糖心Vlog

糖心Vlog Professor Matthew Hashiguchi has won a for his documentary, which focuses on rural health and the services provided by a single doctor in southwest Georgia.聽

The Peabody Awards are prestigious accolades in storytelling across television, radio, streaming and other digital mediums. Categories for winning a Peabody include journalism, social video, interactive documentary, gaming and more. The nearly hour-long feature received the award in the Public Service category, which recognizes projects that address or respond to public health concerns, enhance public engagement or educate the public. 

For Hashiguchi, the award represents a personal and career accolade. 

“This award isn’t just a professional achievement, but also represents a moment in my life where I became a father,鈥� said Hashiguchi. 鈥淚 started filming right before my first daughter was born, and finished right after the second. While this award is an incredible acknowledgment of my work, it means even more to me as a priceless moment from their childhood.”

The documentary focuses on Karen Kinsell, M.D., the sole physician serving 3,000 citizens in Clay County, Georgia, near the Georgia-Alabama border. The film spotlights the plight of a community in need of medical assistance and the dedicated doctor fighting to keep her clinic鈥檚 doors open. Hashiguchi delves into Kinsell鈥檚 sacrifices for her clinic鈥檚 operations, revealing her commitment to her patients.

鈥淒r. Kinsell gets calls at home at all hours of the day and night,鈥� Hashiguchi said. 鈥淪he, at times, has had to pay the bills from her own bank account. But I鈥檇 say the biggest sacrifice is that she鈥檚 a doctor who does not have breaks.鈥�

The final cut of 鈥淭he Only Doctor鈥� is a bit different from the angle Hashiguchi took when he began work on it several years ago. He initially started the project to better understand the risks associated with maternal health care and childbirth when he and his wife were expecting their first child. Through his work, he learned of a more complex issue of health care access in rural communities.

The documentary first premiered on the PBS program and is now available internationally on Al Jazeera鈥檚 documentary series

Hashigchi’s work earned him a 2019 Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund award and a 2021 American Stories Documentary Fund award from Points North Institute. The film’s world premiere took place at the 2023 Hot Docs International Documentary Film Festival in Toronto, Canada, and was awarded Best Documentary Feature at the 2024 South Georgia Film Festival, Best Feature at the 2023 Newburyport Documentary Film Festival and Award of Merit at the 2023 University Film and Video Association Conference.

His rise to media prominence wasn鈥檛 on his radar early in his academic career. He described himself as a 鈥淐 student,鈥� and still sees himself as that young boy struggling with math and science courses. With one of the nation鈥檚 highest media honors, he can show his students new paths to success as well as the skills it takes to win a Peabody.

鈥淚 want my students to know how I failed and know that I struggled,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 tell them that if they want to excel, they really have to put in hard work. That’s very much who I am now as I devote myself to these films.鈥