The Healer's Art • 2022 • Issue 6

HthEe ALER’HtShEe AISSULE 6ER’S
art art2020ISSUE 42022

is issue is dedicated to

women, minority groups, and POC

ghting for their basic human rights,
and to the people endlessly advocating for

and supporting them.

On the cover: the

Retrograde Pyelogram artHEALER’S
ISSUE 6
Chaoyang Wang, MS4 2022

a foreword
Summer 2022

Elizabeth M. Lamos, MD (she/her) Art is a creative reflection of our observations and
interpretations of the world and experiences that surround
Associate Professor of Medicine us. To see life through an artistic medium is a special
Assistant Dean, Office of Student Affairs cultivated skill that we are able to enjoy here in The Healer’s
Assistant Program Director, Endocrine Fellowship Art. These contributions connect us to the HUMANity
University of Maryland School of Medicine in medicine- something that can be lost when staring at
a computer screen, clicking boxes in EPIC and signing
paperwork. But the optimist in me says that maybe what
the artist does is not so far from what we do every day as
medical professionals. We enter a room and observe our
patients (their facial expressions, posture, cadence of their
voice, their physical exam) and interpret these observations
in the context of disease (or health) into a conversation,
note or presentation. When we “see” the human being and
the context in which they seek care then maybe we are all
artists in medicine.
“Every human is an artist. The dream of your life is to make
beautiful art.” ~Miguel Angel Ruiz

the Creative HeArts team

During a personally eventful year, I Medicine and art are so intertwined,
found Creative HeArts and our journals it’s impossible to have one without the
to be points of personal pride and other. I joined Creative HeArts to better
outlets of mindfulness as I got lost in the explore that connection and express
wonderful reflections of my classmates myself through writing. I’m so grateful
and peers. May you enjoy them too! to be on this team and help join so many
wonderful works of art into a journal.
~ Michael Sikorski, MS3
~ Mitali Sarkar, MS2
I joined Creative HeARTs because
it is a great way to connect with the Sanyukta joined Creative HeArts to
more humanistic and creative parts of rekindle her own connection to the
medicine and of myself. Being in medical arts and humanities. She considers all
school has shown me how important it forms of art to be a universal language,
is to make room for art, expression, and and loves how much she is able to learn
self-reflection. about her peers at UMSOM through
their reflective pieces.
~ Nicol Tugarinov, MS2
~ Sanyukta Deshmukh, MS2
I’m so grateful for having an artistic
outlet through Creative HeArts this past Emilie enjoys looking at art and making
year. Co-leading the creation of THA has art and has been honored to be apart of
been a wonderful experience, and I hope CreativeHeARTS and getting to do these
everyone enjoys the art that can be found things with her peers.
in medicine and all around us.
~ Emilie Berman, MS2
~ Shirin Parsa, MS2

Whatever your creative outlet be, may
you forever remain connected to that
which makes you whole. And in doing
so, may we all forever celebrate the
beauty of this life, the people we share it
with, and the small miracles in every day.

~ Cassandra Seifert, MS2

2 The Healer’s Art ◆ 2022

Table of Contents

Foreword......................................................................................................................................1
Woman Behind the Mask - Jocelyn Wu, MS3........................................................................4
Third Year - Andrea Harris, MS3.............................................................................................5
just a few more anki cards - Ariana Taj, MS3.........................................................................6
Craving a little perspective - Claire Macatee, MS2................................................................7
Retrograde Pyelogram - Chaoyang Wang, MS4.....................................................................8
University of Maryland Medical Center - Jenny Saito, MS2.................................................9
Hold Tightly: Reflections on the Third Year - Carson Klasner, MS4................................10
Studying in Good Company - Jessica Palmer, MS4.............................................................11
flipped - Dahlia Kronfli, MS4.................................................................................................12
G2P1011 - Anonymous...........................................................................................................13
Baltimore Rowhouses - Jenny Saito, MS2.............................................................................14
Highway to Nowhere - Jenny Saito, MS2..............................................................................15
from the Dandelions - Cassandra Seifert, MS2....................................................................16
Keep in Touch - Shirin Parsa, MS2........................................................................................17
Taming the Beast - Sanyukta Deshmukh, MS1....................................................................18
Scrub Caps - Sarah Mollenkopf, MS3....................................................................................19
Subarachnoid - Dahlia Kronfli, MS4.....................................................................................20
Tina! - Donna L Parker, Faculty.............................................................................................21
Life, Quality - Anonymous......................................................................................................22
Tidal Basin in Winter - Donna L Parker, Faculty.................................................................23
The Bigger Picture - Isha Darbari,MS4 and Christine Yuan, MS4....................................24

