Comments from Students
Students are asked to fill out an evaluation after each session as well as a detailed, four-page evaluation with comments, after the completion of the course. A selection of their responses is printed below, along with comments from medical students to the questionnaire that graduates of the course completed as part of the research for the publication on the long-term impact of the course.
(Bobbi G. Coller, Gabriel Slamovits, Barry S Coller, Long-Term Impact of a Medical School Course on the Intersection of Art and Medical History. MedEdPublish 2024 Aug 22:14:51. PMID: 39220092 PMCID: PMC11362722 DOI: 10.12688/mep.20112.2)
“I loved the wide range of topics and time periods covered in the course. It was really fascinating and enlightening to hear the dual perspectives from the medical and art sides in relation to each work. I particularly enjoyed the museum and library visits and RxArt presentation.”
“I think it has changed the way I observe things and that will improve my future practice. I also have greater appreciation for the history of medicine, which will help me as a doctor…I think everyone in clinical care would benefit from the course.”
“I truly enjoyed the perspective of an art historian and physician. Their dynamic was excellent and I appreciated the different points of view.”
“Every week we are exposed to something new and exciting!”
“A unique, educational and exciting opportunity…”
“[I will be] more observant and more humane.”
“[The course should be offered to] all faculty, students, trainees and if possible nursing staff and anyone interested. It can enrich everyone’s experience and lives.”
“I liked the balance between art history and the history of medicine. Each class was also very unique and nothing was repetitive. I like how the classes divided up thematically. Also, getting to go to museums for private hours was a truly special experience.”
“Putting medicine in a larger socio-historical perspective is very humbling.”
In response to the question, “Do you think the course had an impact on your observational skills?”
“The course left in me an eagerness to ask questions about the things that we see - to pause and think about what is beyond the surface, and that is skill I will always carry with me.”
“Yes, I feel as though this course helped me conceptualize medical observation as an art rather than as just a science. It helped me recognize the nuance that is involved in making keen medical observations.”
“I think the approach to patients - considering how one may read an encounter as one reads a painting - was quite valuable.”
“I see patients with more empathy and pay more attention to them as a whole person-focusing more on their body language and facial expressions.”
“Viewing a piece of art or a patient from different perspectives. Different perspectives enhances observational skills. You see things you otherwise would not have seen. This can translate into helping the patient in new ways.”
In response to the question, “Do you ever think about the course? / What triggers your memory?”
“When I visit art museums or exhibits, I often consider the work through a medical lens, which is something I never did before.”
“Talking about art, when friends ask about the highlights of med school, when I talk to patients.”
In response to the question, “Do you think the course had an effect on how you view works of art?”
“There was a particular session on curating art for hospital settings. Through this session, I began to appreciate how art can foster a welcoming and less stressful environment in the hospital.”
“It taught me to pay attention to details that I previously ignored.”
“I now take my time looking at each piece of artwork instead of rushing through a museum.”
“Yes, I definitely consider art through a more medical lens now and I think this has really added depth to the way I approach art. It feels like solving a puzzle.”
“This course has given me an appreciation for paintings and how much goes into making them.”
“I find myself deliberately slowing down in museums and my own personal art collection to take in more of the work.”
In response to the question, “Do you think the course had an impact on your appreciation of the history of medicine?”
“I think interacting firsthand with the history of medicine and seeing books centuries old and learning from them was powerful. I went back to the NYAM [New York Academy of Medicine] after this experience as I was so inspired. I also loved learning about the architecture during our tour as well and started appreciating other similar forms around the city.”
“I did not know much about the history of medicine prior to this course. Understanding the history of our day-to-day work can only further inform the present and our current roles/responsibilities. It is also humbling to know where we have come from.”
“Certainly! I had never really given much thought to the history of medicine, but this course really highlighted just how much the history of medicine is intertwined with the history of art.”
“Yes, even just exploring the rare book room with the Drs. Coller at the NYAM awoke in me an appreciation for how far medicine has come... and how even still, we know astonishingly little about how the human body works and how we can improve it.”
“Yes, it made me become more interested; recently, it has made me curious about better understanding the historical foundations of some racist aspects of the medical profession.”
In response to the question, “Do you think the course had an effect on how you view your role as a physician?”
“The course definitely presented a more humanistic view of medicine than our traditional medical school courses. By analyzing works done by patients or about patients, I felt that I had the opportunity to concretely see how physicians can have an impact on peoples' everyday lives.”