BIOMEDICAL VISUALIZATIONS
Educating lay audiences about complex biomedical topics using visual design
Organization
NIH, Hopkins hospital, Baltimore Aquarium
Role
Medical illustrator & animator
Duration
2015 - 2020
Medium
Digital art, 3D animation, pen & ink
3D animation showing protein export through the nucleus. Protein models were created by importing molecular models from the Protein Data Bank, into Cinema 4D. Scales of molecules were validated using PyMOL. Animated using Cinema 4D and After Effects.
WHAT
I produced accurate, research driven biomedical visualizations for lay audiences using a wide variety of traditional and digital media.
COMPLEXITY
All examples below are solo driven projects where I executed on literature review, expert interviews, medical imaging review, dissections, illustrations, graphic design, 2D & 3D animation.
IMPACT
Clients and published media are in major research journals (Cell), hospitals (Hopkins Hospital, and biomedical research institutions (National Aquarium).
GOAL
Produce visualizations that communicate complex biomedical topics in an understandable and aesthetically engaging way.
Anatomical sketches
I dissected and studied 2 human cadavers in order to produce the sketches below.
The brachial plexus and the medial view of the lower limb.
The larynx (voice box) and a coronal section of the heart.
The celiac trunk, posterior view of the hand, and the sternal area.
Carbon pencil illustration to explore rendering techniques for bone textures.
Defensive Mechanisms of the Lubber Grasshopper. A scientific illustration for a lay audience. A finalist for the 2015 National Science Foundation’s visualization challenge.
Pen and ink illustration of the brachial plexus, a major network of nerves that together innervate the upper limbs. To ensure content accuracy, I reviewed several anatomical textbooks, dissected and analyzed a human cadaver, and validated illustrations from a professor of anatomy.
An illustration revealing the multiple layers of kidney anatomy. I ensured accuracy by using several anatomical textbooks. CT scans were also imported into OsiriX, a medical imaging program, in order to study real world examples of kidney vascular anatomy to ensure accuracy in arterial and venous structures.
A scientific journal cover for the October 2016 issue of Cell. An illustration of a board game to represent the evolutionary battle between pathogen and host at the regional population level.
