A Filmmaker and a Physician: One Storytelling Mission

Laurie Agard and Dr. Francisco Durazo are a husband-and-wife team whose lives and work intersect at the crossroads of storytelling, medicine, migration, and social justice—united by a shared passion for team sports, resilience, and community.

Laurie is an award-winning filmmaker, writer, and director whose work has aired on HBO, Showtime, ABC, Starz, and Encore, and sold in over 45 countries. Born in Topeka, Kansas and raised in Durango, Colorado, she developed an early love for the emotional power of movies and the unifying energy of live sports. At 17, she returned to Kansas on a full-ride basketball scholarship and was nominated as an Academic All-American. She holds degrees in Romance Languages and English/Creative Writing, a Master’s in Interdisciplinary Studies, and a PhD. Laurie has written, directed, and produced numerous acclaimed independent films, including Frog and Wombat (starring Lindsay Wagner) and the award-winning sports documentary Fast Women. A dual Australian-American citizen, she is the author of six books and has published widely on creativity, storytelling, and culture.

Francisco is a dual Mexican-American citizen and a nationally recognized transplant hepatologist with over 40 years in academic medicine. He served for two decades as Chief of Transplant Hepatology at UCLA and held leadership and faculty roles at USC and the Medical College of Wisconsin.  With over 100 peer-reviewed publications, he is known for his dedication to patient care, medical education, and healthcare equity. He is also an accomplished jazz pianist, bringing improvisational depth and creative rhythm to his life both inside and outside of medicine.

Together, Laurie and Francisco draw on their own experiences as migrants and as lifelong advocates for social justice. They are currently co-authoring a young adult immigrant thriller titled Running for Home—a story that weaves together themes of displacement, courage, sport, and hope. Their shared love of team sports has shaped their worldviews: from the unspoken rhythms of teamwork to the emotional power of a crowd, sport continues to inform their creative, medical, and humanitarian pursuits.

They live in Southern California, where they continue to write, mentor, and contribute to projects that amplify empathy, elevate marginalized voices, and celebrate the collective spirit.