From now until December, the Queen’s Building display space is showcasing graphic depictions of shame experienced by health professionals while in education.

The Shame and Medicine Project (University of Exeter) and The Shame Conversation developed by Dr Will Bynum (Duke University), and in collaboration with Charlotte Wu, MD (Harness Health Global) commissioned two graphic artists to work on Needlestick and Shame Spiral. The aim of this graphic medicine project was to depict shame experiences in medical learning, and for the artwork to be a resource to use in medical education and to contribute to the growing field of graphic medicine.

Shame and Medicine is an interdisciplinary research project based at the University of Exeter and the University of Birmingham, funded by the Wellcome Trust. The overall aim of the project is to research the role of shame in various aspects of health and medicine, including clinical practice, patient experience and medical student education. The project is hosted by the Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health. This is a unique transdisciplinary research environment where collaborations across humanities, medicine and the arts are enabled through generous support.

Shame Spiral by Hannah Mumby

These visual representations of the facets of shame are an amalgamation of multiple real-world stories, depicting emotional and cognitive processes of shame that often occur in private after more visible emotional upswells wane. These processes may cause acute destabilization, spiralling shame, and skewed self-evaluations and if unresolved over time, significant and prolonged distress may follow.

Needlestick by Hannah Berry

Needlestick is a new comic that portrays the experience of US-based dermatology resident, Olivia Davies while she was in medical school. Olivia scrubbed in on a surgery and stuck herself with a needle while closing the patient. In that moment, she doubted her abilities and considered quitting.

Needlestick project team Olivia Davies MD, Luna Dolezal PhD (Exeter), Will Bynum MD (Duke), and Charlotte Wu MD (Harness Health Global), and Hannah Berry artist.

Shame Spiral project team Luna Dolezal PhD (University of Exeter), Will Bynum MD (Duke University), and Charlotte Wu MD (Harness Health Global), and Hannah Mumby artist.

This graphic medicine collaboration was funded by the Wellcome Trust [106517/Z/14/Z], the Exeter-Duke Collaboration Fund (2020-2021) and an Enhanced Research Award from the Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health (2021), University of Exeter.

The new display is available to view from now until the end of December 2022 in the Queen’s Building display space situated in the West Wing foyer of the Queen’s Building on the University’s Streatham campus.