AMI Fellowship empowers BMC alumni to diversify medical imagery

AMI Diversity Fellow Tal Bavli Ziv, MScBMC ‘23. Photo credit: N. Woolridge

A visit to her doctor after childbirth two years ago led to unpleasant and complex emotions for a new mother who is now also a medical illustrator.

"I had a question about dark marks that appeared on my skin after two pregnancies in two years," says Tal Bavli Ziv, MScBMC '23.

She says that even though the obstetrician led with "I just have to ask...," Bavli Ziv was still stunned when she was asked if she had tried to wash off the marks.

"In that vulnerable postpartum state, I felt a bit ashamed and embarrassed. It made me doubt myself and hesitate to ask another question," says the international student from Israel. "I now realize that what can be a common postpartum hormonal symptom was something my doctor had never learned to recognize on browner skin."

In early 2023, in the second year of her Master of Science in Biomedical Communications degree, Bavli Ziv was thinking about diverse representations as her master’s research project began to take shape.

She was designing an animation on retinal detachment surgery. She needed to communicate to patients the importance of complying with demanding post-operative care crucial to saving their vision.

At the same time, her project raised questions on how to depict patients and medical personnel in a diverse and inclusive way. She researched the diversity approaches of several medical illustrators and applied some of the solutions to her patient education animation.

It was at the conclusion of her project that Bavli Ziv received the call for applications to the AMI Diversity Fellowship and says that it came at just the right time.

"I viewed it as an opportunity to continue working on these issues, meet others who are as passionate about it as I am, and to get some training from professionals working on EDI [equity, diversity and inclusion] in medical illustration,” she says.

In September, Bavli Ziv was named one of ten inaugural Association of Medical Illustrators (AMI) Diversity Fellows. Joining her from the Biomedical Communications program are alumni Sana Khan, MScBMC '22 and Lilith Lawrence, MScBMC '23. They, along with seven other medical illustrators from across the world, will create original illustrations to enrich a new digital library.

AMI Diversity Fellows (left) Sana Khan, MScBMC ‘22 and (right) Lilith Lawrence, MScBMC ‘23. Photos courtesy of Sana Khan and Lilith Lawrence.

"This group of talented artists spans the globe. Beyond their outstanding technical skills, they demonstrate a commitment and passion for the mission of the Diversity Fellowship," Jill Gregory, the chair of the AMI Diversity Fellowship Advisory Council, wrote in her September 19, 2023 announcement.

The new library will showcase illustrations that reflect skin tone diversity in a variety of patients with different health conditions. The images in the library will be available to medical educators to train the next generation of healthcare professionals.

"For decades, a majority of the illustrations used in medical education have depicted mostly white, male, able-bodied figures," the AMI writes on their Diversity Fellows web page. "Illustrators can help lead and facilitate public conversations about the importance of reflecting diversity in skin colour in their work, and raising individual and organizational awareness of this sensitivity among colleagues and peers."

The fellowships, made possible through a grant from Johnson & Johnson, include: $25,000 USD; one-year AMI membership; registration, travel and lodging at the 2024 AMI annual meeting; and access to a number of training and mentorship opportunities.

Reflecting on her experience with her doctor, Bavli Ziv sees how such an interaction could be pivotal for patients. "It could seed mistrust, make someone avoid seeking care, which for some people with some conditions, could lead to unnecessary bad outcomes.

"I think the AMI Diversity Fellowship is a really good step in the right direction, creating this library of images that is free to the public, meant only to help educate, and expand the ways we see diversity around us."

Tal Bavli Ziv is currently a medical illustrator at an online anatomy learning platform.