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COM Outlook . Spring 2015
THE ART
OF MEDICINE
The founding father of osteopathic medicine himself
clearly encouraged the importance of art along with a
sound knowledge of science, but until recently this prin-
ciple was an unfilled vacancy among the extracurricular
opportunities offered to our student body here at NSU’s
Health Professions Division (HPD).
To remedy this situation, the new Fine Arts and
Cultural Club recently emerged, forging ahead with
remarkable passion and fortitude. Our academic cur-
riculum praises the philosophy of humanities, and with
the creation of this club, we now have a means to actu-
ally practice the avocation. As a result, the Fine Arts and
Cultural Club recently expanded from being an NSU-
COM alliance to one encompassing all HPD members.
The club actively encourages student participation in
visual art, music, dance, literature, crafting, and theatre
and offers something to every student regardless of his
or her creative nature.
The Fine Arts and Cultural Club began with a vision
from OMS-II Britney Gibby as she sat upstairs in the
student lounge gazing down at the second-year medi-
cal students who were filled with embarrassment and
excitement as they took their clinical exams. It struck
Gibby that the perfect antidote to the constant stress
students faced was an outlet for creativity, which is
why she teamed up with fellow OMS-II Angie Alegria
to establish what would become the Fine Arts and
Cultural Club.
The duo began the grueling task of drawing up the
constitution, preparing the paperwork, and presenting
its idea to the college’s Student Government Association
to prove it deserved a spot in the big leagues alongside
the more established clubs. The club was granted proba-
tion status, and thanks to unflagging student support, it
will finally have a place in NSU’s official club roster in
the next academic year.
The mission statement is a positive reflection of the
art involved in healing professions, articulating the
following: “We will work as a team to improve observa-
tion, diagnostic, and modality skills within the students
who desire to have a career in medicine through their
creative efforts. We have a vision to enhance the compre-
hensive and balanced nature of the osteopathic approach
within community-based medicine.”
Despite its fledgling status, the Fine Arts and Cul-
tural Club has branched out and thrived. From creating
holiday cards for veterans and singing Christmas carols
to hospitalized children to crafting butterflies to post on
hospice-room doors, students have been invited to exer-
cise their talents while getting to know the local commu-
nity around them in a more personal way.
The club’s latest endeavor involved a collective art
show that revolved around the theme
Health Care Pro-
fessional and Patient Relationships
. Student artists from
the HPD’s various colleges provided myriad paint-
ings, prints, and photographs that showcased their
own personal vision of what their future occupation
means to them. The free art exhibit, which was hosted
by the HPD Library beginning on April 6, serves a dual
purpose because it brings us together through art and
stimulates creative thought during study breaks for
those using the library.
Any HPD student interested in joining the Fine Arts
and Cultural Club can do so for a membership fee of
$20. Please contact
for addi-
tional information.
HPD Students Showcase
Their Creativity
By OMS-II Ariel Lee
“…we want the student to carry a living picture of all or any part of the body in his mind, as an artist carries the
mental picture of the face, scenery, beast, or anything that he wishes to represent by his brush.”
A.T. Still, M.D., D.O.
– The Philosophy and Mechanical Principles of Osteopathy.
