Off the Shelf is our section for creative works by medical students.
Contributing Writer
Rush Medical College
Johanna Balas is a third-year medical student at Rush Medical College in Chicago, Illinois class of 2023. In 2018, she graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Science in economics and biology. She enjoys drawing (@jojis.abyss on Instagram), going on hikes, and spending time with loved ones in her free time. After graduating from medical school, Johanna would like to pursue a career in internal medicine in the hopes of becoming a hematologist-oncologist.
This drawing depicts the stark contrast of a woman who is both strong, yet visibly vulnerable as her tears pour off the page. This piece was inspired by a patient who was admitted after an incidental finding of a lab abnormality, which forced her to stay in the hospital for four weeks. When she initially learned of her lab results, she was overwhelmed.
This work is about vulnerability and the feeling of being vulnerable. There is a special exposure to vulnerability for everyone who is taking part in healthcare systems, be it of course as a patient who potentially suffers restrictions in their physical and/or psychic integrity trough illness or also the caregivers who are under pressure to be attentive, know the right things, act and speak properly all the time.
This painting, utilizing oil and acrylic paints, was made in the midst of studying for my ongoing classes and boards. There have been a couple diseases that have stuck with me throughout my studies. This disease is a deep-sea themed illustration of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, more commonly known as “broken heart syndrome.”
This piece was created during Inktober 2021 for the prompt “Disgusting.” I believe that beauty can be found in even the most unexpected places, which is why I decided to contrast the beauty of the feminine form with organs spewing out of her body.
Medicine is beautiful and interesting, but it can also be challenging in many ways. As medical students, we are expected to work hard, test well, be professional and likeable. These expectations throughout medical school can foster emotions like guilt, stress and the feeling of never being enough.
I wanted to create this piece as a reminder to myself and all medical students: to take a breath, to breathe. Oftentimes we forget to find beauty in everyday life, since we are all so involved in our bustling workdays. We forget to take a pause during the day, to inhale and exhale with intention.
I created this piece for a friend who wanted to gift it to their friend. I find that art is able to connect people from all cultures and backgrounds, which is why I love creating my pieces and gifting them. We don’t often times need words to convey art, which is why I enjoy visual pieces as I myself am not great with words.
I created this piece as a donation to Female Tales Untold, a student-led event which raises money for SafeHouse Denver, an organization which serves women experiencing domestic violence in the Denver metropolitan area. This event is led my students from Rocky Vista University, the medical school I attend.
I created this piece as a gift to a dear friend of mine. It serves as a reminder to me to always be grateful for friendship and family. Yin and Yang describes how obviously contrary forces may in actuality have complementary effects on one another.
This ekphrastic work begins with the creation of the poem. I drew inspiration from not only my standardized patient interactions but also my own perspective in life. It is often easy to go into a patient interaction with the perspective of “something is wrong with the patient.”
This piece depicts placenta and umbilical cord. The title refers to the stages of labor; stage 3 marks the separation of the placenta and umbilical cord from the uterus.
I made this heart in an undergraduate sculpture class, dreaming of the day I would finally don my own white coat. A year later, it now sits on my desk in the exact line of sight I take each day as I peer above my computer screen, with my stethoscope draped around the base and my Gray’s Anatomy book perched next to it.
Contributing Writer
Albany Medical College
Rachel Eisenberg is a first year medical student at Albany Medical College in Albany, NY class of 2025. In 2021, she graduated from Union College with a Bachelor of Science in biology and history along with a Masters in Business Administration in Healthcare Management from Clarkson University. She enjoys drawing, hiking, and baking in her free time. After graduating medical school, Rachel would like to pursue a career in pediatric radiation oncology.
