Life imitates art in health-care recruitment workshop

UCLA surgical pathologist uses Frida Kahlo to help recruit scientists

2012-04-23

(Press-News.org) Renowned Mexican artist Frida Kahlo's artwork is explored from a medical humanities perspective in a workshop entitled "Frida Kahlo – The Forgotten Medical Student."

Dr. Fernando Antelo, a surgical pathologist at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, created the workshop out of a desire to talk about science and health in a manner that would interest students from diverse backgrounds and socioeconomic strata.

Dr. Antelo's abstract entitled "An Opportunity for Recruitment into the Health Sciences Using Art - A Medical Humanities Perspective of Frida Kahlo" will be presented at 1:05 p.m. Sunday at the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) annual meeting in San Diego. The ASBMB annual meeting is part of the Experimental Biology 2012 conference.

Dr. Antelo has been promoting the connection between art and science for the past five years. He actively uses the paintings of Kahlo to stimulate interest in science and health care professions. With the national population projected to increase to 392 million by 2050, the United States will need a work force trained to support a growing health care industry. Efforts to address this need often utilize open house events, informational packets, and live speakers, while artwork may be the new tool used in recruiting for the sciences.

"I have worked with several medical students and physicians in recruiting events, and we always talk about how to generate more interest among students and motivate them to contact us," said Dr. Antelo. "By drawing a connection between medicine and a familiar topic such as art - or between medicine and a familiar personality such as Frida Kahlo - we hope to inspire more interest and a desire to apply to graduate and professional programs."

In the workshop, Dr. Antelo discusses the artwork and life of Kahlo, including her childhood interest in science. In high school, Kahlo chose a course of premedical studies. A near fatal accident, unfortunately, dissuaded her from pursuing a career in medicine but a new career interest in art would emerge. Drawing from the emotions sensed during her traumatic accident and the consequent medical complications, Kahlo painted experiences that people could recognize and relate to – such as feeling pain, being hospitalized, and fearing isolation. She also incorporated images of gross anatomy and classical genetics in her paintings, a unique quality that characterized Kahlo's work as different from that of her contemporaries.

According to Dr. Antelo, the use of medical imagery by Kahlo provides evidence about her continued passion for science. "We see an incredible effort by Kahlo to accurately portray science in her works," explains Dr. Antelo. "This means that Kahlo was actively and meticulously studying medical books." Dr. Antelo uses this observation to encourage students to not only take greater interest in their studies but to also think about careers in science and health care.

###Dr. Antelo has presented the Kahlo workshop at various college campuses including the University of California Los Angeles, Stanford University, University of Southern California, Charles R. Drew University, and University of California Irvine.

About LA BioMed

Founded in 1952, LA BioMed is one of the country's leading nonprofit independent biomedical research institutes. It has approximately 100 principal researchers conducting studies into improved treatments and cures for cancer, inherited diseases, infectious diseases, illnesses caused by environmental factors and more. It also educates young scientists and provides community services, including prenatal counseling and childhood nutrition programs. LA BioMed is academically affiliated with the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and located on the campus of Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. For more information, please visit www.LABioMed.org

About Experimental Biology 2012 Experimental Biology is an annual gathering of six scientific societies that this year is expected to draw 14,000-plus independent scientists and exhibitors. The American Association of Anatomists (AAA) is a co-sponsor of the meeting, along with the American Physiological Society (APS), American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP), American Society for Nutrition (ASN) and the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET).

More information about EB2011 for the media can be found on the press page: http://experimentalbiology.org/EB/pages/Press-Registration.aspx.

About the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology The ASBMB is a nonprofit scientific and educational organization with more than 12,000 members worldwide. Most members teach and conduct research at colleges and universities. Others conduct research in various government laboratories, at nonprofit research institutions and in industry. The Society's student members attend undergraduate or graduate institutions. For more information about ASBMB, visit www.asbmb.org.

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Seeking HIV treatment clues in the neem tree

2012-04-23

Tall, with dark-green pointy leaves, the neem tree of India is known as the "village pharmacy." As a child growing up in metropolitan New Delhi, Sonia Arora recalls on visits to rural areas seeing villagers using neem bark to clean their teeth. Arora's childhood memories have developed into a scientific fascination with natural products and their power to cure illnesses. Now an assistant professor at Kean University in New Jersey, Arora is delving into understanding the curative properties of the neem tree in fighting the virus that causes AIDS. She will be presenting ...

Army researcher develops potential vaccine carrier

2012-04-23

A researcher at the Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC)/San Antonio Military Medical Center (SAMMC) will present findings this week on a new potential vaccine carrier that he hopes will extend the shelf life of and aid in the stockpiling of critical vaccines. U.S. Army Maj. Jean M. Muderhwa is slated to present at 12:25 p.m. Sunday, April 22, at the Experimental Biology 2012 meeting on a microemulsion he developed and that has been found to be both stable and a good candidate for delivering a variety of antigens. His findings will be presented at the American Society for ...

