The Mayo Clinic | Full Documentary

Take a timely look at how one institution has met the changing demands of healthcare.

The Mayo Clinic: Faith - Hope - Science is a new two-hour documentary executive-produced by Ken Burns and directed by Burns, Erik Ewers and Christopher Loren Ewers, narrated by Peter Coyote and featuring the voices of Tom Hanks, Sam Waterston, Kevin Conway, Blythe Danner, Josh Lucas, Carolyn McCormick and Gene Jones.

Featuring interviews with patients including John McCain and the Dalai Lama, the film tells the story of William Worrall Mayo, an English immigrant who began practicing medicine with his sons Will and Charlie in the late 1800s in Rochester, Minnesota.

When a deadly tornado tore through their small community in 1883, the Mayos took charge of recovery efforts, enlisting the help of the nearby Sisters of Saint Francis to care for patients. Afterwards, Mother Alfred Moes, the leader of the convent, told Dr. Mayo she had a vision from God that instructed her to build a hospital, with him as its director. She believed it would become “world renowned for its medical arts.”

Blending historical narrative with contemporary patient stories, The Mayo Clinic: Faith - Hope - Science is a timely look at how one institution has met the changing demands of healthcare for 150 years—and what that can teach us about facing the challenges of patient care today.

Premiered on PBS: September 25, 2018