Off the Shelf

Off the Shelf is our section for creative works by medical students.

Yan Leyfman (4 Posts)

Contributing Writer

Penn State College of Medicine

Yan Leyfman is a medical student at the Penn State College of Medicine.




A Heartfelt Chat (2015)

Published by Yan Leyfman

Friendship is a powerful force that offers one celebration in one’s happiest moments, and solace in one’s most difficult times. Just as when two ducks meet to chat about their respective plights and offer each other support, medical student groups foster the same collaborative environment where students exchange ideas, challenge each other, and ultimately grow into better and more competent physicians. This important ideal binds all living things and gives them the strength to tackle life’s toughest obstacles.

Beacons of Hope (2015)

Published by Yan Leyfman

The roses portrayed in this photograph represent a new generation, with a brighter vision and new hope for a more prosperous future. They illustrate the ideas of innovation within the realm of medicine, technology and science. These two lone creatures, with their majestic scarlet petals, shine brightly as beacons of industrialization for the advancement of our society to the 21st century.

Electric Heart (2015)

Published by Billy Sveen

The beating heart is autonomous, having its own electric circuit to stimulate each contraction. Throughout the ages, the mystery of the heart has symbolized love and life in art and religion. Although this pulsing muscle has been highly studied by scientists, doctors and medical students across the world — dissected and scrutinized to the smallest detail — the aesthetic and metaphorical power of the human heart remains unchallenged.

An Exploration of the Diagnosis and Treatment of Chronic Disease from the Patient’s Perspective

Published by Joshua Mintz

The role of a medical caregiver is often daunting. While balancing multifaceted skill sets such as understanding of pathophysiology, proper application of clinical skills, minimizing health care costs, physicians must also maintain the primary goal of empathetic and supportive care for each patient. It is thus sometimes inevitable for physicians, medical students, or any other health care professionals to get caught up in any one of these pursuits and neglect another.

The Grapes of Breath (2015)

Published by Jennifer Evan

My inspiration for this piece stemmed from my experience working on the pulmonology service during my internal medicine rotation. I was moved by the vitality of our bodies and the organs that allow us to function. The lungs are one of the few organs that directly associate with the outside environment. Everything we breathe becomes part of our body, and as much as our body and respiratory epithelium can filter the air we breathe, it is not a perfect system. As a result, we breathe the world around us.

Damien Zreibe Damien Zreibe (8 Posts)

Writer-in-Training

University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine

Hello! My name is Damien and I'm a student at the University of South Florida's College of Medicine. I was born and raised on the island of Antigua, and have been writing poetry and fiction for years. I hope you enjoy my work!