The Center for Visual Arts in Healthcare at Brigham & Women’s Hospital Launches!
Over ten years ago, I was asked to teach a group of medical doctors who were visiting the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston for a pilot program focusing on integrating the arts into medical residency. Using the arts to improve the lives of healthcare workers and patients was a transformative experience for me as an art historian and an educator. That session ignited my passion for this work. Fast forward to 2021 and through the groundbreaking work and dedication to the arts in medicine by Dr. Joel Katz and supportive donors, we created the first Center for Visual Arts in Healthcare at Brigham & Women’s Hospital. The mission of the CVAH@BWH is to develop and advance visual arts-based learning experiences to cultivate empathetic, resourceful, and collaborative healthcare teams to improve patient care. Through museum-based workshops, innovative research, and strong community partnerships our goal is to strengthen the visual arts in healthcare locally and nationally. Welcome to our new website!
The role of the arts in healthcare has been gaining considerable traction in the last few years. In 2020 the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) released FRAHME: The Fundamental Role of Arts and Humanities in Medical Education, stating, “The integration of the arts and humanities into medicine and medical education may be essential to educating a physician workforce that can effectively contribute to optimal healthcare outcomes for patients and communities.” The World Health Organization has recognized the role of arts in healthcare. “In 2019, WHO began testing arts interventions to advance specific health goals, including universal health coverage (UHC), mental health and suicide prevention, maternal health, blindness prevention and quality of care…”. The Massachusetts Cultural Council has just released a report on the role of social prescribing for clinicians partnering with cultural organizations in the state. The COVID-19 pandemic has served to increase the attention to mental health and wellness, recognizing the impact the pandemic has had on clinicians as well as the general population. With this spotlight on the role of the arts in healthcare we are excited to launch the Center for Visual Arts in Healthcare at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and contribute to this important work.
Please explore our programs and delve into some of the research we’ve highlighted. As part of the new website, we are excited to announce the transfer of art and medicine resources from Bonnie Pitman at the University of Texas, Edith O’Donnell Institute of Art History to Brigham & Women’s Hospital. These resources were gathered during the 2016 NYC Art of Examination Forum which brought together art educators and clinicians across the country to discuss the arts in medicine and have been expanded on since. The resources include a bibliography with books, articles, and studies related to the field as well as program descriptions for 125+ medicine and art partnerships and syllabi. This resource demonstrates the amazing work museum colleagues and healthcare providers across the country are doing in this field. The CVAH@BWH would not be here without the support and collaboration from so many of these colleagues.
Contact us if you’d like to learn more about the work at the Center for Visual Arts in Healthcare at Brigham & Women’s Hospital or partner on a project. Sign up for our mailing list to receive regular updates.
The World Health Organization states, “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” We believe the visual arts have a strong role to play in achieving this outcome. We look forward to continuing this discussion!
Brooke DiGiovanni Evans
Director of Visual Arts Education, Brigham & Women’s Hospital