Drawn to Graphic Medicine: Bringing Comics into Medical Librarianship

Through examples and discussion, you will learn how comics are being used by clinicians and the public and be given resources for further discovery and exploration into the field of graphic medicine.

Graphic medicine, the intersection of health care and comics, has emerged over the last ten years as a growing field in the health sciences, particularly in relation to health humanities and education. Librarians can play a vital role in supporting graphic medicine by collecting and distributing graphic medicine materials and including graphic medicine in their work or instruction efforts. In this webinar, we will discuss where graphic medicine came from and why it is valuable, how you can start collecting graphic medicine at your library, and how you can integrate it into your work in the library.

#MLAComics

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

  • Define Graphic Medicine
  • Learn at least one activity for encouraging drawing or critical engagement with comics
  • Access and use resources that support collection development and programming
  • Explain how comics can be used to support clinicians and health consumers in various ways
  • Discuss how comics can amplify marginalized voices or ideas in health and healthcare

Audience: 

This webinar is open to any librarian or health professional that is unfamiliar with graphic medicine and wants to know more about the history, resources and uses of comics in health settings.

Presenter

Kathryn Houk, AHIP, is assistant professor and health sciences librarian at the University of Nevada–Las Vegas Health Sciences Library. She began developing a graphic medicine collection two and a half years ago due to her interest in health humanities, health literacy, and innovative educational practice. Houk is a member of the Academy of Health Information Professionals, is a member of the 2019–2020 MLA Rising Star cohort, and has the Level I Consumer Health Specialization. She is currently enrolled in a master of public health degree program concentrating in community health education and hopes to eventually contribute to the field by furthering research on the use of comics as a health literacy tool.

Ariel FitzGerald Pomputius is a health sciences liaison librarian at the Health Science Center Libraries, University of Florida–Gainesville. She leads a graphic medicine book club for the geriatric clerkship students and teaches courses to undergraduates on dying and women’s health using graphic medicine materials.

Registration Information

  • Length: 1.5 hour recorded webinar
  • Technical information: After you have registered, go to My Learning in MEDLIB-ED to access the live webinar, resources, evaluation, and certificate.
  • Register, participate, and earn 1.5 MLA continuing education (CE) contact hours and 1.5 Illinois CNE contact hours.
Not Enrolled

Course Includes

  • 4 Lessons
  • Course Certificate