In March 2012, Disney launched a cartoon about an African-American girl who repairs toys in her backyard playhouse with the help of her stuffed animal friends. The girl, Dottie “Doc” McStuffins wants to be a doctor like her mother. When she puts on her stethoscope, toys come to life and she can communicate with them.
"Doc McStuffins" was created and produced by Humanitas Prize and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Chris Nee, whose inspiration came from her experience as a mother whose son developed severe asthma when he was 2-years old. Nee developed the idea for the program as a way to help make the process of going to the doctor less frightening for children.
Soon after the show launched, a group of women physicians of color created a thank you card for Disney and later founded a movement, "We are Doc McStuffins," that over time became the group Artemis Medical Society. Leah Backhus, UW assistant professor of surgery in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery and chief of thoracic surgery at the VA Puget Sound, is a founding member of the Artemis Medical Society. This group promotes women of color in STEM careers, mostly medical, and now has 4,400 members worldwide.
During Black History Month celebrated throughout February, Backhus will be one of three members of Artemis Medical Society showcased in short video clips on the Disney Channel.
