BRAIN IN PROGRESS is a docuseries directed and presented by Seema Mathur, an award-winning medical journalist and filmmaker.
Never has there been a show about the brain hosted by a brain warrior with high stakes. Seema is in a race to learn and share how to unlock our brain’s potential. Currently, she has more than 100-lesions in her brain, likened to a ticking time bomb as they have the potential to cause a fatal or debilitating bleed due to a rare brain disease she was recently diagnosed with called CCM ( Cerebral Cavernous Malformations).
Strangely, this is not her first time battling brain trauma. When she was 19-years old, she survived an unrelated massive brain tumor. She is compelled to share what helped her survive the first time and discover what’s possible now.
Knowing how one minute change in the brain can alter how we perceive the world makes the quest of understanding the brain’s potential twofold. Through the lens of brain disease/trauma, we will learn about memory, movement, and even personality. It is inspiring to know we can discover how to maximize our brain’s potential. And since the brain is essentially our control center, understanding its potential also helps us answer the bigger question of who we are and our place in the world.
While the thread of the series is Seema’s journey, each episode focuses on single topics that make up the quest. Seema connects to the triumphs, loss, and hope of other brain warriors battling brain tumors to Alzheimer’s Disease. We have access to the latest in western brain medicine, from cutting-edge brain implants to the researchers on the frontline of studying neuroplasticity. We will also dive into the best of eastern modalities, from meditation to Ayurvedic medicine. Seema says, “western medicine saved my life, and eastern is healing me.”
Seema hopes that she and viewers will push boundaries, find answers and peace around the organ that shapes who we are.
THIS WILL BE THE FIRST TIME FOR SEEMA TO PUBLICLY SHARE HER STORY.
About the Filmmaker
Seema Mathur is a multi-award winning journalist/ filmmaker who has earned a National Edward R. Murrow, Lone Star Emmy, several Associated Press, and medical journalism awards for her reporting on issues ranging from human rights to healthcare. Notable productions include ER In Critical Condition looking at the breakdown in access to healthcare in the US, documentary Camp 72 about a quest for justice and healing after the war in Liberia, stories on women’s rights from Egypt, Kenya, India, and Morocco. Mathur’s work has aired on US national networks and local affiliates, including CNN, ABC, CBS, PBS, and Hulu.
After fifteen years of working in daily news, Mathur launched Global Voice Productions in 2009 with the mission of sharing the voice of those who need to be heard.
Seema holds a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin. Fellowships include International Reporting Project SAIS/Johns Hopkins, Kaiser Media Health Reporting, and Davis Fellow for Peace Middlebury Language Schools.