Biography

Dr. Jessica Zitter is a physician, documentary filmmaker, and writer working to improve how we die in America. Dr. Zitter was part of the team that created the Oscar- and Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary, Extremis (2016), which featured her work in the ICU. After founding her own production company, Reel Medicine Media, she went on to create the award-winning documentary, Caregiver: A Love Story (2020), which examines the national crisis of family caregiver burden. Dr. Zitter's book, Extreme Measures: Finding a Better Path to the End of Life (2017), describes her evolution from being a physician focused on medical protocols to one focused on the human being. Her articles and essays appear regularly in The New York Times and other major media publications, and she has been featured on a variety of programs including Fresh Air with Terry Gross, All Things Considered, CBS Sunday Morning, Dr. Oz, and The Doctors. She was recently named one of Next Avenue's 2021 "Influencers in Aging." Dr. Zitter practices both Critical Care and Palliative Care at the public hospital of Oakland, California.
- IMDb mini biography by: Autumn Kleinman