Elevating True Expertise In a Time Of Self-Proclaimed Knowledge: Dr. Mel Herbert, Writer and Consultant on HBO Max’s The Pitt

“One of the reasons The Pitt has been so successful is because it's showing real expertise in a time when everybody thinks they're an expert,” says Dr. Mel Herbert, who brings decades of experience as an emergency medicine specialist to his work as a writer and consultant on the hit HBO Max show. Dr. Herbert, who was also a consultant on the groundbreaking TV drama ER, is one of seven physicians on The Pitt’s writing and production team, which explains the high degree of medical accuracy that is a hallmark of the show. But Dr. Herbert is also proud of the emotional accuracy captured on screen. “It's about the emotions. It's about the stress. It's about how it really affects the doctors and the nurses that I've found the most interesting to write about.” In this candid conversation with host Lindsey Smith, Dr. Herbert talks about his own struggles coping with the demands of life in the emergency room and the importance of letting clinicians know that help is available. “You don't have to suffer. We can help you now in ways we couldn't even do ten years ago. That's the story I want to tell.”  In addition to his work using TV as an educational vehicle, Lindsey and Dr. Herbert discuss his real world efforts to provide emergency medicine education across the globe through his companies EM:RAP and EM:RAP GO. 

Stay tuned to this very special episode of Raise the Line with Elsevier in which you will also:

• Learn how writers tackle misinformation and hot button health topics;
• Get a behind the scenes look at how actors learn complex medical terminology;
• Discover who Dr. Herbert’s favorite characters are.

Mentioned in this episode:

The Pitt
Mental Health Resources from American College of Emergency Physicians
EM:RAP
The Extraordinary Power of Being Average

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