Malibu DUI Attorney, Amir Soleimanian, is Now Accepting All Felony DUI Cases in Southern California

2012-04-23

One of the most severe and devastating charges that a driver can receive behind the wheel is a DUI. These violations can lead to a lifetime of strife for those that walk out of the courthouse with a conviction, but when a DUI is enhanced to a felony charge, drivers are going to be in for a legal situation that should never be undertaken without a DUI specialist by their side. This is why DUI attorney in Malibu, Amir Soleimanian, is now offering his services to all locals that have recently been charged with a felony DUI and are in need of legal representation. Driving ...

Avocado oil: The 'olive oil of the Americas'?

2012-04-23

SAN DIEGO, April 22, 2012 – Atmospheric oxygen facilitated the evolution and complexity of terrestrial organisms, including human beings, because it allowed nutrients to be used more efficiently by those organisms, which in turn were able to generate more energy. However, as we find out more about how oxygen molecules work inside the body, more attention is being paid to their not-so-good effects, and researchers are seeking ways to thwart them. A number of environmental factors -- such as pollution, cigarette smoke and radiation -- can turn the oxygen molecules found ...

Northridge Dentists, Dr. Ariz and Dr. Arami, Offer Patients i-CAT Technology for All Treatments

2012-04-23

A smile is not something that anyone is ever going to want to have to worry about. All individuals want to be able to smile with confidence. Unfortunately, many may still avoid regular trips to their dentist due to time constraints or anxiety over dental treatments. This is why Northridge dentist, Dr. Arami, and Dr. Ariz are now utilizing i-CAT technology in order to make checkups as quick and seamless as possible. Those that avoid their regular dental checkups are going to be putting themselves at risk for a number of serious oral health issues. These include anything ...

Obtaining key nutrients from canned foods can save consumers money

2012-04-23

San Diego, CA — Amid the steady drumbeat from nutrition experts and others to consume a healthier diet – particularly one rich in fruits and vegetables – there often is a bias to eat more of the fresh variety for optimal nutrition. But is fresh always best? Not necessarily. Dr. Cathy Kapica, PhD, RD, adjunct professor of nutrition at Tufts University, and Wendy Weiss, MA, RD, both with Ketchum Global Health and Wellness, conducted a market-basket study comparing the cost of obtaining key nutrients from canned, fresh, frozen and dried varieties of common foods. The study ...

Second-generation drug used for hypertension aids heart function independent of blood pressure

2012-04-23

SAN DIEGO— Heart failure is the most common cause of death throughout the world, typically the result of chronic high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. As a result, research efforts have focused on an array of approaches aimed at preventing and treating high blood pressure. Recently, Japanese researchers examined the utility of an anti-hypertensive drug, moxonidine, which acts on the imidazoline receptors in the cardiovascular center of the brainstem. They found, using an animal model, that the drug can improve heart function and survival independent of its effect ...

Estrogen hormone reveals protective ability after traumatic brain injury

2012-04-23

SAN DIEGO — With more than 1.7 million people sustaining a traumatic brain injury each year, the need to identify processes to limit inflammation and subsequent damage is critical. Approximately 275,000 people are hospitalized annually with traumatic brain injury, leaving 85,000 with long-term disabilities and taking the lives of more than 50,000. More than 5 million people live with disabilities caused by traumatic brain injuries, often the result of car accidents and falls. Direct and indirect costs exceed $75 billion. Dr. Joshua Gatson, Assistant Professor of Surgery ...

New technique may help severely damaged nerves regrow and restore function

2012-04-23

Engineers at the University of Sheffield have developed a method of assisting nerves damaged by traumatic accidents to repair naturally, which could improve the chances of restoring sensation and movement in injured limbs. In a collaborative study with Laser Zentrum Hannover (Germany) published today (23 April 2012) in the journal Biofabrication, the team describes a new method for making medical devices called nerve guidance conduits or NGCs. The method is based on laser direct writing, which enables the fabrication of complex structures from computer files via the ...

Keeping older drivers on the road

2012-04-23

A research car which monitors our concentration, stress levels and driving habits while we're sat behind the steering wheel is being used to develop new technologies to support older drivers. The Intelligent Transport team at Newcastle University, UK, have converted an electric car into a mobile laboratory. Dubbed 'DriveLAB', the car is kitted out with tracking systems, eye trackers and bio-monitors in an effort to understand the challenges faced by older drivers and to identify where the key stress points are. Research shows that giving up driving is one of the key ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

WPIA: Accelerating DNN warm-up in web browsers by precompiling WebGL programs

First evidence of olaparib maintenance therapy in patients with newly diagnosed homologous recombination deficient positive/BRCA wild-type ovarian cancer: real-world multicenter study