Art & Poetry in Medicine

Shilpa Darivemula, MD, MS Shilpa Darivemula, MD, MS (2 Posts)

Fellow Physician Contributing Writer

The University of North Carolina

Shilpa is a General Research Fellow in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of North Carolina and Creative Director of the Aseemkala Initiative, an organization that creates choreographies and conducts research on traditional arts to address health equity for women of color. Shilpa trained in Kuchipudi at the Academy of Kuchipudi Dance in Atlanta and at the Kalanidhi Dance school in Bethesda, MD. Shilpa served as AMWA National Artist-in-Residence in 2016, studied traditional dance as women’s medicine as a Thomas Watson Fellow in 2013, and studied art as a vehicle to teach cervical cancer awareness as a ASTMH Kean Fellow in 2018. She continues to perform medical narratives, conduct research, and run workshops exploring cultural humility and justice in healthcare through her work with the Aseemkala Initiative.




Chinnamasta’s Do-Not-Resuscitate Order: Using Classical Indian Dance to Improve Intensive Care Unit Non-Verbal Communication

Published by Shilpa Darivemula, MD, MS

Communication is often noted as the connecting thread between multiple factors in the intensive care unit (ICU) environment, especially when the patient is unable to voice decisions. High-quality communication about goals of care and implementation of interventions versus palliative options has been shown to decrease family depression, improve adherence to MOLST forms by patients who become nonverbal, and decrease clinician burnout. Several models of communication have been implemented, focusing on semantics, environments, impacts on stress, …

The Life of a Medical Student: A Photo Essay

Published by Ankur Vaidya, MD

During my medical school journey at the University of Maryland, I created this photography series as an introspective representation of my experiences and to portray some of the unseen challenges and realities of medical training that, for example, are not seen on “medfluencer’s” pages — some feelings, experiences, and stories I wish I would have known prior to embarking on this career path.

Eunice Stallman, MD Eunice Stallman, MD (3 Posts)

Resident Physician Contributing Author

University of Washington School of Medicine

Eunice Stallman, MD completed her BS in neurobiology at the University of Washington, her medical degree at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, and is currently a fourth-year psychiatry resident at the University of Washington-Idaho Advanced Clinician Track. Her interests lie in advocacy and wellness for residents, maternal mental health, and gender equality. She spends much of her non-work time exploring beautiful Boise with her husband and three young children, ages one, three, and five.