STANFORD, CA – In a blaze of blood and green secretions, Stanford Medical School has emerged from its 30-year hiatus and burst in upon the medical school parody movie-making scene once more. “Dear Future Doctor”, a spin-off of Meghan Trainor’s ”Dear Future Husband”, is full of slapstick humor, punny jokes, and lots of medical tropes. From the litigious patient, the overworked resident, the money-mongering surgeon, to the under-appreciated nurse, they all have something to say to doctors in training. In a series of humorously depicted “fail” moments portrayed by Late Doc, Greedy Doc, and Celebrity Doc, we see how many of their actions belie their advice.
Gun Ho Lee, first-year medical student and producer for the movie, says, “We wanted the production process to be a fun experience that everyone involved could cherish as a fond memory for the years to come.” But the movie became more than just a fun project – it became a production, involving a team of medical students who took on the roles of director, production manager, choreographer, cinematographer, and more. “It was incredible,” says second-year med student and director/lyricist, Josh Wortzel. “Everyone took off their white coats and put on their new hats whole hog.” “We pushed ourselves to make it as high-quality as possible,” says Lee, “but I think it’s evident from the video that we also had an absolute blast throughout the whole process.”
But beyond providing a fun bonding experience for Stanford medical school, Wortzel says that “Dear Future Doctor” is meant to covey a deeper message: “It’s a big satire,” he says. “In the original song, Meghan Trainor pokes fun at aspects of modern courtship and gender norms. Similarly, we wanted to hold up a carnival mirror to the medical system, both to laugh at the comedic distortion of it all, but also to have people realize that it’s not just a comedic lens that makes it all seem slightly twisted looking.”
