Science in the Cinema Presents Low Priority (sequel to the 2023 film Low)
Hosted by the University of Calgary's Cumming School of Medicine (CSM), Science in the Cinema brings together science and popular culture in a fun and engaging way.
Low Priority is a fictional narrative film based on the lived experiences of people with diabetes experiencing homelessness. When Bobby, a man living with diabetes experiences a dangerous low blood sugar in a shelter bathroom, his journey to the hospital is not just a medical emergency — it becomes a revealing portrait of how stigma and judgment follow people experiencing homelessness through the health care system. Through his eyes, the film spotlights the resilience required to navigate not only a life-threatening condition in an impossible situation, but also an overburdened system that tends to see the circumstance before the person, challenging us to confront our assumptions about care, dignity, and humanity.
Presented by the Calgary Diabetes Advocacy Committee and Pluto Pictures, hosted in partnership with the Calgary Public Library.
Date: Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Location: Calgary Central Library, 800 3 St SE, Calgary, AB
Doors Open: 5:00 pm
Movie Starts: 5:30 pm *NEW TIME*
Discussion: Immediately following the screening
About the moderator
Sarina Aryal, MSc is a Research Associate working closely with the Calgary Diabetes Advocacy Committee and Dr. David Campbell. Through research Sarina strives to improve the health of our communities and work towards improving equitable healthcare for populations experiencing social or economic disadvantage.
About the panelists
Dr. David Campbell, MD, PhD is a medical specialist in Endocrinology & Metabolism and a health services researcher focused on social disparities and their impacts on clinical outcomes of cardiometabolic diseases, like diabetes. He is the co-director of the Health Policy Trials Unit at the O'Brien Institute for Public Health at the University of Calgary and the medical director of the Diabetes Mobile Clinic. He conducts research that uses mixed methods, interventional approaches, community and stakeholder engagement, and knowledge translation to contribute to reducing the impact of social disadvantage on clinical outcomes by informing health policy and clinical practice.
Scott Westby is an award-winning filmmaker who was born and raised in Calgary. Over the last 20 years he has directed, written and produced hundreds of film projects, from feature films and documentaries to web series, commercials and videos for local, national and global brands. He's collaborated with Universities, Marketing Agencies, Arts Organizations, Government, Not-for-profits and large Corporations, but the projects he finds most rewarding are the ones like Low Priority — stories that make a difference in real people's lives. Also, yes there is an em dash in this bio, but that doesn't mean Scott used ChatGPT — he can write his own bio thank you very much.
CDAC Co-Researchers - The Calgary Diabetes Advocacy Committee (CDAC) is a group leading community-based research and advocacy projects to improve the experiences and outcomes of people living with diabetes. CDAC has led several impactful projects, including the Diabetes Mobile Clinic in partnership with the Alex Community Health Centre’s Mobile Health Program, the short film Low, and now Low Priority.
Low Priority is a fictional narrative film based on the lived experiences of people with diabetes experiencing homelessness. When Bobby, a man living with diabetes experiences a dangerous low blood sugar in a shelter bathroom, his journey to the hospital is not just a medical emergency — it becomes a revealing portrait of how stigma and judgment follow people experiencing homelessness through the health care system. Through his eyes, the film spotlights the resilience required to navigate not only a life-threatening condition in an impossible situation, but also an overburdened system that tends to see the circumstance before the person, challenging us to confront our assumptions about care, dignity, and humanity.
Presented by the Calgary Diabetes Advocacy Committee and Pluto Pictures, hosted in partnership with the Calgary Public Library.
Date: Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Location: Calgary Central Library, 800 3 St SE, Calgary, AB
Doors Open: 5:00 pm
Movie Starts: 5:30 pm *NEW TIME*
Discussion: Immediately following the screening
About the moderator
Sarina Aryal, MSc is a Research Associate working closely with the Calgary Diabetes Advocacy Committee and Dr. David Campbell. Through research Sarina strives to improve the health of our communities and work towards improving equitable healthcare for populations experiencing social or economic disadvantage.
About the panelists
Dr. David Campbell, MD, PhD is a medical specialist in Endocrinology & Metabolism and a health services researcher focused on social disparities and their impacts on clinical outcomes of cardiometabolic diseases, like diabetes. He is the co-director of the Health Policy Trials Unit at the O'Brien Institute for Public Health at the University of Calgary and the medical director of the Diabetes Mobile Clinic. He conducts research that uses mixed methods, interventional approaches, community and stakeholder engagement, and knowledge translation to contribute to reducing the impact of social disadvantage on clinical outcomes by informing health policy and clinical practice.
Scott Westby is an award-winning filmmaker who was born and raised in Calgary. Over the last 20 years he has directed, written and produced hundreds of film projects, from feature films and documentaries to web series, commercials and videos for local, national and global brands. He's collaborated with Universities, Marketing Agencies, Arts Organizations, Government, Not-for-profits and large Corporations, but the projects he finds most rewarding are the ones like Low Priority — stories that make a difference in real people's lives. Also, yes there is an em dash in this bio, but that doesn't mean Scott used ChatGPT — he can write his own bio thank you very much.
CDAC Co-Researchers - The Calgary Diabetes Advocacy Committee (CDAC) is a group leading community-based research and advocacy projects to improve the experiences and outcomes of people living with diabetes. CDAC has led several impactful projects, including the Diabetes Mobile Clinic in partnership with the Alex Community Health Centre’s Mobile Health Program, the short film Low, and now Low Priority.
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