Artists and Scientists as Partners

Medicine is said to be an art. But can art be medicine, a health intervention? The short answer is, "Absolutely.”

So said the announcement for an extraordinary panel discussion Rachel Balaban recently joined in the Creative Medicine Lecture Series at Brown University’s Cogut Center. And the proof of that statement? It’s in a body of medical literature that really does demonstrate the impact of the arts on individuals and communities.

Julie Strandberg and Rachel Balaban traveled to Rochester, Minnesota to attend The 4th Annual Mayo Clinic Humanities in Medicine Symposium. Health Humanities explores the relationship between human well-being and humanistic disciplines to promote the artful and compassionate delivery of health care. This conference offered the opportunity to reflect on and share experiences of the patient and the care provider, and to advocate for emerging research and innovation in the field.

On Saturday March 11, 2017, Rachel (Balaban) and Julie (Strandberg) presented a panel discussion with Celeste Miller of Grinnell College called The Undeniability of the Body: The Role of Dance with Both Patients and Medical Practitioners. The program at Grinnell focuses on working with medical students, while Artists and Scientists as Partners (ASaP) trains undergraduates to work with persons with Parkinson’s disease and Autism Spectrum Disorders.

ASaP went to Harvard in late February to tell its story and highlight the need for arts education for medical practitioners as a way to help them navigate in the face of ambiguity and uncertainty. Dr. Jay Baruch joined Rachel Balaban and Julie Strandberg for a presentation to an audience of 75 to address questions like why should physicians be taught to think like "science-using" artists and what happens when physicians and artists work together as partners to improve the health of patients? 

On February 6, artists, community members, teachers, and healthcare professionals gathered at the Gamm Theatre in Pawtucket, RI for the 4th in a series of 6x6 events sponsored by the RI Teaching Artists Center (RITAC).