Biomedical physiology unpacks the intersections of medicine and humanities – in Cortona

UGA Cortona began in 1970 with a friendship between sculptor and art professor emeritus John D. "Jack" Kehoe, the late founder of the university’s Cortona study abroad program, and the former mayor of Cortona. Today, UGA students study year-round in Athens’ sister city to practice art across various mediums. This fall, the College of Veterinary Medicine’s biomedical physiology course joined the roster:

“UGA Cortona has strategically broadened its foundational curriculum in studio art and art history by incorporating interdisciplinary approaches,” said Chris Robinson, UGA Cortona director and ceramics instructor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ Lamar Dodd School of Art. “This cross-college partnership underscores our commitment to experiential learning while fostering a rich academic environment that bridges the arts with diverse fields of study.”

Spearheaded by Dax Ovid, an assistant professor in the department of physiology and pharmacology, the semester-long course brought seven biomedical physiology students to Cortona for an experience that would dissolve the boundary between art and science. Manual dexterity, visual acuity, empathy — these are the skills that both artists and medical professionals must possess to succeed.

For some students pursuing health care careers, the path seems narrow: choose science and leave art behind. This course, however, reveals the natural harmony between medicine and the humanities.

“The Italian Renaissance is famous for its collaboration between artists and scientists working together to better understand the human body,” Ovid said. “Creating this opportunity for both physiology and art students to learn anatomy together made perfect sense.”

For some of the biomedical physiology students, putting pen to paper to sketch anatomical concepts was entirely new territory. “A lot of us have never taken an art class before, and that’s why it has been so rewarding,” said K’niya Tuitt, a fourth-year biomedical physiology major on the pre-med track. “I’ve learned things through these courses that I could not see myself being exposed to in a normal science class, and everything we learn pertains to the human body and medicine.”

Continue reading this wonderful story, encompassing the roots of the classical liberal arts education model, as well as its future.

Image: Kris Schramer (right), associate director of UGA Cortona and co-teacher of the biomedical physiology course, demonstrates figure drawing techniques to student Lydia Venzon (left) in the figure drawing studio. (Photo by Angel Bhardwaj)