As a registered nurse who worked in the COVID-19 ICUs throughout the pandemic epicenter in New York City during the Spring of 2020, I was cognizant of the myriad of real-time misinformation spread online that were not reflective of the horrific realities we were experiencing inside the hospitals. After a shift where almost ten of our patients passed away from the virus, I stumbled upon a "COVID is a Hoax" protest a few blocks from my hospital. I realized that misinformation usually originates from those who are not qualified to spread and interpret data, which strays people from taking vital precautions and can ultimately cost lives.

To combat this, I began an Instagram live stream series in February 2021 entitled Friends of Franz to invite clinical experts from different medical subspecialties to tear down common myths about their fields. Episode after episode, I found myself also veering into their life journeys, their realizations throughout their years of academics and clinical practice, and the forms of decompression they engage in outside of work.

Within the East Asian culture, given my predominantly Filipino and Chinese heritage, healthcare professionals in their white coats are revered, seen as "prim and proper," and boxed in many societal expectations and pressures. Through my guests and the narrations of their life outside work, I came to another goal of normalizing the humanization of medicine and to share that healthcare is merely a profession and not one's sole identity. We meet dentists who are ravers, physicians who were former pilots or rock stars, nurses who are dancers and yoga instructors, professionals who actually left medicine, and so much more!

Commencing the series during the rise of violent AAPI attacks in 2021, the majority of my guests are of AAPI heritage to highlight the stories and experiences of healthcare professionals within the community. Additionally, growing up with mostly women figures as my inspirations, I envisioned most of my expert guests to be women to share their stories of rising above the struggles of being in the male-dominated field of medicine.

Knowledge is power, and I feel privileged to help permeate it.

Love, CFB