Our Ambassadors Stories
Michael Christensen aka Dr. Stubs
Pioneer of the global Clown Doctor movement
„The most important thing a clown does in a hospital is to change the energy in the room.”
You may remember the movie “Patch Adams”? In the 1960s, this American studied human medicine and believed, that a person’s health is strongly linked to their well-being and emotions: He started bedside visits his patients as a clown.
Michael Christensen, a street performer and clown with the Big Apple Circus in New York / USA, feels the same way ….. and transformed into a clown doctor.
The turning point was in 1985, when his elder brother Kenneth was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. During Michaels farewell visit in Seattle, WA. Kenneth gave me him an old leather doctor’s bag he had purchased from a thrift shop, thinking that his brother the clown, might have some use for it. Only a few weeks later, Kenneth died in October 1985, and that doctor’s bag sat in Michael’s closet.
In May of 1986, Virginia Keim, Chief Officer of Development at Morgen Stanley New York Presbyterian Children’s Hospital, phoned Michael. She asked him to perform at the annual ‘Heart Day’ for all the children who had undergone heart surgery. Michael was already a clown at The Big Apple Circus which he co-founded in 1977.
Dr. Stubs, his clown doctor character was born and Kenneth’ doctor’s bag his memorable accessories – bringing fun, a good laugh and distraction influencing positively children in difficult situations.
A life-changing experience, which inspired the creation of the Big Apple Clown Care Unit in New York City. This was the start of organized clown visits to children in hospitals around the world.
The wonderful stories of Dr. Stubs were also told in Europe and the first professional clown doctor organisations were founded in the early 1990’s.
Monica Culen
Cofounder and Chairwoman 2011-2020
As early as the mid 1990’es RED NOSES invited LE RIRE MEDECIN, France and the KlinikClowns Bayern e.V., Germany, to participate in one of the first Cultural Cooperation Projects funded by the European Commission. Watching the ever-growing movement of Hospital Clowning, Monica Culen already started to pursue her vision in 2001 about a Federation with Fondation Theodora, Switzerland, and CliniClowns, Netherlands.
Finally in 2010, eight of the most advanced European Organisations at that time – ROTE NASEN, Le Rire Médecin France, CliniClowns Netherlands, Hearts&Minds Scotland, Fondation Theodora Switzerland, Soccorso Clown Italy, Payasospital Spain and KlinikClowns Bayern, Germany – gathered to develop a clear mission and structure for the European Federation of Hospital Clown Organisations. In March 2011, efhco. aisbl was registered in Brussels, Belgium and Monica Culen elected its Chairwoman.
In the 10 years of service as Chair for the Federation, Monica’s main priorities were to unite the European Healthcare Clown movement, to support young organizations and to form platforms for know-how exchange and common training in order to develop professional quality criteria for the whole clowning scene.
When Monica stepped down in October 2020, efhco. had been built up as a strong federation and a very motivated and skilled next generation took over to carry the movement towards future dynamic levels of development in Healthcare Clowning.
For three decades, Monica has been one of the driving forces in the healthcare clown world, having such a convincing charisma and being both dynamically attentive and inventive for the mental wellbeing of vulnerable people. She always envisioned and went for a cooperation of clown doctors on a European and international level and for the strategic development of clown doctors’ education & quality training plus the professionalism of healthcare clowning as a valuable part of each country’s healthcare system.