Adam Bennett
Hello, I’m Adam, currently one of the medical humanities students. I moved to Bristol this year from Leeds where I studied medicine. Bristol has been an invaluable and eye-opening space for me this year. I could really feel the currents of creativity and the passion of people who want to do what they love. Since moving here I have picked up airbrushing which is what I mainly used in my piece for the exhibition and is inspired by all the street art and graffiti around where I live in St Paul’s. The course has been a brilliant and engaging experience - getting to explore English and Philosophy which has broadened my knowledge and interests.  

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Carlotta Clare
I’m Carlotta, a vet student from the Royal Veterinary College. I always loved humanities and languages, and was always torn between pursuing science or humanities at university, but never thought that I’d be able to incorporate both of them. The night before university application deadlines, I flipped a coin to decide whether to study Vet Med or English – it came up heads so off to RVC I went! This year has made me realise how much I miss the humanities, and has given me hope that I don’t need to definitively choose between the humanities or medicine. It’s inspired me to look at alternative career paths, rather than simply focusing on veterinary. Who knows, maybe I’ll be back in a few years for a masters!

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Esme Davison
Hello, I’m Esme one of the Medical Humanities Students, I study Medicine in Liverpool and am originally from Oxfordshire. I grew up surrounded by Art; with both my parents being artists, I spent a lot of my childhood around exhibitions, classes or accompanying my mother to Cheltenham Art  College where she taught. The influence of creativity to express otherwise indescribable feelings has long permeated how I experience life, and has been something I have actively tried to maintain while subject to the demands of completing a medical degree. The Proud Flesh exhibition has made possible the desire of mine to exhibit a piece of my art.  Having drawn throughout my childhood and taken life drawing classes this year, I am very excited to showcase the product of these skills and the philosophical topic of embodiment which I am writing my dissertation on.

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Yasmin Dignan 
My name is Yasmin, I am one of the Medical Humanities students. I have been at Bristol Medical School for three years before undertaking this degree. I have been interested in taking this intercalation course since I first heard of it during a lecture in first year. I carried on my humanities studies right up until leaving school as these subjects have always been something I have enjoyed and taken interest in, especially English. This year has enriched my enthusiasm for English and Philosophy, as I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to explore new topics, in a learning style quite far-removed from medicine. This year has been a much welcomed and rewarding break from medicine, I almost wish it was longer!

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Gabby Hakim
Hi, I’m Gabby! I’m a veterinary student from the University of Bristol. I’ve loved being able to be a humanities student for the year - it’s felt such a privilege to get to further my interest in subjects like English literature, history and philosophy. I have loved widening my awareness of a range of different topics and I am super excited to see where all I’ve learnt takes me in the future! 

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Zin Htut
Hello, my name is Zin, one of the Medical Humanities students. I study medicine here at Bristol Medical School, having already completed three years of study  – my favourite pub is the Hope and Anchor if anyone’s interested! Originally, I’m from Manchester (the great North) but I was born in Myanmar, which is where my family is from. Art and literature has always been a big part of my life: both subjects were my favourites at school, having studied both at A-Level. The opportunity to further explore the intersection between the humanities and medicine this year has been invaluable and immensely enjoyable. I really believe the things I have learnt from the Medical Humanities BA will help me to become not only a kinder and more complete medical professional but a kinder and more generous human.

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Tino Takla
Hello, I’m Tino, one of the medical humanities students. I also study my main medical degree here in Bristol. This year has been extremely enjoyable and I’m sad to see it end. Studying the humanities at university level isn’t something I imagined I’d be doing when I decided to study medicine. John Lee, who runs this course, has made a programme that has welcomed and challenged all of us and that has supported us all in exploring our individual interests. This year has undoubtedly been a highlight of my university experience so far. Above all, it has made me aware of the ways in which medicine’s ideal stretches far deeper than treating the physical body. Each individual medical professional has an important role to play in turning their attention towards deeper levels of human suffering that are often exposed when people are ill. I hope that this lesson stays with me and imbues the way I act towards those in my future care.

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Moya Thomas
I am a medical student from the University of East Anglia and originally from Kent. I decided to complete the medical humanities course at Bristol after my fourth year of study, with the aim of having some more time (generally), to explore a new exciting city, and read some more books!  
This course has allowed me to develop new perspectives and ways of thinking about medicine, to challenge assumptions and develop the ability to critically reflect. I completed my dissertation on the moral aspects of Cluster B personality disorders which allowed me to think about the philosophical issues and historical context of psychiatric diagnosis and what this means clinically for our patients. I would love to complete a masters program in medical humanities in the future in order to continue exploring the interesting interplay between the arts and medicine and how this influences us as clinicians and patients alike.

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Grace Weaver
My name is Grace Weaver and I am an iBAMH Medical Humanities student. Outside of my year in Bristol, I’m usually a medical student at King’s College London (KCL), although I’m originally from Bournemouth on the south coast. As a lifelong lover of literature, I’ve managed to cling to it first through A-Levels and then into my medical studies: as well as being a medical student at KCL, I am also the co-president of the Health Humanities society where I have founded and run reading and discussion groups to share my love of all things literary and explore the intersection of literature and health. I have loved this year as the perfect way to stay in touch with literature in the middle of my medical course - while at the same time experiencing new disciplines such as art and philosophy! I have also enjoyed exploring Bristol – a city completely unknown to me until I moved here! Clifton has been a lovely place to live and I think one of the most wonderful parts of this year has been how welcoming this city and its communities have been.

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Yohanna Yared
Hi, my name is Yohanna! I am a Bristol medic, so the art of medicine is not too new to me… a previous student choice project undertaken with Catherine Lamont-Robinson (the IBAMH creative lead) provided a natural segue into the iBAMH. I’ve really enjoyed the experimental process of pulling together this exhibition, drawing together my previous experience of the Bristol student psychotherapy scheme and a Blue Health student choice project with new work around curation and artistic techniques undertaken through the creative Oakhill sessions. It’s been great to flex my (fledgling) creative muscles this year – I hope you enjoy the exhibition!