There is a lot of wonderful literature and comic work going on in the realm of Graphic Medicine, especially in the current climate of COVID-19, but before creating our own Graphic Medicine Libguide we had to first define what Graphic Medicine is. The amazing thing about Graphic Medicine is that its definition and the content that falls within it is fairly broad. At its core, Graphic Medicine is the intersection between comics and health care. The goal of the libguide is to highlight a little bit of everything within that definition and provide an even scope of what comics can do with medical narratives and the benefits that come out of that work. In selecting comics to include in the guide it was obvious that the stories of patients, providers, med students, and caregivers would all be showcased in some way. The guide is not exhaustive in the slightest but it is an appetizer of sorts to help steer the user towards what aspects of Graphic Medicine interest them most.
For students, the hope is that if you’ve never heard of or read any Graphic Medicine work that this guide might spark some interest in seeing how you can combine your own experience in health care with comics. This could be by diving into some of the scholarly literature about the value of comics in medicine and education, checking out a Graphic Medicine book or reading a webcomic, or trying your hand at comic creation using the tools and tips linked in the guide. Your stories are important and comics are a versatile medium for presenting those stories and can be a beneficial form of self-expression. Comics have the ability to focus our attention through the combination of text and visual images and have a universality that makes their stories easy to understand and relate to.
Check out Our Newest Libguide: Graphic Medicine
This post was written by Samantha Wiebkin, an Information Access Assistant for the Biomedical Libraries.
