The Global Sepsis Alliance, in partnership with Sepsis Stiftung, was honored to host the esteemed American Actor and Filmmaker, Bill Pullman in Berlin as part of the filming for his upcoming documentary on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Sepsis.
This visit was a follow-up to the AMR Symposium at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in Vatican City, where Bill Pullman met with Prof. Konrad Reinhart, an internationally recognized Sepsis Champion, GSA’s Founding President, and the current President of Sepsis Stiftung. He also engaged with Dr. Mariam Jashi, CEO of the Global Sepsis Alliance and former Minister and Parliamentarian of Georgia.
Pullman’s mission to Berlin was supported by an outstanding production team, including award-winning director and producer Tom Donahue, producer Ilan Arboleda (co-founders of CreativeChaos), and Ukrainian cinematographer Maria Pankova. The GSA and Sepsis Stiftung wish to extend their heartfelt gratitude to the team for the excellent collaboration and dedication to raising awareness of Sepsis through the documentary.
Bill Pullman’s visit centered on raising awareness of the interlinked global health challenges posed by Sepsis and AMR. Throughout his stay, he engaged directly with patients and families impacted by Sepsis, as well as policymakers, healthcare providers, experts, and global health partners.
Thursday, February 27
The Actor’s day began with a visit to Charité Campus Virchow-Klinikum, where – joined by Prof. Konrad Reinhart – he conducted interviews with Prof. Claudia Spies, Clinical Director of the Campus, and leading medical experts, including Dr. Björn Weiß, Dr. Karin Steinecke, and Dr. Wiltrud Abels. The discussions focused on the treatment of septic patients, with a particular emphasis on telemedicine’s role in supporting critically ill patients in other countries such as Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Uganda, and South Africa. These meetings highlighted the hospital's innovative approaches to Sepsis care.
One of the most significant moments of the visit came when Bill Pullman met with Sepsis patients currently receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit at Charité. The encounter underscored the human impact of Sepsis and provided Pullman with a deeper understanding of the challenges faced both by the patients and healthcare providers.
The visit to the clinic continued in discussions with Prof. Michael Booke, who leads a pioneering Sepsis project in the Main Taunus Region. The project has trained over 1,000 community members, ambulance services, and healthcare workers, emphasizing that Sepsis should be treated with the same urgency as a heart attack or stroke.
In the afternoon, Pullman visited the GSA’s office at the Benjamin Franklin Campus, Charité University, where Mariam Jashi presented the work of the Global Sepsis Alliance, 6 Regional Sepsis Alliances for Africa, Asia Pacific, Caribbean, Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, and Latin America, and the achievements of GSA’s leaders in Canada, UK, and USA. Marvin Zick, Simone Mancini, and Katja Couball joined the CEO in presenting the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis, as the first global strategy to tackle Sepsis, and the two flagship initiatives of the GSA – the annual World Sepsis Congresses and the World Sepsis Day movement, which has garnered over 50,000 supporters across 180 countries.
The day concluded with a Pre-Symposium Reception hosted by Prof. Konrad Reinhart, President of Sepsis Stiftung. Here, Pullman and his production team had the opportunity to conduct interviews with Sepsis survivors, clinicians, and researchers, all of whom are contributing to the global fight against Sepsis. The highlight of the evening was a musical performance by Arne Trumann, a pianist who, after losing several fingers to Sepsis, relearned to play.
Friday, February 28
The production team spent the morning filming at iconic Berlin landmarks such as the Brandenburg Gate and the Berlin Wall Memorial, incorporating the city’s rich cultural heritage into the documentary’s focus on global health.
Later, a working lunch was organized by the Virchow Foundation at the Berlin Global Health Collective. This session brought together prominent figures in global health to discuss the urgent need to synergize policies surrounding Sepsis and AMR. Bill Pullman conducted interviews with Dr. Georg Kippels, Member of the German Bundestag and Chair of the AMR Working Group; Prof. Detlev Ganten – Founding President of the World Health Summit and Co-founder of the Virchow Foundation, and Mr. Roland Göhde – CEO and Co-founder of the Virchow Foundation and Board Chair of the German Health Alliance. Branwen Hennig, Executive Director of the Global Health Policy Lab, and Victoria Grandsoult, Managing Director of the Virchow Foundation, also participated in valuable roundtable discussions.
