Health Humanities

“What is a ‘Graphic Novel?'” is a two-page condensed introduction to what comics are, how they work, and how to read them. Originally drawn by Jessica Abel in 2002, it serves as great introduction for newcomers who are just getting into the comics world, helping them understand what graphic novels are. It explains basic comics elements and how to navigate a page (a thing that is still sometimes be confusing for veteran comic book readers and cartoonists).

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License

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So, what is graphic medicine?

"...the intersection of the medium of comics and the discourse of healthcare. Graphic medicine combines the principles of narrative medicine with an exploration of the visual systems of comic art, interrogating the representation of physical and emotional signs and symptoms within the medium. It's an approach to the education of health professionals...as well as an emerging area of interdisciplinary study. Graphic medicine is also a movement for change that challenges the dominant methods of scholarship in healthcare, offering a more inclusive perspective of medicine, illness, disability, caregiving, and being cared for."

• from Graphic Medicine Manifesto, pages 1-2

Al-Jawad, M. (2015). Comics are Research: Graphic Narratives as a New Way of Seeing Clinical Practice. The Journal of Medical Humanities, 36(4), 369-374. https://creighton-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/1q4b688/TN_cdi_proquest_miscellaneous_1733188804

Czerwiec, M., & Huang, M. (2017). Hospice Comics: Representations of Patient and Family Experience of Illness and Death in Graphic Novels. The Journal of Medical Humanities, 38(2), 95-113. https://creighton-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/1q4b688/TN_cdi_springer_journals_10_1007_s10912_014_9303_7

Hoffman, A. (2023). Using Graphic Narratives in Pharmacy Education. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 87(4). https://creighton-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/1q4b688/TN_cdi_crossref_primary_10_5688_ajpe8797

Irwin, J., Roughley, M., & Smith, K. (2020). 'To donate or not to donate? that is the question!': An organ and body donation comic. Journal of Visual Communication in Medicine, 43(3), 103-118. https://creighton-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/1q4b688/TN_cdi_proquest_miscellaneous_2425589819

Kaur, H. (2023). Educational comics and dentistry. Journal of Primary Care Dentistry and Oral Health, 4(1), 4-7. https://creighton-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/1q4b688/TN_cdi_doaj_primary_oai_doaj_org_article_7a810f480a65452591da029ea15aea82

Maatman, T., Vugrnick, B., Manak, C., Wrzosek, M., Usher, C., Williams, J., & Fletcher, K. (2020). Emotional Content of Comics Drawn by Medical Students and Residents. Academic Psychiatry, 44(5), 572-576. https://creighton-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/1q4b688/TN_cdi_springer_journals_10_1007_s40596_020_01261_6

Nichols, J., Johnson, T., Lee, W., Czerwiec, M., Arora, V., & Alkureishi, M. (2019). Connecting the Dots: Evaluating the Impact of Graphic Medicine to Empower Patient-Centered Technology Use. Pediatrics (Evanston), 144(2_MeetingAbstract), Pediatrics (Evanston), 2019, Vol.144 (2_MeetingAbstract). https://creighton-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/1q4b688/TN_cdi_crossref_primary_10_1542_peds_144_2MA1_00e

Saltzman, E. (2023). Graphic Medicine and Radiology Nursing: Using Comics for Education and Stress Mitigation. Journal of Radiology Nursing, 42(1), 62-66. https://creighton-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/1q4b688/TN_cdi_elsevier_sciencedirect_doi_10_1016_j_jradnu_2022_07_009

Venkatesan, S., & Murali, C. (2022). Graphic Medicine and the Critique of Contemporary U.S. Healthcare. The Journal of Medical Humanities, 43(1), 27-42. https://creighton-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/f/1q4b688/TN_cdi_scopus_primary_2002552934