His journey—from undocumented migrant worker to his current role as prominent neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital—provides the backdrop for a film that underscores the boundaries that exist in today’s world and the uniquely human qualities that unite us.

The film, currently in post-production, will present an intimate portrait of Dr. Q’s fast-paced, compassionate, challenging, and optimistic world. Viewers will witness his unyielding commitment to and extraordinary connection with his patients and their families as well as his dedication to finding a cure for brain cancer, one of medicine’s most challenging diseases, with roughly 124,000 Americans currently living with malignant brain tumors.

Viewers will come to realize that Dr. Q’s gift for empathizing with and encouraging his patients is rooted in his own early experience of poverty and struggle to realize his dreams.  A devoted doctor, researcher, father, husband, and mentor to medical students and disadvantaged youth alike, Dr. Q embraces life’s complexity through adhering to basic principles: Work hard. Build Bridges. Serve others. By following Dr. Q’s work, exploring the life experiences that drive him, and embracing the stories of his colleagues and patients, Doctor Q inspires us to strive for a brighter future.

 

Context and Significance

The amazing story of Dr. Q’s background and journey, chronicled in Becoming Dr. Q (UC Press, 2012), profiled in ABC’s medical documentary series “Hopkins” (2008), The New York Times, LA Times, NOVA, and CNN, among many others, spans the narrative of a poor Mexican teenager who worked as an illegal migrant farm laborer in California, learned English, attended medical school, and became a leading neurosurgeon at the forefront of treating brain tumors at Johns Hopkins.

His implausible yet true story provides the backdrop for a film that delves into the lives of his patients and explores the deeply humanistic nature of medicine at the interface of basic science, translational research, and clinical care. This journey of hope will inspire and engage audiences, empowering those facing intimidating odds and encouraging youth to have the audacity to dream. Doctor Q is a deeply personal, character-driven film that touches on profoundly complex topics:

• What are the elements of a fulfilled life?
• How do you bring hope and healing to individuals suffering from life-threatening diseases?
• What does it mean to be entrusted with peoples’ lives on a daily basis?
• How do we better understand and heal the complex emotions that keep our society so deeply divided over immigration?

 Ultimately, the film will explore one man’s determined efforts to push through boundaries—boundaries of race, class, and opportunity; the boundaries between fear and hope, illness and a cure; and the boundaries that separate us as human beings.

 

Editorial Reviews: Becoming Dr. Q

Ever since I first heard Dr. Q’s story, my main question was: how does a migrant farm worker with no money and no English overcome the odds and pursue his aspirations at the highest levels of the medical field? Wow–not only is it the stuff of which fairy tales and Hollywood movies are made, but it’s also much needed prescription for the soul.

–Chris Gardner, author, The Pursuit of Happiness

 This is a spell-binding story of a champion who harnessed the power of passion and dogged determination to triumph over adversity. Be prepared to laugh, cry and to come away enlightened not just about the human brain and its miraculous capacities but also about the human heart.  

 —Venus Williams, author, Come to Win

 Quite simply, Dr. Q is a hero to many people in the Hispanic community. He went from the farm fields in California to the most advanced operating rooms in the country. He earned $3.35 an hour cultivating tomatoes and chili peppers in the San Joaquin Valley. What makes his journey unique is that the same hands that picked vegetables are now touching the brains of his patients and saving lives. He did, in just one life, what usually takes two or three generations. I can’t think of a better example of what an immigrant with ambition and dedication can do in this great country of opportunities. He is, no doubt, a real hero.

–Jorge Ramos, Senior News Anchor, Univision News

Production Team

 

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