Pennsylvania Hospital’s (PAH’s) Great Court recently became a hub for the arts, featuring colorful paintings, handcrafted textiles, and captivating photographs, all created by PAH staff and students.
The inaugural arts gallery was hosted by a team of Internal Medicine residents. It served as an opportunity to promote PAH’s upcoming Humanities in Medicine Club, which was inspired by a lecture on narrative medicine, offered to interns and residents at the hospital.
“The whole idea behind narrative medicine is to focus on retelling patient stories and processing our experiences through the arts to better our clinical practice,” said Chris Palazzolo, MD, an Internal Medicine resident and one of the coordinators of the event. “We knew so many people [at PAH] who have artistic abilities and thought this would be a great way to share their work and get the word out about the club.”
Mark R. Attilio, PharmD, BCOP, with his fused glass creations.
Nearly 50 pieces of art were submitted to the gallery, which centered around the theme of “Connections” – our connections with human beings and the world around us. Artwork included photographs depicting scenes of nature and wildlife, taken during trips abroad; body art, with one of the artists providing henna to attendees; and live music from members of the Penn Med Symphony Orchestra. Staff also submitted short stories, poetry, and an audiovisual poem reflecting experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, in both patient care and their personal lives.
“Medicine has been a challenge over the last couple of years due to the pandemic,” said Palazzolo, who submitted two poems and a Sharpie drawing of a skull, vertebrae, and pelvis with embroidered flowers.
“I think art gives us a way to unload the heavy bags we’ve been carrying. It gives us a way to feel human at the end of the day, to express ourselves and our emotions.”
Among the featured artists was Mark R. Attilio, PharmD, BCOP, a clinical pharmacist specialist, who had three fused glass pieces on display. For his artwork, he uses his family’s home kiln – a tool his mother uses to make jewelry. Prior to the gallery, Attilio had only shared his fused glass creations as gifts with others, such as PAH’s Pharmacy residents. Serving as a preceptor in the Pharmacy Residency Program, Attilio instructs the residents how to create colorful glass coasters, which he then preps and delivers to the team at the end of their training. Attilio gathered the medical residents for his latest piece, made especially for the gallery, of the Penn shield, made up of shattered glass and pieced back together by the residents for a mosaic design.
“One of my big things is inclusion,” said Attilio. “I really like how these glass activities support this idea and build connections among individuals.”
Carmen Patrascu, MD, next to her handmade jewelry and clothing.
Carmen Patrascu, MD, a clinical associate professor of Renal Electrolyte and Hypertension, also had several pieces at the event, including a painting, jewelry, and clothing that she crocheted and sewed during the pandemic. The clothing — a shirt made for her husband and a skirt—was created in honor of her grandmother (the best crochet master of all time) and her mother who is known for excellent knitting.
“My work in Nephrology and in art both involve love and care. I am very detail-oriented and want to perfect my skills, both patient-wise and creation-wise,” said Patrascu. “I’m looking forward to having more opportunities that will bring PAH together through sharing our passions outside of medicine.”
Palazzolo and her team hope to hold more galleries in the future, after the launch of the Humanities in Medicine Club, which plans to hold its first meeting this summer.
“We were extremely happy with the variety, and amount, of art we received,” said Palazzolo. “Our hope is to make the gallery an annual event and have even more people get involved at the next one.”
Humanities in Medicine Board Members:
- Olivia Mobarakai, DO PGY-II
- Chris Palazzolo, DO PGY-II
- Colin Kulick-Soper, DO PGY II
- Marialisa Itzoe, DO PGY-III
- Sonia Shah, MD Hospitalist