As a registered nurse who worked in the COVID-19 Intensive Care Units throughout the pandemic epicenter in New York City during the Spring of 2020, Christian Franz was aware of the myriad real-time misinformation spread online that was not reflective of the horrific realities he experienced inside the hospitals. After a shift where almost ten of his patients passed away from the novel coronavirus, Franz stumbled upon a "COVID is a Hoax" protest outside his hospital. He realized that misinformation often originates from those who are not qualified to interpret data, which can lead people to neglect vital precautions and ultimately result in lost lives.

To help combat this, with his passion for health education and the access to it, Franz initiated an Instagram livestream series in February 2021, entitled “Friends of Franz," to invite clinical experts from various medical subspecialties to debunk common myths about their fields. Episode after episode, Franz found himself also veering into their life journeys, their realizations throughout their years of academics and clinical practice, and the forms of decompression they engage in outside of work.

Within the East Asian culture, given Franz’s predominantly Filipino and Chinese heritage, healthcare professionals in their white coats are often revered, seen as "prim and proper," and boxed in many societal expectations and pressures. Through his guests and the narratives of their lives outside work, Franz came to another goal: normalizing the humanization of medicine and sharing that healthcare is merely a profession, not one's sole identity. Through the initial seasons, listeners meet dentists who are ravers, physicians who were former pilots or rock stars, nurses who are dancers and yoga instructors, professionals who actually left medicine, and so much more.

Commencing the series during the rise of violent Asian American and Pacific Islander attacks in 2021, the majority of guests are of Asian heritage to highlight the stories and experiences of healthcare professionals within the community. Additionally, growing up with mostly female figures as his inspirations, Franz ensured that most of the expert guests were women, sharing their stories of overcoming the struggles of being in male-dominated fields, such as science and medicine.

Knowledge is life-saving power, and I feel privileged to help permeate it.

CFB