PCOM Hosts Second-Annual Visual Arts Contest
February 28, 2019On Tuesday, February 19, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) hosted its second annual Visual Arts Contest awards reception. The contest was an
opportunity for members of the PCOM community to showcase their artistic talents,
with entries including photography, sculptures, paintings and more. This year’s contest
included over 90 submissions and PCOM community members cast over 400 votes.
Ruth Conboy, DNP, personal support counselor, Office of Student Affairs, coordinated the event and spoke about the importance of showcasing the creativity
on campus. “While we are surrounded by incredible talent here on campus, we are largely
a science-based institution and it is not often that creativity gets to shine,” she
said. “This contest is a chance for students, faculty, and staff to show off a skill
set they may have set aside due to a busy schedule.”
Dr. Conboy, who is earning a Certificate of Professional Achievement in Narrative
Medicine at Columbia University, also noted that incorporating humanities-focused
initiatives are in-keeping with the university’s commitment to “whole person” education.
“Initiatives such as this contest, PCOM’s Coalition for Healthcare, Humanities and
the Arts (CHHARTS), on-campus paint nights and our work with the Barnes collection allow our students to explore worlds beyond medicine, which will help them to become
more well-rounded healthcare providers,” she said.
The infusion of arts and humanities into the study of medicine has been found to benefit
medical students. A recent study published in the Journal of Internal Medicine found that exposure to the humanities was significantly correlated with positive
personal qualities, including empathy, emotional appraisal and spatial skills, to
name a few. The study also found that exposure to the humanities helped with some
components of burnout.
“Having art as an outlet allows me to maintain some sense of humanity when I am studying
[what feels like] 24 hours per day,” said Grace Bomann (DO ’21) who won first place
in the painting/drawing category. “I drew the piece for a friend’s birthday and while
I don’t get to draw often, I do enjoy it and hope to do more,” continued Bomann.
This year’s contest was sponsored by the Office of Student Affairs, the Office of
Human Resources and PCOM’s Coalition for Healthcare, Humanities and the Arts (CHHARTS).
Learn more about PCOM’s efforts to infuse humanities into the medical school experience
in this story from the latest issue of Digest.
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About Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Founded in 1899, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) has trained thousands
of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists
who practice a “whole person” approach to care—treating people, not just symptoms.
PCOM operates three campuses (PCOM, PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic
medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy and school psychology, and graduate degrees in
applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic
medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, non profit leadership
and population health management, organizational development and leadership, physician
assistant studies, school psychology, and public health management and administration.
PCOM students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service
to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, PCOM provides care
to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
For more information, contact:
Daniel McCunney
Associate Director, News and Media Relations
Email: danielmc1@pcom.edu
Office: 215-871-6304 | Cell:
267-449-1360