The Story.

As medical students in the Greater Philadelphia Area from BIPOC and immigrant backgrounds share their experiences with the documentary audience, an undercurrent of a shared hope for improved social justice and institutional change is revealed through their reflections on their own success and struggles in applying to, enrolling in, and making it through medical school.

Reminded of the growing public mistrust of doctors and scientists, the students grapple with the idea of becoming part of the “institution” of medicine and what ‘healing America’ and stitching together its deepest divides could truly look like. Set against the backdrop of Philadelphia as the nation’s first capital and the city of Brotherly Love, inevitably and undoubtedly the themes of revolution vs. reform and community-based determinism rise to the surface and urge audiences to consider the weight and responsibility carried by underrepresented and/or marginalized medical students.

Kayla Davenport.

My name is Kayla Davenport, and I am a rising 4th-year medical student at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) here in Philadelphia. I am a proud-born and raised New Jersey native with a unique upbringing. I spent the first few years of my adolescence in the foster care system with my twin sister and younger brother. When I was around six years old, all three of us were adopted by my parents: Blondine and Kevin Davenport. Through the years, they nurtured my love for science and passion for caring for others, supporting me in every way. Their unwavering encouragement to explore various extracurricular activities ultimately led me to realize that I aspired to become a physician.

John Beshara.

Hello! My name is John Beshara, I was born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada and grew up in Bakersfield, California before moving to Philly for undergrad. I studied at Drexel University, where I obtained a dual degree with a major in Biological sciences and a minor in Psychology.

My experience working alongside physicians who practiced in underserved communities fueled my interest to pursue medicine and incorporate the concepts I was learning from sociology, history, and psychology to deliver the most holistic care possible. I will now be starting medical school at Drexel in the fall of 2024.

Frequently Asked Questions ( FAQs)

1. Inspirational and Educational: Documentaries have the power to inspire and educate, and this one even more so. For decades, the United States healthcare system has become increasingly unaffordable for those who need it most and has often neglected to configure people of color as model and target patients, ultimately contributing to a system wherein the medical industry continues to build itself as fit to serve and prioritize to the concerns of non-POC patients. The Whitecoats Are Coming will inspire other BIPOC, immigrant, and refugee medical students by delving into their experiences like no other film ever has. By supporting this film, you will be helping to uncover untold stories of what it is really like to be a person of color or marginalized student in an ultra competitive and demanding field where systemic issues impact access to not only healthcare but also to becoming physicians.
2. Community & Audience Engagement: By becoming a part of our funding campaign, you are joining a community of people passionate about reform and revolution in the medical institution and are supporting the new generation of BIPOC and immigrant doctors dedicated to improving the U.S. healthcare system. Additionally, your support not only fuels the production of this documentary, but also fosters a collective appreciation for the arts and independent filmmaking.
As you may know, making a great documentary requires significant funding and interested eyes, which is why we would be ever grateful if you would consider donating a custom amount, and sharing the page to your friends and family.
If you are interested, please see the donate button below (to the left of the video).
With this film we intend to address real concerns about the current state of our country's medical institution by highlighting the experiences of underrepresented medical students and to prompt conversations between community members and medical professionals that push towards needed reconciliation. The Whitecoats Are Coming also invites audiences who may not have prior connections to medicine, STEM, or education to relate the stories within the film to larger concurrent conversations about enacting productive change within existing institutional frameworks, thinking and rethinking what that productive change looks like or could look like. Many systemic and complex issues won’t be fixed or solved overnight, but it is important to highlight and recognize the work of people who are helping to move the needle forward day-by-day. We hope to counteract feelings of hopelessness experienced by people of color living in the United States by showing that there are people working within the medical institution for the benefit of marginalized communities.