Ted was diagnosed with Gaucher's disease when he was a child -- it's caused by a hereditary deficiency of an enzyme that causes painful symptoms and, in his case, resulted in multiple surgeries for joint replacements. Because of his illness and his years of experience with the medical establishment, he approached UCLA with a program of a series art exhibits designed to enhance their core classes for medical students, and they agreed to implement it. The medical school has been exposing students to plays, movies and short stories for at least ten years as part of its doctoring curriculum, which focuses on cultural sensitivity, interviewing skills, and medical ethics. Ted's goal is to encourage medical students to see their patients compassionately, as fully human, not just bodies they do procedures on.
The gallery is in the new medical education building, the Learning Resource Center, so the exhibit will be seen by students and faculty, by members of the local public who arrange a tour, and worldwide by anyone who finds it online. My contribution to the show is entitled, "What Not to Say to a Person in Pain!"
The piece has provoked some discussion already, including a new "favorite" shared with me by another artist who's in the show: "I got one of those helpful comments recently: 'How does it serve you?'" Those blame-the-patient comments are the worst!
