There are two things I like without a doubt -- learning and art. These interests have sparked my enthusiasm for the field of medical illustration. I first realized that I wanted to combine my interest in science and creativity when I did an independent project during high school. In this project, I used beans to create a mosaic of fertilization and constructed a ceramic model of a mitochondria. From then on, I understood that with a career in medical illustration, I could concurrently learn science-related material while creating artwork. This experience drove me to seek illustration projects from biology professors during my undergraduate work and ultimately has led me to study medical illustration as a UIC graduate student.

In the early days of this profession, traditional drawings were made primarily for textbooks. In those days, medical illustrators used pen, ink or carbon dust -- a way of laying down tone in gradual layers. Now, the field has expanded and grown along side advancements in technology. Among many roles, medical illustrators can create advertisements for pharmaceuticals, patient education materials, animated videos, and web sites to educate the public with health-related information. In their work, many illustrators today use the computer almost exclusively. Thus, a science and art background lends well to animation, 3D modeling, and a variety of computer-assisted media.

Medical illustration also has expanded from appearing primarily in textbooks to reach a broader audience. For example, posters illustrating the Heimlich maneuver posted in public spaces can be life saving. In other venues, medical illustrations are kept in museums or published in professional journals to facilitate better understanding of medically related concepts by students, health professionals, and the general public. There is also a growing field of "edu-tainment," where an individual with medical training can develop concepts that are factual as well as visually interesting.

Through my work, I aspire to make scientific concepts comprehensible, enabling more individuals to understand how organisms, our bodies, and the natural world operate. Arranging art studios with labs has not been easy, but I have enjoyed taking a wide variety of classes. Studying a variety of topics has helped me generate new ideas and see patterns that transcend disciplines. I want to teach and to help others effectively through my visuals, and I hope I can be playful with my work even with technical subject matters or media. I would like to help people receive higher quality care from physicians by helping patients better understand medical conditions and biological processes. I have considered other career avenues, but nothing combines my scientific interest and creative skills as elegantly as medical illustration.

Sheila is a first-year graduate student in the master's program of biomedical visualization Her email is sheila@alumni.rice.edu, and her website is www2.uic.edu/~sherma2.