Kendall program blends art, science to fill high-demand jobs

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In the health care industry, medical illustration is called a promising path into medicine.

So what is medical illustration? Simply put, it’s a blend of science and art.

“It is communicating what doctors and medical professionals, science professionals do,” said David Gianfredi, assistant professor at Kendall College of Art and Design. “Once they do what they do, they have to get that word out.”

While it might be hard to believe, you’re exposed to medical illustration nearly every day.

“Anytime you pick up a brochure that illustrates anything, and you go to the doctor and you have shoulder pain and he hands you a brochure or if you decide to go to WebMD and look online to see about getting answers for yourself, chances are you’re looking at illustrations that have been produced by people with degrees in medical illustration,” said Patricia Brewer, PhD and professor at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.

But the field is not limited to textbooks and pamphlets.

“TV shows like CSI and those type of shows,” Gianfredi said. “You see the bullet go into the body; you see the lung and the heart or whatever. That all had to be animated by a medical illustrator.”

In west Michigan, the pathway to medical illustration is a collaborative effort, bringing together Ferris State University, Kendall College of Art and Design, Grand Rapids Community College and Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.

“It`s so much more than just drawing medical things,” said Emily Frew, a medical illustration student at Kendall. “It`s learning about that science and we`re right over there with MSU taking medical classes alongside medical students.”

But before they do, students at Kendall must master basic science courses.

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