Art in Dermatology—A Synopsis of Student and Resident Art-Showcase

Authors: Mitchell Hanson, BS

At the San Francisco Dermatological Society Annual Conference in Half-Moon Bay, California (June 6–8, 2025), student leader Mitchell Hanson and colleagues presented an art showcase titled “Culture, Identity, and Life.” Hanson, a fourth-year MD-MPH candidate at the Medical College of Georgia and Student Fellow for the American Academy of Dermatology LGBTQ Expert Resource Group, previously led a similar showcase published in Dermatology Times. The SFDS Student and Resident Art-Showcase highlighted:

  • Evidence on Art in Medicine and Dermatology
  • Diversity in Student and Resident Creative Endeavors
  • Creativity in Service

The Student and Resident Art-Showcase can be found on the SFDS website.

The following outline documents our experience embodying the science of art in medicine to inspire cultural competence and humility.

Evidence on Art in Medicine and Dermatology

Art, while often seen as subjective, has clear, objective benefits to medicine as a medium for self-expression, multisensory experience, learning, and connection. In dermatology, a specialty that relies heavily on visual literacy, art enhances clinicians’ ability to perceive, describe, and understand the human condition:

  • Visual Diagnostic Skills: Art education improves the ability to observe and describe clinical findings, essential in dermatology. Long (2023) explains that visual art training sharpens observation and descriptive accuracy in dermatologic diagnosis, suggesting its incorporation into residency curricula. Kumar et al. (2021) demonstrated that dermatology residents who participated in art-based exercises improved their ability to describe and recognize clinically relevant visual details.
  • Clinical Communication and Conversation: Kumar et al. (2021) found that art-based education helped residents articulate observations more clearly to both patients and colleagues. Long (2023) described how the use of art can facilitate meaningful dialogue with patients about their skin conditions, using artistic metaphors and narratives. At our conference, we utilized breaks in the conference schedule to allow participants to create conversation around the student art pieces.
  • Cultural Competency and Empathy: Rezaei et al. (2023) showed that medical students who engaged in art education and reflective practice improved in perspective-taking and empathy, critical to cultural competency . Similarly, Long (2023) highlighted how art can convey powerful societal messages about marginalization, disease stigma, and identity, fostering cultural humility.
  • Suppression of Bias: Art education can attenuate implicit cultural biases by fostering openness and reflective awareness. Darda & Cross (2022) found that art-naïve participants showed mild in-group preferences when rating artworks from their own culture, but this bias diminished among art experts, who rated Indian and Western art more equitably. Notably, even when participants recognized the cultural origin of a painting, expertise reduced preference for their own culture, suggesting that art training cultivates objectivity and cultural humility . Similarly, Rezaei et al. (2023) showed that medical students engaged in visual arts and reflective practice became more aware of their biases and better at considering multiple perspectives, supporting the role of art education in suppressing bias while promoting empathy and inclusivity.
  • Wellness: Art serves as a wellness tool for medical professionals. Kumar et al. (2021) reported that dermatology residents who engaged in arts-based activities adopted art as a mindfulness and stress-reduction practice, enhancing resilience and wellbeing. NYU’s Humanistic Medicine Program also emphasizes art as a pathway to personal and professional wellness. By allowing student participants to utilize the anatomy lab as an art studio, they can receive a more immersive 3D and spatial understanding of the body through medical illustration, fine art, and medical imagery (NYU Humanistic Medicine, n.d.).

Diversity in Student and Resident Creative Endeavors

For the first annual SFDS Art showcase, with a theme of “Culture, Identity, and we had a total of 20 submissions. The following represent the trends of institutional representation, art forms, murals throughout SF for our “Cultural Competency Corner” and AI-generated themes in art produced for our showcase:

Institutional Representation: Participants came from medical schools and residency programs across North America, with contributions spanning the United States and Canada, as well as Columbia in South America. This broad geographic representation emphasizes the universal appeal of integrating art into medical education and professional development.

Art Forms: The submitted works reflected a diverse array of artistic media, demonstrating the creativity and multidimensional expression of the students and residents. Painting and drawing were the most common forms, complemented by sculpture, ceramics, collage, poetry, photography, textile art, printmaking, and henna art. This variety highlights the unique ways trainees engage with medicine, identity, and healing through art.

