With a provocative blend of cutting-edge medical technology and topical women's issues, STRONG MEDICINE has achieved the distinction of being the longest-running drama created for cable television. The acclaimed series welcomed acting veteran Rick Schroder in the role of Dr. Dylan West during its recently completed sixth and final season.

Schroder, who was just nine when he starred in “The Champ,” was the youngest person ever to win a Golden Globe when he was recognized by the Hollywood Foreign Press as best actor for his performance in that film. Since then, after starring in the hit comedy “Silver Spoons,” he has gone on to deliver acclaimed performances in such diverse projects as “Lonesome Dove,” “Crimson Tide,” “The Lost Battalion” and “NYPD Blue.”

Regarding the addition of Rick Schroder to the cast, executive producer Tammy Ader says “I have been a fan forever. He did amazing work on ‘NYPD Blue,’ but as a kid I remember going to see ‘The Champ’ and he made me cry then. It’s incredibly exciting that I get to write for Rick. He brings you down new pathways in terms of stories, and not just because of the male energy, but also because of his talent. We’ve been exploring women’s health issues from both sides of women doctors and women patients, and now we will have the male perspective.”

In addition to Schroder, Rosa Blasi stars as Dr. Lu Delgado, a strong-willed and feisty physician whose patients mostly come from low-income working class families; Jenifer Lewis as Lana Hawkins, the savvy and efficient receptionist; Josh Coxx as Peter Riggs, the holistic nurse/midwife; Tamera Mowry as Kayla Thornton, an emergency medicine resident who is currently dating Nurse Riggs; and Nestor Carbonell as Jonas Rey, Dr. Delgado’s wealthy fiancé.

This season, the medical drama will continue to address cutting edge health issues as seen through the eyes of Dr. Lu Delgado (Blasi), who runs the Rittenhouse Women’s Health Clinic in Philadelphia. However, for the first time since she came to the clinic, Lu has to make an adjustment . . . her new partner is a man, Dr. Dylan West (Schroder).

Dr.West is also someone Lu considers to be a nemesis. They tangled in medical school when he was the chief surgical resident and she was an intern on his rotation. As talented in the field of women’s health as he is brash, West is a necessary addition to the clinic, but Lu has no reason to believe he is going to be any easier to work with, or that he has what it takes to serve beside her.

But what Lu doesn’t know is that Dr. West, with his California surfer mentality, has changed in some very significant and surprising ways. And while they may have very differing viewpoints and clashing styles that could create an unwelcome administrative upheaval, the man has very good reasons, both personal and professional, for having accepted the job at Rittenhouse. Dr. West has no intention of revealing his secrets, and even though he respects Lu and understands they are now partners, he’s just fine with picking up their relationship where they left off -- he enjoys pushing her buttons, and he still knows exactly where to find them.

In addition to Lu’s struggle to accept Dr. West into her world, this single working mother is also struggling with whether or not she wants to make a significant change in her personal life. As last season came to a close, she had accepted a ring from her wealthy fiancé, Jonas Rey (Carbonell), and is still trying to decide if she can see herself married to him. She could never have imagined as a young Latina who grew up in Philly’s inner city, driven by her memories of how tough it was for poor families to receive good medical care, that she could be marrying a multi-millionaire. Accepting her new life with Jonas is not as easy a decision as she thought it would be.

Blasi attributes the show’s continued success to the strength of the characters that have been created. “This is a character-driven show,” Blasi said. “Whether it’s a series regular like Lu, a day player or guest star, we are given the heart of each character, the back-story and a reason to care about what happens to them,” she continued. “You can’t help but get emotionally involved because we don’t rely on blood and gore to attract viewers. We rely on heart and spirit.”

The concept for STRONG MEDICINE actually began when executive producer Whoopi Goldberg was at the birth of her third grandchild. In talking with the doctors -- many of whom were women -- she was struck by their personal and professional lives as well as the technology she witnessed in the hospital. Ader, who initially wasn't certain there should be another medical drama on television, went to work fleshing out an idea focusing on female doctors. During that process, she was shocked to realize that -- up until the 1990s -- most medical research was done by men on men, with no thought given to women's physical bodies, and their hormones specifically. Thanks to a tremendous effort by women's advocates that approach soon changed. An explosion of women’s health advancements and discoveries soon followed.

In her research, Ader quickly realized that she had touched on an underserved area that hadn’t been seen on other medical dramas. “Indeed, there has been a constant stream of fresh, entertaining, informative stories to get out there on our show,” said Ader. “In fact, we'll do a show centering on a little-known but important topic and, lo and behold, this story becomes news in the real world. Plus these issues breed good television in the sense that brand-new technology and cures can sometimes point up moral, legal and ethical dilemmas that can lead to triumph or tragedy.”

Since it premiered in July 2000, STRONG MEDICINE has been honored by many groups for its thoughtful and sensitive portrayal of medical issues, including the American Red Cross, the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease, the Rape and Incest National Network, and the National Black Women’s Health Project. In addition, the executive producers and the cast have received awards from many organizations that recognize the show’s racial and gender diversity as well as the political, social and legal issues addressed on the show. Honoring organizations include the Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television, the Entertainment Industries Council, the White House project, the National Association of Minorities in Communication, the National Council of La Raza, the Imagen Foundation, the California Governor’s Committee of Employment of Disabled People, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the National Council of Jewish Women. From the beginning, Strong Medicine has also been a significant and major platform for communicating the messages of Lifetime Television’s public awareness and advocacy campaigns, “Stop Violence Against Women,” “Stop Breast Cancer for Life,” and “Every Woman Counts.

STRONG MEDICINE is produced by Sony Pictures Television (SPT) for Lifetime Television. Tammy Ader, Whoopi Goldberg, Diane Messina Stanley, Jim Stanley and John Flynn are the executive producers.

Sony Pictures Television is one of the television industry’s leading content providers. It produces and distributes programming in every genre, including series, telefilms, theatrical releases and family entertainment for network and cable television, as well as first-run and off-network series for syndication. With more than 30 programs on the air, SPT boasts a program slate that includes the top-rated daytime dramas and game shows, landmark off-network series, original animated series and critically acclaimed primetime dramas, comedies and telefilms. Sony Pictures Television’s Advertiser Sales unit is one of the premiere national advertising sales companies, handling the commercial inventory in SPT’s first-run and off-net syndicated series. SPT (http://www.sonypicturestelevision.com) is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company.