3The Healer’s Art ◆ 2022

Woman Behind the Mask

Jocelyn Wu, MS3

Pencil on paper

4 The Healer’s Art ◆ 2022

Third Year

Andrea Harris, MS3

Acrylic on canvas

5The Healer’s Art ◆ 2022

Brush pen on canvas

just a few more anki cards

Ariana Taj, MS3

6 The Healer’s Art ◆ 2022

Craving a little perspective

Claire Macatee, MS2

Anston Eugo, critically acclaimed food critic from Ratatouille said it best,
Know what I'm craving? A little perspective.
And where was I able to find this perspective?
Well, medical school of course.
Medical school has a way of boiling down what is truly important in life.
Stratifying the time I take to spend with those I love reminds me to make the minutes worth it.
To find joy in the ordinary.
Medical school has a way of reminding me what needs to be put on the front burner.
With every patient story, I am reminded that I have much to be thankful for.
My personal struggles pale in comparison to what my patients face every day.
Medical school has a way of humanizing those around me.
Everyone has their own story, but more often than not we don’t get to hear it.
We get a unique taste of our patient’s lives that is unlike any other profession.
So when people ask me how medical school is going,
I smile and think about the fresh, clear, and well-seasoned perspective I’ve gained.

7The Healer’s Art ◆ 2022

Retrograde Pyelogram

Chaoyang Wang, MS4

The hum of the OR droned on as I
injected contrast solution into the
ureter. The resident shouted “spot”
every few seconds and I watched
the silhouette of the renal calyces’
blossom before me. The images
resembled a blooming flower, or
an elegant bird, maybe a floating
seahorse…
Inspired by the many retrograde
pyelograms I saw during my Urol-
ogy rotation and the encourage-
ment of my wonderful mentors, I
decided to make my first attempt
at medical illustration, but with
my own twist of reimagining the
grayscale imaging study into a col-
orful seascape. The renal calyces
take on the shape of a seahorse,
the seashell takes the place of
where the bladder would be, and
the bright red coral is made up of
several Coudé tip catheters.
This painting represents the cul-
mination of my love for art, med-
icine, and urology: something I
created with my own imagination
but brought to life by the mentor-
ship and support of all those who
have lifted me up.