Cultural Competency Corner: As part of the showcase, we displayed photos and descriptions of murals around San Francisco, emphasizing culture, resilience, and community identity:

  • World Sources of Food: Celebrated global food systems and civic pride through a massive Works Progress Administration (WPA) mosaic.
  • Beach Chalet Murals: Chronicled 1930s San Francisco life, blending everyday people and public art.
  • Masonic Hall Mosaic: Fused Masonic symbolism and queer legacy into a dazzling mid-century modern piece.
  • Growing Together: Highlighted food justice and community care in the Tenderloin.
  • MaestraPeace: Honored global women’s contributions and feminist solidarity.
  • Tú Eres Mi Otro Yo: Paid tribute to Latinx resilience during COVID-19.
  • Moraga Mosaic Steps: Embodied grassroots community engagement through a sea-to-sky mosaic staircase.
  • Mission Street Manifesto: Translated a revolutionary poem into bold Chicano art.
  • Soul Journey: Told a sweeping story of struggle, migration, and cultural survival in Bayview-Hunters Point.
  • Noe Valley Mural: Wove together scenes of contemporary community life and sustainability.

AI Summarized Art Themes: By analyzing the titles and descriptions of submitted pieces, several recurring themes emerged among our art submissions:

  • Skin & Surface: The word skin appeared most frequently, underscoring the field of dermatology and its metaphorical significance (e.g., “invites us to see Earth as a living surface”).
  • Care & Humanity: Words like care, patient, human, beauty, and invites reflected empathy, connection, and healing.
  • Cultural & Earthly Identity: Words such as earth, henna, tones, bulbs, and across pointed to cultural expressions, natural motifs, and diversity.

Creativity in Service

Inspired by the “Art of Skin” exposé held by the American Academy of Dermatology in 2024, we considered how we could use this art showcase not only for connection and self-reflection but also serving a greater purpose. We had the ability to gain consent from nearly all student artists to auction their art to fundraise for Camp Wonder, a medically staffed summer camp for children with severe and chronic skin diseases. Between two days of bidding, we were able to raise nearly $1,000 in funds and match these donations to benefit their group.

Using art for fundraising can be particularly effective because it taps into two powerful motivators for giving: personal connection and the appeal of receiving something tangible. As Vogels (2025) highlights, nearly half of donors are motivated by causes they feel personally connected to, and stories embedded in student-created artworks can create this deep emotional resonance, helping potential donors see themselves reflected in the narratives of the pieces. Furthermore, research by Exley and Zlatev (2022) suggests that offering an item for purchase—with proceeds going to charity—is often more motivating than simply requesting a donation, because donors frame it as a meaningful transaction rather than a purely altruistic act. Together, these insights suggest that an art-based fundraiser, which invites donors to purchase meaningful, student-created works that tell powerful personal stories, not only increases engagement but also encourages generosity by combining personal relevance with the satisfaction of a reciprocal exchange.

Bibliography:

  • Darda, K. M., & Cross, E. S. (2022). The role of expertise and culture in visual art appreciation. Scientific Reports, 12, 10666. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-14128-7
  • Exley, C., & Zlatev, J. (2022). What motivates people to give generously—and why we sometimes don’t. HBS Alumni Bulletin. Retrieved from https://www.library.hbs.edu/working-knowledge/what-motivates-people-to-give-generously-and-why-we-sometimes-dont
  • Kumar, A. M., Lee, G. H., Stevens, L. A., Kwong, B. Y., Nord, K. M., & Bailey, E. E. (2021). Using visual arts education in dermatology to benefit resident wellness and clinical communication. MedEdPORTAL, 17, 11133. https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.11133
  • Long, V. (2023). Dermatology and the visual arts: More than meets the eye. Clinics in Dermatology, 41(5), 657–660. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clindermatol.2023.09.017
  • NYU Humanistic Medicine Program. (n.d.). Events. Retrieved from https://med.nyu.edu/education/md-degree/current-md-students/humanistic-medicine-program/events
  • Rezaei, S., Childress, A., Kaul, B., Magill Rosales, K., Newell, A., & Rose, S. (2023). Using visual arts education and reflective practice to increase empathy and perspective taking in medical students. MedEdPORTAL, 19, 11346. https://doi.org/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.11346
  • Vogels, E. A. (2025). From inspiration to action: How donors find their causes. CAF America. Retrieved from https://cafamerica.org/blog/from-inspiration-to-action-how-donors-find-their-causes/

For Inquiries Regarding the Journal

Contact us: jid.editorinchief@gmail.com