Complete - College of Medicine - University of Illinois at Urbana ...

T H E P O W E R O F
C o l l a b o ra t i o n
A Trio of Special Partnerships
The Healing Power of Art
Julia Kellman, Ph.D., and Sari Gilman Aronson, M.D.
On our campus, a
collaboration between
two professors is helping
HIV/AIDS patients and
allowing our medical
students to explore the
potential healing
properties of art.
Medical research suggests that patients, including those with breast cancer,
rheumatoid arthritis, and asthma, who are engaged in tasks of emotional
expression, such as group interaction or journaling, have a better disease
outcome than would be expected. Such research is prompting increased
national and local interest in the role the arts can play in healthcare.
Nationally, a recent symposium hosted by the National Endowment for the
Arts and the Society for the Arts in Healthcare brought together 40 experts in
medicine, the arts, social services, media, business, and government to develop
a strategic plan for advancing cultural programming in healthcare. The concept
paper they developed states that art contributes to the perception of quality of
medical care by bringing more warmth, stimulation, and comfort to a healthcare
facility, and that art can have a positive impact on the mood of patients, their
families, and the healthcare professionals who care for them.
On our campus, a collaboration between two professors is helping HIV/AIDS
patients and allowing our medical students to explore the potential healing
properties of art. Sari Gilman Aronson, M.D., head of the Department
of Psychiatry at the College of Medicine, and Julia Kellman, Ph.D.,
associate professor in the School of Art and Design and associate professor
of psychiatry, initiated a project that investigates the role of art for patients
living with HIV/AIDS.
Dr. Aronson, the psychiatric consultant to the Carle Comprehensive HIV/AIDS
Clinic since 1993, fortuitously met Professor Kellman, who had done her previous
research with autistic children. With the support of the HIV/AIDS treatment team
at Carle Clinic Association, a weekly four-hour art workshop for patients with
HIV/AIDS was initiated with funding from the Carle Development Foundation
and the School of Art and Design. The art workshop provides an opportunity for
patients to use art for narrative purposes, to create personal meaning and sense
in the midst of distressing and chaotic life circumstances, to share their stories
with others, and to engage in a pleasurable, creative activity.
Professors Aronson and Kellman developed a seminar for third- and fourth-year
medical students that examines the art of individuals with diverse medical
problems. Students are encouraged to consider a variety of ways that art may
be helpful in healing or reestablishing the health and balance of the entire
individual.
4 T h e P o w e r o f C o l l a b o r a t i o n