VCU news

By Anne Dreyfuss
C. Kenneth and Dianne Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research

Four Virginia Commonwealth University researchers whose projects explore areas where art and science intersect will present their most recent findings at the 2015 Arts and Health Fellows Showcase on April 21. The VCU Arts and Health Fellows program supports interdisciplinary projects that utilize art and design skills to improve methods of teaching and health care delivery. The showcase, which is open to the media, will take place from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at The Depot Building, 814 W. Broad St.

This year’s fellows and research partners include:

·        Laura Chessin, associate professor in the Department of Graphic Design in the VCU School of the Arts, has partnered with the VCU Institute for Women’s Health and CenteringPregnancy at VCU on a project titled The Healthy Baby Project. Students met with new families for three consecutive weeks last semester to discuss what it takes to raise a healthy child in Richmond. Drawing from the conversations, the students created visual material that represents how the community can come together to support healthy outcomes for babies.

·        Cynthia Donnell, associate professor in the Department of Music in the School of the Arts, and Jaime Moore, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at the School of Medicine, have collaborated to study vocal health in voice students. Their work has potential implications for the study of vocal health generally, with the immediate goal being to improve services at VCU for voice students and others who use their voices professionally.

·        Robin Enriquez, who is an alumna of the Department of Communication Arts in the School of the Arts, is designing more user-friendly carriers for epinephrine auto-injectors. Many young people with serious allergies do not carry their emergency allergy medication because of inconvenience and lack of style. Enriquez hopes to address that problem with female auto-injector carriers inspired by Vera Bradley wristlets and male carriers small enough to fit into a pocket.

·        Morgan Yacoe, who is an alumna of the Department of Sculpture and Extended Media in the School of the Arts, teaches clay sculpture classes to residents from VCU Medical Center and produces a range of three-dimensional models to use in medical education.