Activities

The Student Society of Public Health and the Group of Interest in Psychiatry of the San Juan Bautista School of Medicine coordinated the Symposium on Resilience to Disaster. The activity took place on April 7, 2018 in the San Juan Bautista School of Medicine facilities. The objective was to celebrate National Public Health Week and highlight important topics in the public health related issues that arose as result of the natural disaster that affected the island, pointing out health risk factors and protection methods. The SJBSM Health Humanities Program joint to the organizers’ efforts inviting attendants to the Symposium to participate in a community art project creating a large format piece of art. Students coached and facilitated the activity.

- A Community Based Art and Healing Project –

Arts, Humanities and Medicine have been always linked. Visual arts, dance, writing, music – along with spiritual practices and guided imagery are recognized tools to heal at physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Art is not a luxury, is a need, is the deep expression of our feeling and emotions, and is the reflection of our soul.

On September 20, 2017, Hurricane Maria landed in Puerto Rico causing unprecedented catastrophic damage and a major humanitarian crisis. Natural disasters cause months of grief and loss on survivors. Maria has been an extreme experience that will divide many lives in two parts: before and after. Resilient survivors take on the heroic inner journey to get a good life back again. They talk, write, paint and create about what they went through.

The San Juan Bautista School of Medicine community invited student, faculty, staff and community to transform their experiences in a positive light through the art stimulating human relationships. An impressive collection of art objects including paint, photography, ceramic, music, dance, narrative and, other art expressions representing the experiences before, during and after the Hurricane enriched a collective art project that was curated and exhibited by art experts and presented in a special event organized by the institution.

The exhibition was dedicated to celebrating artistic feelings and expressions of students, faculty, and staff arising from experiences lived before, during and after Hurricanes Irma and María. This event had a special meaning, as it reminded viewers of the healing power of the arts and humanities and its proximity to the health sciences. A total of 35 works of art were included in the exhibit.

The Cover Art Publication of Academic Medicine portraying the original work art "Maria" by Cristina Diaz Marti, MSIV. The Cover Art appears on February 2020 issue and is published together with the artist's statement and, represents an academic medicine experience from her perspective during and after the catastrophic events caused by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and reflects her deep sensitivity and humanity.

On June 6, 2019, the San Juan Bautista School of Medicine celebrated its second collective art exhibition of our institutional community.

On that occasion, the exhibition was dedicated to highlighting stories of significant experiences in health and illness focused on the individual, the family and the community.

"Everyone has a story" was the title of this project directed to strengthen our values ​​of humanity and compassion and to recognize the healing power of the arts and humanities and its closeness to health sciences and disciplines.

Students, faculty, staff, families and friends met together to tell their stories through creative writing, poetry, music, dance and visual arts.

This was a celebration and interprofessional collaborative effort of faculty and students in the SJBSM Nursing, Public Health, and Medical programs; Health Humanities Program, Diversity and Inclusion Committee; and the Interest Group in Lifestyle Medicine. Students from the three programs participated as speakers on topics such as food science, nutrition and health promotion. Students, faculty, and staff from diverse backgrounds shared personal memories and recipes in the context of their unique cultural backgrounds, creating a fun and enriching way to build empathy and promote cultural and global awareness.