Acrylic on canvas

8 The Healer’s Art ◆ 2022

University of Maryland Medical Center

Jenny Saito, MS2

Oil pastel

9The Healer’s Art ◆ 2022

Hold Tightly:
Reflections On The Third Year

Carson Klasner, MS4

I yearned for the third year of medical school as if it was a cool glass of water on a hot summer day.
While two years of lectures and note-taking had stimulated my brain, I was left with a human-shaped
hole in my heart. After all, I had entered medicine to care for people, to hold their hands, to ease their
suffering. So when I finally began my surgery rotation, I was filled with glee. Before-dawn wake ups
and delayed cases didn’t bother me; I was just too excited to be doing what I had always wanted to do.
Soon came my 2-week rotation through Shock Trauma. Medical students follow the resident schedule,
which involves a 24-hour call every three days. On one of my 24-hour call days, we saw a patient who
would forever change my outlook on medicine.
In the early hours of the morning, my team and I were awoken by a page that we had a gunshot wound
victim coming in, not an uncommon occurrence. We received report that the patient had been found
by a bystander, who had performed CPR and called an ambulance. As the patient was rolled in on a
gurney, the entire trauma bay became eerily quiet. The patient was a young girl, a Jane Doe, in her
teens. Her shirt had been cut off and a CPR machine was aggressively pumping her chest to keep her
heart beating. She was a victim of a drive-by shooting and had been shot in her neck, severing her
spinal cord. There was virtually no chance that she would ever regain consciousness. She was gone.
I went home the next morning feeling frozen. I hugged my loved ones and called my family, but I
couldn’t shake this horrible feeling.
We continued to round on her each day, and I learned that her family consented to organ donation.
To me, this was a saving grace – she was a healthy young woman whose organs could save many lives.
I felt comforted by the fact that her life was not lost in vain.
I finished my trauma rotation and moved on to 2 weeks of the transplant service. I came to rounds
early on Monday morning, and the first conversation we had was about a potential donor, a gunshot
victim, a young woman, who had tested positive for COVID, and whose organs were no longer eligible
for donation. I connected the dots – this patient whose death had seemed so senseless, her family’s
wishes now unable to be fulfilled. I was devastated.
As doctors, we are expected to think logically. To collect data, to ask questions, to perform well under
pressure. We consider ourselves strong-willed and strong-minded. When I reacted so emotionally
to this patient, I initially thought it was a sign of weakness. With time, I realized that my emotional
response was a vital sign of empathy and compassion.
And so, to the future third years, to the pre-meds tackling the MCAT, to the high schoolers volunteering
at their local hospitals, I leave you with this:
Over your years in medicine, you will have many emotional experiences with the patients you care
for. I urge you to not shy away from these emotions, no matter how unpleasant they may be. Because
although you may experience the death of your patient, you will also share in the joy of a mother
hearing her baby’s heartbeat for the first time, or cry happy tears with a patient celebrating his 10-year
anniversary of surviving a near-fatal accident. You may even get to laugh with the parent of a very cute
5-year-old who stuck a Reese’s Pieces up his nose.
There will be happy times and sad times, moments where you doubt yourself and moments where you
feel proud and capable. These emotions are an important part of the humanity necessary in practicing
medicine. We all have an extraordinary capacity to feel and relate to each other. I hope we all will hold
on, and hold tightly, to the humanism of medicine.

10 The Healer’s Art ◆ 2022

Studying In Good Company

Jessica Palmer, MS4

11The Healer’s Art ◆ 2022

flipped

Dahlia Kronfli, MS4

12 The Healer’s Art ◆ 2022

G2P1011

Anonymous

At the beginning of my first year of medical school, we had an anatomy lab
session on fetal malformations. We had been counseled by our school and our
peers above us that the session may be mentally and emotionally difficult for
some. I walked through the lab quietly that day, observing as pathologists,
neonatal intensivists, and faculty gently explained what had occurred with each
patient.
After I got home, I immediately sat at my desk and cried. I thought about all the
parents who expected to bring a child home, who instead came back to empty
bassinets and empty promises.
During my fourth year of medical school, I enrolled in a palliative care elective.
I sat with actively dying patients and their loved ones and bore witness to great
suffering. Some people seemed surprised that someone going into obstetrics
and gynecology would want to spend time on a palliative service, but I had
seen enough during third year and on my gynecologic oncology sub-internship
that I wanted to learn more about symptom relief, improved quality of life, and
death without suffering. At the conclusion of my elective, I chose to give a talk
on miscarriage, an event that occurs often to patients for which we are trained
extensively in medical management but with little mention of the emotional
impact that may occur.
One week later I was on an away rotation seeing patients in clinic. As I was
eliciting a new patient’s obstetric history, I asked how many times she had been
pregnant. Two. I asked if she had any deliveries. One, full-term, spontaneous
vaginal delivery. I inquired about the outcome of the other pregnancy.
Miscarriage.
I paused for a moment and let the silence hold. At this point, I would usually
directly continue into the rest of her history, but from the talk I myself had given
last week, I knew better.
I’m sorry. I know that can be really tough.
She nodded, holding my gaze. Thank you.
I’m glad I said something.

