An invitation-only audience will get a chance to preview "Something the Lord Made," a new HBO-produced film, at C. Arrillaga Alumni Center Friday.

The movie tells the story of a 35-year-long segregation-era alliance between black medical technician Vivien Thomas and white surgeon Alfred Blalock, MD, that led to a number of medical breakthroughs.

Together, they proved shock was caused by loss of blood and other fluids. They also developed surgery to correct a heart defect known as blue-baby syndrome. Though Thomas had only one year of college education, he supervised the surgical research lab at Johns Hopkins for more than 35 years.

The event will be hosted by Philip Pizzo, MD, dean of the School of Medicine, and Robert Robbins, MD, director of the Stanford Institute for Cardiovascular Medicine. Norman Shumway, MD, who performed the first U.S. heart transplant and Bruce Reitz, MD, pioneer of the first heart-lung transplant, will be special guests.