In case you were unable to join our second Drawing Together event, here is a recap of the exercise we did together. Our host was Shelley Wall, GMIC board member, medical illustrator, and an assistant professor in the Biomedical Communications graduate program at the University of Toronto (UofT). Our theme was “animals”. We started with a brief update of our Zoom skills, taught by these two companion animals.   From Shelley: Marcus Bullock, in the collection Representing Animals, writes: “What do we see when we look at an animal?… [I]n this moment of our present history, we have begun to… Read More

In case you were unable to join our first Drawing Together event, check out the images below to see what we did. Special thanks to Marek Bennett for the basic structure of the exercise. If you want to share your drawings, and see ones participants shared from this past Sunday’s session, check out #DrawingTogetherGM on your favorite social media outlets. We will be doing this again next week! For details see this post. To watch the video where Marek Bennett explains the comic this exercise is based on, watch this video.

To respond to the cancellation of our 2020 Graphic Medicine conference in Toronto, to combat the social isolation of pandemic-related lockdowns, and to support and promote community, the Graphic Medicine International Cooperative (GMIC) launched a free weekly virtual meet-up called “Drawing Together” on  April 6. We provided a Zoom link, a topic, and a group facilitator.  Members of the world-wide Graphic Medicine community gathered to draw, support one another, and share. See links below to the first thirteen weekly sessions that ran until June 28. Starting in July, these gatherings will now be held monthly, and we are looking for… Read More

by Abbey L. Berg, PhD, CCC-A, FNAP: Pace University, Communication Sciences & Disorders Program and Keyra-Nicole Lecointe, BS: Pace University, Graduate Program in Communication Sciences & Disorders Abstract: 22 speech-language pathology (SLP) graduate students read the graphic novel, El Deafo (Bell, 2014). Groups of 3-4 students produced a 4-frame comic of communication impairment. Five categories emerged from student responses to activity: 1) increased perspective-taking; 2) awareness of knowledge/beliefs; 3) academic/clinical training/practicum experiences tool; 4) advocacy/public health; and 5) intra- and inter-professional collaborations. In summary, incorporating graphic novels and comics in graduate education and training is valuable. Background: Narratives fill a gap… Read More

Hot off the press! – the Top 10 Don’ts and Do’s for Researchers Working with Patient Partners was inspired by a conversation amongst patient partners at REFLECT 2017 – a workshop held by the Hatching Ideas Hub that brought together researchers, patients/service-users/caregivers, and policy makers in the field of suicide prevention to share ways of working (better) together on research projects. Collaboratively designed by patient partners and researchers, and brought alive by the creative talents of the illustrator (Emily Adams) and graphic design specialist (Andy Gauthier), the Top 10 comic depicts some of the common scenarios encountered by patient partners in research and communicates some important… Read More

Mile High: Adventures in Colorado Medical Marijuana by Mister V, isbn: 978-0989384346, © 2019, 8th Wonder Press (8thwonderpress.com), 322 pages.  Cannabis: The Illegalization of Weed in America by Brian “Box” Brown (www.boxbrown.com), isbn: 978-1250154088, © April 2, 2019, :01 First Second (firstsecondbooks.com), 250 pages. Book Reviews by Kevin Wolf This is a difficult review to write. Book reviewers are often called critics. A memoir carries the additional critic’s problem that it could lead to personal hurt; after all criticizing the presentation could be taken very personally. From my perspective, nothing written here should be taken personally, it’s meant for outside… Read More

Graphic Medicine post: Between You and Me: Transitional Comics It never occurred to me that I could make comics about the doctor—about going or not going, about those paper robes and things I’d rather forget—until I read MK Czerwiec’s work. This opened a whole world to me as a lifelong hypochondriac who has typically avoided going to the doctor and as a transgender person just beginning to medically transition. Just so many possible comics to draw. It also never occurred to me that I would be a cartoonist or that I would have a book (of comics!) until I started… Read More

Medical Comics Exhibition: Looking at facets of medicine from different perspectives Focus on Medical Humanities in the Lecture Center of MedUni Vienna/Vienna General Hospital until 31 January 2020  The “Medical Comics” exhibition will be on display in the Medical University of Vienna’s Lecture Center in Vienna General Hospital (Level 8) until 31 January 2020. Under the heading of “Impression – Expression – Interaction, Perception in Medicine”, the various facets of medicine are broken down according to three perspectives: “Help!” Helping with comics”, “Sick! Being sick in comics” and interactive stations, so that visitors can join in the action and interaction…. Read More

Growing up in a small Midlands town in England, one I describe as being like Shawshank without the redemption, everything felt safe, everyday moved seamlessly into the next. But occasionally there were ripples. In one room of our small terraced house my Dad put up some fake brick wallpaper. It was very much the thing in the 1970s. Make the insides look like the outsides, except Dad without realising put half of it on upside down. The paper should have looked as though the bricks stood proud of the cement, the little shadow under the brick did that job. Turn… Read More