13The Healer’s Art ◆ 2022

Baltimore Rowhouses

Jenny Saito MS2

Oil pastel

14 The Healer’s Art ◆ 2022

“Highway To Nowhere”

Jenny Saito, MS2

Oil pastel

15The Healer’s Art ◆ 2022

from the Dandelions

for someone who changed my life in the last days of theirs

Cassandra Seifert, MS2

Newspapers sun bleach in your windowsill,
history still
off-beat, the whole world spinning.
We make Bananagram words in a hospice tray, giving
order to trash cans in a Baltimore alley.
N O T O D A, you write, and on the line beneath,
TOMO–
an anagram
for which your sister pleads
at the doors of Mercy.
I’ve learned that vermillion lips and levees
break in silence,
segues to sweet tea summers, cracked black pepper,
squirrels and holiday seasons,
golden pears, plump oranges, employee walls
for friends who died under stars
and a world that’s entirely too small.
We eat sauteed liver and live, together, imagining
ripened fruit on the loading dock
and turning pages back to the wombat
rising from yellow flowers, no not the daffodils,
oh, the dandelions.
There is an order to the way dominoes fall,
8 heaping spoons to a cup of juice.
I would have lived yesterday with you, making
small talk in a sunlit box.
Today it rains and I believe in heaven,
that the sun will rise again,
history still
tomorrow, still.

16 The Healer’s Art ◆ 2022

Keep In Touch

Shirin Parsa, MS2

Pencil on paper

Time is irreplaceable. Stay close to loved ones and those who value your true worth.

17The Healer’s Art ◆ 2022

Taming The Beast

Sanyukta Deshmukh, MS2

This piece captures a different take on Rod of Asclepius, a traditional symbol
meant to represent medicine and healing. Pictured is a young girl, climbing up a
ladder, and petting one of the tamed snakes on the rod while the other maintains
its fierce and cold demeanor. This piece is inspired by a conversation I had with a
high schooler I mentor through a local service program, in which she mentioned
wanting to know the “people” behind the physicians that treat her. Specifically,
she wants to know the name of all of her doctor’s pets. Otherwise, healthcare was
scary and even unattainable for her. I drew this to show this sentiment-- breaking
down the “wall” that makes a physician or figure of authority “scary” can lead to
a more fruitful relationship between a physician and their patient.

18 The Healer’s Art ◆ 2022

Scrub Caps

Sarah Mollenkopf, MS3

Made on surgery clerkship

19The Healer’s Art ◆ 2022

Subarachnoid

Dahlia Kronfli, MS4

20 The Healer’s Art ◆ 2022

Tina!

Donna L. Parker, Faculty

21The Healer’s Art ◆ 2022

Quality, Life

Anonymous

“Help me, help me!”
Why do you think I’m groaning?
My stomach’s oozing from these staples and my room’s completely empty
“Help me, help me!”
I’ve been through so much, my spirit is crushed,
maybe that’s why my voice is hushed and no one can understand me
“Help me, help me!”
Why are we so afraid to broach the topic?
She’s clearly dying and no one can stop it.
Each day we hold on hurts her.
Why is letting go murder?
I heard a man once say that one cannot offer death and be a healer.
Those words must roll off the tongue real nice
from the bliss of a free body. I’m sure she’d love to
take a walk in your shoes, but what about you?
What if we took the scalpel and sliced you into her truth?
No food, no friends, no family,
no Love
can’t move, can’t speak, can’t hug
just pain
from a six-inch hole
spilling in silence.
Oh, wait, here’s some sugar juice.
“Help me, help me!”
I’m sorry my sister,
some righteous men in Rome claimed to know the will of God
a long time ago and made your dignity a felony.
I don’t care much for their rules right now- they’re not here.
It’s just me and you in this room.

22 The Healer’s Art ◆ 2022

Tidal Basin In Winter

Donna L. Parker, Faculty

23The Healer’s Art ◆ 2022

Collage The Bigger Picture

Isha Darbari and Christine Yuan, MS4

Collage

Collage workshop artist:
Didn’t you guys say you came here to study for a big test?
M4s technically in dedicated:
Yeah…

24 (Collage & Conversation workshop led by the incredible SHAN Wallace @_yoshann)

The Healer’s Art ◆ 2022

Copyright © 2022
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used, reproduced, edited, stored, or transmitted in any

manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher and authors of original works.
Published August 2022  Printed in Maryland, USA

Any donations to the Creative HeArts team go towards programming and future publications.