'1001 Cuts' Reveals the Hidden Barriers Facing Women in Medicine

Award-winning documentary presented by KQED explores the culture of surgery and the path toward equity. 

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Beginning September 1, 2026, PBS stations across the country will broadcast 1001 Cuts, an award-winning documentary presented by KQED that spotlights how women are navigating the high-stakes professional world of surgery. Premiering in recognition of Women in Medicine Month, the film will also be available for streaming on the PBS App and PBS.org.

For more than two decades, women have made up half of all medical students in the United States, yet surgery remains one of medicine’s most male-dominated specialties. 1001 Cuts follows the first generation of women surgeons to benefit from the expanded educational opportunities created in the wake of Title IX as they navigate careers within institutions and workplace cultures originally designed by—and still largely led by—men.

Through candid personal stories and interviews with leading experts in medicine, the documentary examines the persistent barriers women surgeons face while highlighting the resilience, leadership, and determination that continue to reshape the profession. The film reveals how longstanding inequities affect not only physicians themselves, but also the future of healthcare, and explores solutions that can help create more equitable workplaces for the next generation.

“1001 Cuts is a call to action to build workplace cultures within medicine where talent, hard work, and leadership are recognized,” says Dr. Sarah Temkin, creator and producer of the film. “The film also serves as an educational tool to improve the culture for women in medicine and beyond.”

Research has consistently shown that women physicians achieve outstanding patient outcomes, demonstrating strengths in communication, preventive care, surgical results, and patient survival. Yet despite these successes, systemic barriers to advancement remain. 1001 Cuts argues that fostering environments where women physicians can thrive benefits not only the medical profession, but also patients and communities. 

The film is accompanied by a robust impact campaign in partnership with the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) and Video Project. This initiative seeks to advance equity in healthcare while honoring the contributions and challenges of women in medicine. More information is available on the film’s website, 1001cuts.org.

KQED is the presenting station for 1001 Cuts, which will air on PBS stations nationwide starting September 1, 2026 (check local listings) with streaming available on the PBS App and PBS.org. Locally, the film will premiere on Monday, September 14 at 10pm on KQED 9 and will re-air on Thursday, September 17 at 10pm on KQED Plus. 

 The film is distributed by American Public Television (APT), the leading syndicator of high-quality programming to public television.

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Media Contact
For more information or to request a press screener, contact: Sarah Temkin, sarah.temkin@gmail.com 

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Press Materials

• Descriptions
• Promotional Images
• Trailer

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Film Interviewees

• Jaime Bohl, MD
• Anne Blaschke, PhD
• Paula Ferrada, MD
• Sabha Ganai, MD, PhD
• Helen Hui-Chou, MD
• Christina Jenkins, MD
• Pamela Mehta, MD
• Arghavan Salles, MD, PhD
• Anne Sescleifer
• Clara Temkin
• Sarah Temkin, MD
• Wakenda Tyler, MD, MPH
• Alyson Wells, MD
• Michaela Weaver, DO

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About the Film Team

Director and Producer Sarah Temkin, MD, is a first-time filmmaker and gynecologic oncologist who spent more than two decades providing surgical and medical care to women with cancer. She has published extensively in the medical literature and has long contributed to conversations about equity in healthcare, including gender equity in the physician workforce. Drawing on her lived experience, she was inspired to make this film after leaving full-time clinical practice in 2020.

Editor and Producer Ryan Mayers is an Emmy Award-winning editor and documentary filmmaker with 25 years of experience creating content for screens of all sizes. His most recent feature documentary, Walk With Frank, follows a Vietnam veteran’s 750-mile walk across New York State. The film has aired nationally on PBS and won awards at festivals across the country. He has also edited films for other filmmakers and television programs for NBC, ESPN, History, MTV, OWN, BET, CBS, and A&E.

Director of Photography and Producer Richard Chisolm is an Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker and cinematographer with 40 years of international production experience. He directed and shot the half-hour documentary “Gun Show” which has screened at film festivals and public events since its release in 2019. Chisolm has worked for PBS, National Geographic, BBC, Discovery Channel, HBO, and many other broadcast entities. Richard’s new book is titled “Documentary Vision: Notes from Behind the Camera” (published by Routledge)

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About KQED Presents
KQED Presents is the national television distribution service of KQED, the San Francisco-based PBS and NPR member station. Since 1987, KQED Presents has worked with independent producers to bring the highest-quality documentary films and series to public television stations across the country. KQED Presents guides producers through the complexities of public media distribution, ensuring their programs meet all technical, editorial, and funding standards necessary for national broadcast. kqed.org/about/kqed-presents

About APT
American Public Television (APT) is the leading syndicator of high-quality, top-rated programming to the nation’s public television stations. Founded in 1961, APT distributes 250 new program titles per year and nearly one-half of the top 100 highest-rated public television titles in the U.S. APT’s diverse catalog includes prominent documentaries, performance, dramas, how-to programs, classic movies, children’s series and news and current affairs programs. America’s Test Kitchen, The Best of the Joy of Painting with Bob Ross, The Chavis Chronicles, Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street Television, Doc Martin, Hope Street, Lidia’s Kitchen, Midsomer Murders, Miriam and Alan Lost in Scotland, Pati’s Mexican Table, Rick Steves’ Europe, Samantha Brown’s Places to Love, Table for All with Buki Elegbede, Willie Nelson’s 90th Birthday Celebration and NHK Newsline are a sampling of APT’s programs, considered some of the most popular on public television. APT also licenses programs internationally through its APT Worldwide service and distributes Create®TV — featuring the best of public television’s lifestyle programming — and WORLD™, public television’s premier news, science and documentary channel. More information at APTonline.org.