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The State and Significance of Inclusive Medical Illustrations in Medical Education

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Title: The State and Significance of Inclusive Medical Illustrations in Medical Education
Language: English
Authors: Emily May, Lydia Busey, Marcia Day Childress
Source: Discover Education. 2025 4.
Availability: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 11
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Descriptive
Descriptors: Inclusion, Illustrations, Medical Education, Patients, Ethics, Hidden Curriculum
DOI: 10.1007/s44217-025-00747-5
ISSN: 2731-5525
Abstract: Medical illustration is remarkable for its lack of diversity in representing human bodies and medical conditions. Historically and at present, medical illustrations predominantly feature a white, male, able-bodied, and young subset of the patient population. These illustrations are not representative of the patient population of the United States of America (U.S.). This review comments on the present state of medical illustration in medical education in the U.S. We suggest that medical illustration can be a valuable tool in countering medical learners' biases, incorporating ethical considerations and the values of the biopsychosocial model, and correcting assumptions and stereotypes about patients that are the products of medical schools' hidden and conscripted curricula. This discussion considers the impacts of medical illustration's current state on creators, utilizers, and consumers while also proposing advancements that will likely benefit each cohort. We discuss ongoing initiatives focused on inclusive medical illustrations and recommend building on current efforts to incorporate comprehensive images into undergraduate and graduate medical curricula.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1491555
Database: ERIC
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  Data: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
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  Data: Medical illustration is remarkable for its lack of diversity in representing human bodies and medical conditions. Historically and at present, medical illustrations predominantly feature a white, male, able-bodied, and young subset of the patient population. These illustrations are not representative of the patient population of the United States of America (U.S.). This review comments on the present state of medical illustration in medical education in the U.S. We suggest that medical illustration can be a valuable tool in countering medical learners' biases, incorporating ethical considerations and the values of the biopsychosocial model, and correcting assumptions and stereotypes about patients that are the products of medical schools' hidden and conscripted curricula. This discussion considers the impacts of medical illustration's current state on creators, utilizers, and consumers while also proposing advancements that will likely benefit each cohort. We discuss ongoing initiatives focused on inclusive medical illustrations and recommend building on current efforts to incorporate comprehensive images into undergraduate and graduate medical curricula.
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