Science in the Cinema presents A Broken Beat
Presented by UCalgary's Cumming School of Medicine, and hosted in partnership with the Calgary Public Library.
Date: Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Where: Central Library, 800 3 St SE, Calgary, AB
Doors Open: 5:00 pm
Begins at: 5:30 pm
About the film:
Based on a true story, this short film follows a family’s journey after their child is born with a congenital heart defect—exploring the emotional and practical challenges they faced after diagnosis.
After the film, an expert panel will lead the audience in a discussion and Q&A on congenital heart disease, from birth to adulthood, drawing on both medical expertise and the filmmaker’s personal experience.
Presented by the University of Calgary's Libin Cardiovascular Institute. Hosted in partnership with the Calgary Public Library.
FREE admission and snack, seating is first-come, first-serve.
Meet the Speakers
Carmina Albertine Isidoro | Moderator
Carmina Albertine Isidoro is a PhD student in the lab of Dr. Justin Deniset. Her research explores the role of pericardial macrophages in mesothelial-to-mesenchymal transition - a process believed to be implicated in excessive scar formation after a heart attack. She is the president of the Libin Cardiovascular Trainee Organization.
Dr. Erika Vorhies
Dr. Erika Vorhies is a pediatric cardiologist currently working at the Alberta Children’s Hospital and is an associate clinical professor at the University of Calgary’s Cumming School of Medicine. She completed her pediatric cardiology fellowship at the University of Michigan, followed by an additional training in pediatric cardiac intensive care and pulmonary hypertension at the C.S Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Denver Children’s Hospital in Colorado. Her research interests include the diagnosis and management of pediatric pulmonary hypertension.
Michelle Keir
Michelle Keir was born in Windsor, Ontario. She moved to Ottawa where she completed an undergraduate journalism degree at Carleton University and her MD at the University of Ottawa. She then completed internal medicine and adult cardiology residencies at the University of Saskatchewan where she concurrently completed her masters degree in community health, epidemiology, and population science. She then went on to fellowships in adult congenital heart disease at the University of Toronto and echocardiography at the University of Calgary. She worked in Calgary at the Southern Alberta Adult Congenital Heart Clinic at the Peter Lougheed Centre since 2017. Research interests include: complex adult congenital heart disease, aortopathy, cardiac disorders of pregnancy, mixed methods and health systems research.
Janine Kirk
Janine Kirk discovered her passion for film at the age of 12 and earned her first supporting role in the German TV mini-series 'The Swine' (1995). After moving to Canada, she started working in various projects in the Canadian film industry from short films to TV shows and movie productions, and plays the lead in 'A Broken Beat'. Janine started Peak & Pine Productions, to create meaningful content that speaks to a wide audience. Janine's debut film 'A BROKEN BEAT' was inspired by a very personal experience. Her daughter was born with a heart defect which motivated her to share it with the world to bring more awareness and knowledge about this condition. She wrote, directed and produced this short film as a passion project very dear to her heart and as a tribute to all the families out there in similar situations, as well as to all the amazing surgeons, doctors and nurses.
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