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Painting Sojourner is featured in the Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine Oct 2019, volume 16 issue 5

My humanities article in the prestigious Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Kari Visscher is a artist. She’s also a physician. And she’s turning a promising career as a radiologist into a work of art.

Dr. Kari Visscher has combined her passion for art and imaging to create a unique educational tool
Using art to educate patients and physicians

Kari Visscher, MD, cannot remember a time when she was not passionate about art. As a resident, at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, completing her radiology training, she found a way to combine her passion with her career – all while demystifying the often times misunderstood world of imaging.

The radiologist-artist has been creating photo-realistic oil paintings that depict in intimate detail the nuances of her daily life as a radiologist for educational purposes.

The idea for this project came during residency when she noticed a lack of understanding among many patients and colleagues about what radiologists do on a daily basis.

“One of the gaps I noticed was that my patients and colleagues have a limited understanding of how radiology fits into the health care team,” explained Dr. Visscher. “I...

An oil painting on canvas "The IR Consultation" by Kari Visscher, MD, of London, Ontario, was another standout among the top 25 vote-getters. The majority of the painting, including the equipment and technician preparing for an IR procedure, are in grayscale, while the patient and radiologist conversing in the foreground are in colour. Using her training as a medical illustrator, Dr. Visscher is creating a series of paintings to provide a visual representation of radiologists and patients in real scenarios. "Many people don't know what radiologists do because they can't see us," Dr. Visscher said. "We can use art to capture the value of radiology and demonstrate how we contribute to patient care. I want to use the series to educate and empower patients."