Given my conviction that art and creativity are core to our humanity, I attended a panel discussion at the Science Gallery talking about the essential role that creativity plays within healthcare and how that is being developed at hospitals in London.
One of the projects students undertake is illustrated in The Art of Care exhibition. I wanted to share this initiative where art is integrated into a science curriculum, namely medical school.
The explanatory text below is from the Science Gallery website.
This exhibition presents creative reflections on care, community, and clinical learning by 496 second-year medical students from King’s College London, produced during their year-long GP placement in 2025–2026. One day a week, students were placed in GP surgeries across London, engaging with patients through clinical encounters. These placements offered a unique insight into the everyday realities that shape health, illness, and access to care.
Working in teams and supported by clinicians and artists, students responded to their experiences through a wide range of creative media — including painting, sculpture, poetry, photography, film, and interactive work. The exhibition explores themes such as multiculturalism in healthcare, living with chronic illness, and digital and social barriers faced by vulnerable communities
The exhibition invites viewers to consider the power of creativity in medical education. By bringing together clinical encounters and artistic expression, the exhibition reveals how early patient contact and reflective practice can help shape empathetic, thoughtful doctors — and encourages us all to see care through a different lens.
Patient responses to the NHS Eatwell Plate. It’s so much clearer and more comprehensible in this format than the standard recommendations.
This project shows how creative thinking within an art practice enriches students’ understanding in science courses.