Abstract:

The COVID-19 pandemic has catalyzed broad uptake of technology to ensure ongoing teaching and learning across all educational sectors–including medicine. At our medical school, our students experience multiple longitudinal opportunities for learning about patients as embodied beings with full lives, families and friends, as well as physical and existential concerns. As an example, the Patient Immersion Experience (PIE) matches entering first-year medical students with individuals living with chronic medical-related conditions (known as "patient mentors"). Visiting with their mentors over a two-year period, students gain insight into the lived experience of chronic illness, including challenges patients and their family members face on a daily basis. The Interpretive Project, a required capstone component of PIE, offers a collaborative, inquiry-oriented approach to developing new insights leading to deeper understanding, and very often, new questions, through arts-based, speculative design, and other creative explorations. In 2015 we held our first exhibition of our students’ interpretive projects, which we called “The Art of Medicine”. Historically student projects have been displayed “gallery-style” as part of an interactive, evening Patient Appreciation Event held annually each spring. Many of the students’ projects were then conveyed (with permission) to our health sciences library and publicly displayed for the month of April. In response to the lockdown, as a team of educators, designers, and students, we initiated a transition to a virtual exhibition using Google Sites, which culminated in a public opening held via Zoom in July 2020. Projects included in the online exhibition are organized into four themes: Hidden Worlds (n=10), Relational (im)Probabilities (n=10), (im)Possibilities (n=11), and In Sight | Insight (n=10). Several were informed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Close to 150 people registered to attend our online opening celebration. Several live student presentations were featured which inspired stimulating commentary during the event, and thoughtful reflections (via Google Forms) following the celebration. The feedback we received was highly positive. Attendees shared that they were strongly impressed by the variety of themes explored and media used in the students’ projects (92%), and care and thoughtfulness conveyed in their creative works (80%). One attendee shared the following comment: “This is fabulous! I hope that the exhibition continues online permanently, for patient mentors and students (both new and old) to be inspired by, and current physicians and other educators to learn from as well.” Initiated as a response to the pandemic, we have found an online digital approach has provided an effective platform for presenting “The Art of Medicine” exhibition. Given the ongoing need to connect, share, listen, and heal through this “after” time, we plan on using a virtual platform for our exhibition through the foreseeable future. In this presentation, we discuss the process of creating the exhibition site online, and specific approaches used to enhance interest and audience engagement. Opened for public viewing in August 2020, the site includes a recording of the opening celebration, student projects, and feedback form. You can visit it at https://sites.google.com/ualberta.ca/virtual-pie-exhibition. Explore! Share a reflection in response to one or more of the students’ creative projects.

Keywords:

Art, Creativity, Design, Undergraduate Medical Education, Virtual Exhibition.