International Symposium “Overcoming Silos by Synergizing the Fight Against Sepsis and AMR” followed at the Berlin Museum of Medical History, where Bill Pullman delivered a Keynote Speech about why he became committed to raising awareness and advocating for stronger action against Sepsis and AMR. Co-organized by the Global Sepsis Alliance and Sepsis Stiftung, and supported by Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berliner Medizinische Gesellschaft, the German Health Alliance, and the Virchow Foundation, this symposium brought together leading experts, policymakers, Sepsis survivors and families affected by this devastating medical emergency and innovators working on the new and more effective solutions for Sepsis prevention, early detection, therapies and AI tools. During this event, Bill Pullman participated in interviews with researchers, clinicians, and sepsis survivors, further emphasizing the importance of global collaboration to combat Sepsis and AMR.
We would like to acknowledge with special gratitude the Sepsis survivors and the family members of those who have tragically lost their lives to Sepsis. Bill Pullman and the Symposium participants had the opportunity to witness the life-changing stories that transformed into powerful voice and action in Germany, the UK and Belgium. The panelists included:
Youssef Kdami, father of a 2-year-old son who underwent quadruple amputation after meningococcal Sepsis
Uwe Wiermann, Sepsis survivor and amputee, Regional Director for NRW Amputee Association
Simon Seyfarth, triple German para-athletics champion after leg amputation and multiple surgical interventions
Mariah McKimbrough, who had to give up her career as a musical actor due to severe physical disability caused by Sepsis
Arne Trumann, pianist who lost several fingers to Sepsis but relearned to play music
Ilse Malfait, who lost her legs due to delayed diagnosis of Sepsis and became a driving force behind Belgium’s National Sepsis Plan
Merope Mills, who after the tragic and avoidable death of her daughter, campaigned for the introduction of Martha’s Rule in the UK. The rule would allow patients or their families to request a critical care review if they believe the patient’s condition is deteriorating and their concerns are not being heard.
Kerstin Martensen, who recently lost her son to Sepsis and is now an advocate for Sepsis awareness in Germany
Sylvia Wiermann, who stood by her husband through his coma and multiple organ failures due to Sepsis
Marion Pfeiffer, whose husband now requires permanent intensive care at home after Sepsis and sent her video address.
Prof. Reinhart and Dr. Jashi are grateful to Prof. Joachim Spranger – Dean of the Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Prof. David Horst – Board Member of the Berlin Medical Society, Roland Göhde – CEO & Co-Founder, Virchow Foundation and Chair of the Board, German Health Alliance (GHA) and Stefan Kaufmann – Founding Director, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology for their outstanding addresses and presentations.
On behalf of the GSA and Sepsis Stiftung, finally, we extend special thanks for the important support and interventions on Sepsis research and innovations to Dr. Jörn Ole Vollert – Medical Director, BRAHMS Thermo Fisher, Prof. Niels Riedemann – CEO of InflaRx, Dr. Andreas Bergmann – CEO of 4TEEN4 Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Stephan Witte – Chief Medical Officer of Adrenomed and Dr. Mehdi Dastur – Chief Medical Officer, TIPLU.
Saturday, March 1
The morning began with a visit to a nursing home led by Dr. Irmgard Landgraf, a Sepsis Ambassador. Bill witnessed firsthand how quality improvement initiatives implemented by Dr. Landgraf and her team have dramatically reduced Sepsis-related mortality among elderly patients – one of the most vulnerable groups to Sepsis. Prof. Konrad Reinhart and Ilona Köster-Steinebach, CEO of Sepsis Stiftung, accompanied Pullman during this visit.
Bill Pullman continued his filming and advocacy work with a visit to the German Bundestag. The actor was accompanied by Mariam Jashi, the Former Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee and Deputy Minister of Labour, Health, and Social Affairs of Georgia.
At the German Parliament, the world-known American Actor was hosted by Prof. Andrew Ullmann, the Founding Chair of the Global Health Sub-Committee at the German Bundestag and the Chapter Char for Western and Central Europe of the UNITE Parliamentarians Network for Global Health. Bill Pullman, Andrew Ullmann, and Mariam Jashi discussed the critical role of Parliamentarians in shaping global and national policies for AMR and Sepsis, including the launch of the 2030 Global Agenda for Sepsis.
The highlight of the visit to Bundestag was the opportunity to interview Mariah McKimbrough, Art Director of the Sepsis Stiftung, who has experienced multiple episodes of Sepsis, had to go through more than 50 surgeries and – after meeting Prof. Konrad Reinhart, the driving force behind the Sepsis-related research and advocacy in Germany and internationally – decided to dedicate her work to awareness raising and protecting others from this medical emergency.
Throughout his visit, Pullman highlighted the critical work being done in Sepsis care and prevention and emphasized the importance of global collaboration to address both Sepsis and AMR.
We extend our sincere admiration and gratitude to Bill Pullman for his unwavering dedication to documenting the global burden of Sepsis and AMR, and for his efforts to help save millions of lives.
