Film Screening: The Last Gift: Jim's Courage, Our Hope

What does it mean to leave a lasting gift to science? Join us for a special screening of the Emmy Award-winning short film The Last Gift: Jim’s Courage, Our Hope to find out. This moving documentary explores the intersection of science, compassion, and the human experience at the end of life. The film chronicles UC San Diego's groundbreaking Last Gift study, an ongoing HIV research program in which participants nearing the end of life choose to donate their tissues after death to advance scientific understanding of HIV and contribute to the search for a cure. Through their extraordinary generosity, participants transform their final chapter into a lasting legacy of hope. After screenings across the University of California system and internationally, the film comes home to UC San Diego for its first local screening, offering our campus community a unique opportunity to engage with the people and purpose behind this remarkable work. Following the screening, a panel discussion featuring leaders of the Last Gift study, the filmmaker, and UC San Diego School of Medicine faculty will reflect on the study's scientific and human impact while looking ahead to the future of this work. Together, panelists will explore how lessons from the Last Gift can inform future research, medical education, and approaches to care that place compassion and human dignity at the center of scientific discovery. Panelists include: Sara Gianella Weibel, MD - Last Gift Co-DirectorDavey Smith, MD, MAS - Last Gift Co-DirectorCheryl Dullano - Research Coordinator & Community EngagementSusan Dickerson - Community memberRyan Neisz - Documentary directorAndy Kaytes - Co-Chair, Community Advisory BoardDr. Geoffroy Noel - Professor and Chief, Division of Anatomy, UC San Diego School of MedicineEvent Details: Date: Tuesday, December 1stTime:12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Complimentary light refreshments1 p.m. to 2 p.m. Screening and panel discussionLocation: In-person at the Altman Clinical and Translational R