When deciding how best to depict my patient, I knew I had to focus on the brain because of his career focus on neuropharmacology. The cloud with the flower represents the beginning of frontotemporal dementia, which was noticed by his wife. The hearts pointing to the amygdala represent his wife who was his high school sweetheart. The Yuengling logo pointing to the hypothalamus represents his favorite beer (specifically black & tan). The hand pointing at the substantia nigra portrays the essential tremor that the patient developed in graduate school. The state of Montana with the fishing rod pointing at the motor cortex depicts his interest in trout fishing, which he learned to appreciate during a public health service trip in Montana. Lastly, the rhesus macaque near the spinal cord represents the bulk of his animal research studying the development of prosthetics for paraplegics. Overall, I tried to create a visual depiction of the different aspects of his interesting life, apart from his medical diagnosis. In the short time I had with my patient, we developed a pleasant relationship that I will cherish moving forward.
About the Artist: Isabel Prado
I have a strong interest in neuroscience, as it relates to all of the organ systems. Outside of medicine, I enjoy playing with my dog, hiking and playing tennis with friends, and listening to music or drawing. I chose to participate in SCOPES to have the opportunity to set aside some time to reflect artistically and touch base with my creative side. My interest in the medical humanities stems from my eagerness to harness my creative strengths to further expand my scientific and medical knowledge.
