Helping Medical Illustration Students ‘Make Science Come to Life’ – Jagwire

For more than 30 years, the medical illustration programs at Augusta University and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore have hosted an annual conference nicknamed the “student exchange.”

During the two-day conference in the spring, faculty, students and alumni from both programs will share their thoughts on the industry, present their research and make vital connections with medical illustration professionals from across the country, said Amanda Behr, PhD, chair of the Department of Medical Illustration in the College of Allied Health Sciences at Augusta University.

“Every year we alternate traveling to Baltimore and staying in Augusta,” says Behr, the only board-certified clinical anaplastologist in the states of Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee. “We call it the ‘student exchange’ because it is a great opportunity for faculty from other programs to teach our students, and also for our faculty to teach their students.

“We present on different topics, and we also have external guest speakers,” she added. “So it’s not a mini-conference, it’s really focused on our students. Our graduates also get the chance to present their research, so they gain that valuable experience and get feedback from the other faculty. We think the conference provides a good exchange of ideas.”

Founded in 1911, Johns Hopkins had the world’s very first program in medical illustration. In 1948, the Medical College of Georgia was the first to establish a graduate program in medical illustration.

“Here at Augusta University, we are training the next generation of scientific communicators. The medical illustration students, when they graduate from our program, will have tremendous creative problem-solving skills that are truly focused on healthcare.”

Amanda Behr, PhD, chair of AU’s Department of Medical Illustration

The Medical Illustration Program at Augusta University has been continuously accredited since 1967 and is one of only four programs in the United States accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.

“Here at Augusta University, we are training the next generation of scientific communicators,” says Behr. “The medical illustration students, when they graduate from our program, will have tremendous creative problem-solving skills that are truly focused on healthcare. So our students go into healthcare and make science come to life, whether it’s illustration or animation. There is such a great need to explain science, and our students are trained to do this, and they are doing a fantastic job.”

Making lifelong connections

The student exchange conference also provides faculty and students with the opportunity to make lifelong connections with other medical illustrators, Behr said.

“When students experience this exchange program, lifelong friendships are formed,” she says. “Mike Jensen, who works with me in the Medical Illustration department, met on one of these exchanges. At the time, I was a student at Johns Hopkins, and he was at the Medical College of Georgia.”

Behr worked with several of Jensen’s former classmates over the years and accepted a position at Augusta University in 2013.

“The connections you make at these conferences will lead to jobs and networking relationships in the future,” Behr said. “And now Mike Jensen and I are working together. That’s a connection we formed in high school 25 years ago. I think this is a good illustration of why these conferences are so important. The student exchange is a wonderful foundation.”

The trip to Johns Hopkins this year was particularly unique because there was a special stop along the way.

Fifteen medical illustration students and three faculty members had the opportunity to go to Washington, DC, and speak with U.S. Rep. Rick Allen, who serves Georgia’s 12th District, which includes Augusta-Richmond County.

“It was an honor to welcome students from Augusta University’s medical illustration program to our nation’s Capitol,” Allen said. “As one of only four such programs in the country, I enjoyed hearing more about their unique learning experience, and I wish them nothing but success as they continue their education and join our healthcare workforce.”

Monty Philpot Brock, director of federal relations at Augusta University, arranged for the students and faculty to meet Allen and his staff and tour the U.S. Capitol.

“Thank you to Congressman Allen and his team, who provided Augusta University students and faculty with the unique opportunity to witness the legislative process in progress,” said Philpot Brock. “We appreciated the opportunity to share the unique story of AU’s medical illustration program and are grateful for Congressman Allen’s leadership and hospitality.”

“It was an honor to welcome students from Augusta University’s medical illustration graduate program to our nation’s Capitol. As one of four programs in the country, I enjoyed hearing more about their unique learning experience and wish them nothing but success as they continue their education and join our healthcare workforce.”

U.S. Rep. Rick Allen, who serves Georgia’s 12th district

The visit to the U.S. Capitol was a wonderful and unique opportunity for the medical illustration students, Behr said.

“Monty arranged for us to meet with Rep. Allen, and his team took us around the Capitol in small groups. They gave us a great behind-the-scenes tour,” Behr said. “The students were able to see our government in action. And then, that afternoon, we visited the National Museum of Natural History and the National Gallery of Art before heading to Baltimore.

Building a bond and learning together

Noah Smith, one of the medical illustration students who went on the trip, said the whole experience was unforgettable.

“I’m the class president, so during our chapter meetings, Amanda Behr mentioned that there was an opportunity to meet our representative and tell him a little bit about the program and talk about Augusta University,” Smith said, smiling. “I really pushed for it because I had been to D.C. before, but some of my classmates hadn’t, so it was a good opportunity for them. But I had also never been to the Capitol, so that was really cool to see the legislative process up close. We even went into the House of Representatives with the House of Representatives.”

After touring the Capitol, Smith and some of his classmates went to the anthropology exhibit at the Natural History Museum and later took scooters to the Lincoln Memorial.

“Honestly, that day in DC was probably my favorite day of the medical illustration program so far,” Smith said. “Our medical illustration class is super close. We hang out all the time. I feel like we never get together outside of school. But the DC trip and the Johns Hopkins exchange were especially great because I feel like we bonded even more as a class.

Not only did the students get to know each other better, they also had the opportunity to interact with the professors, Smith said.

“I would say the whole journey has brought us even closer than we already are,” Smith said with a laugh. “At this point we are now at the level of siblings.”

“My favorite part of the conference was hearing from industry professionals talking about their experiences, what they do and what happens on the ground. That was truly invaluable.”

Samuel Strecker, recent graduate of the medical illustration program at Augusta University

Samuel Strecker, who recently graduated from the medical illustration program in May, said the student exchange conference gave him the opportunity to hear research presentations and master’s projects from Johns Hopkins seniors.

“It was really interesting to see the work they do and to think about their brains a little bit,” Strecker said. “It helps you build a nice bond when you enter the profession, and it builds camaraderie and a good network that you can rely on throughout your career.”

Strecker, who is currently interviewing for two different positions in the field of medical illustration, said he enjoyed meeting all the professionals at the conference and learning about the different paths they took after earning their degrees.

“It’s always so interesting to see how creative these professionals are as they execute their life plans and where they end up,” Strecker said. “Of course there is always the traditional path of medical illustrator, where you create illustrations for surgery or illustrations for patient education, but many of these professionals have also ended up working in different design companies and these high-end creative roles that have a lot to do with combining data visualization and scientific problem solving with creativity.”

“My favorite part of the conference was hearing industry professionals talk, telling you about their experiences, telling you what they do and what is happening on the ground in the industry,” Strecker added. “That was truly invaluable.”

Next year, Johns Hopkins medical illustration students will travel to Augusta for the student exchange conference, Behr said.

“When Johns Hopkins students come here, we bring alumni who work at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other groups for a wonderful exchange of ideas from different institutions,” Behr said. “And this conference doesn’t just benefit the students. For me, it’s great to sit down with other faculty members and talk about what works, what doesn’t, and how we educate our students. I really appreciate the connection with other faculty and the peer/mentorship when teaching medical illustration.”