Bridging Visual Arts & Healthcare:

Impact, Innovation, Research

September 23-25, 2026

Symposium Registration: Opens January 2026

Hosts

Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Keynote Speakers

Daisy Fancourt is Professor of Psychobiology & Epidemiology at University College London and Head of the Social Biobehavioural Research Group. Her research focuses on the effects of social factors on health, including loneliness, social isolation, social & community assets, arts and cultural engagement, and social prescribing. Daisy has received over £30m in research funding and her work has been recognised with over two dozen national and international research awards including a Philip Leverhulme Prize and British Academy Rising Star award. She is Director of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre on Arts and Health, a Technical Advisor to the WHO, an Expert Scientific Adviser to UK Government, a BBC New Generation Thinker, and a World Economic Forum Global Shaper. Daisy has published over 300 peer-reviewed papers and given over 50 keynotes around the world. Her latest book Art Cure is published by Penguin & Macmillan. She is listed by Clarivate as one of the most highly cited scientists in the world.

Brooke DiGiovanni Evans, EdM, co-chair (Mass General Brigham)

Joel Katz, MD, (Dana Farber Cancer Institute)

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Harvard Medical School

Dr. Vivek H. Murthy served as the 19th Surgeon General of the United States from December 15, 2014 to April 21, 2017 and as 21st Surgeon General of the United States from March 23, 2021 to January 20, 2025. In addition to his role as America’s Doctor, as the Vice Admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Dr. Murthy commanded a uniformed service of 6,600 public health officers, serving the most underserved and vulnerable populations in over 800 locations domestically and abroad. He worked with thousands of Commissioned Corps officers to strengthen the Corps and protect the nation from Ebola and Zika and to respond to the Flint water crisis, major hurricanes, and frequent health care shortages in rural communities

In 2020, Dr. Murthy authored the New York Times Bestselling Book, Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World.

Dr. Murthy received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard and his M.D. and M.B.A. degrees from Yale. He completed his internal medicine residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and later joined Harvard Medical School as faculty in internal medicine. This information and more can be found on Dr. Murthy’s website.

  • Founded in 2022, the Visual Arts in Healthcare Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (VAH@BWH) is a national leader in the application of visual arts to train healthcare professionals. VAH@BWH’s mission is to develop and advance visual arts-based learning experiences to cultivate empathetic, resourceful, and collaborative healthcare teams to improve patient care. Our programs help build the core skills of the healthcare professional, including detailed observation and interpretation, active listening, metacognitive awareness, critical thinking, compassion, and effective bidirectional communication.

    The VAH@BWH will host an international symposium, Bridging Visual Arts & Healthcare: Impact, Innovation, Research, in Boston on September 23-25, 2026 (Wednesday – Friday).  This symposium aims to build community between the visual arts and healthcare professions, educators, and artists.  Through an exchange of methodologies and emerging research, participants will share unique curricula and learn about the emerging evidence to improve healthcare professionals’ skills and effectiveness as well as positively impact patient outcomes.

    1. Promote and discuss impactful research, evidence-based evaluation, and scholarship that will move the field forward.

    2. Foster a community of practice comprised of arts/humanities and health care educators at all levels and in all healthcare disciplines to build collaboration.

    3. Share knowledge, skills, resources, and tested practice-ready innovations in teaching.es here

    • Keynote speakers

    • Themed panel discussions and presentations

    • Hands-on workshops

    • Poster session

    • Art making and performances

    • Interactive museum sessions

    • Reception and networking opportunities

  • Thank you to everyone who submitted a proposal. Our Review Committee will be looking at them and we will let applicants know in January 2026.

    The symposium committee welcomes proposals from healthcare professionals, art educators, arts and humanities scholars, and researchers, as well as students and trainees. The central focus of the symposium is to advance learning in a community of providers by effectively utilizing the visual arts to improve skills and effectiveness, teamwork, and patient outcomes in healthcare.

    Proposal can be for: Poster sessions, Panel discussions (20 minutes) or Interactive museum demonstrations (1 hour)

    Museum demonstrations should be highly interactive for participants, allowing them to get hands-on experience with an activity in the galleries. Most of these sessions will take place in the museum galleries, which do not allow wet media for conservation reasons. Paper and pencils can be used.

    Panel discussion themes include the following:

    • Interprofessional Teamwork

    This session highlights the development and implementation of curricula designed to foster interprofessional collaboration and effective teamwork across healthcare disciplines.

    • Arts and Healthcare Partnerships

    This session explores the essential components of successful collaborations between arts and healthcare organizations. Designed for professionals from both sectors, it offers strategies, real-world examples, and tools to build sustainable partnerships that enhance healthcare education through the arts.

    • Program Evaluation

    This session provides an overview of effective program evaluation methods to assess the impact and outcomes of arts and health initiatives.Presenters will share best practices through case studies.

    • Research Reports

    This session features presentations of current research findings in the field of arts in health. Researchers will share methodologies, outcomes, and insights from recent studies exploring the impact of the arts in healthcare training and education.

    • Medical Signs and Symbols in Art Images

    This session explores how medical themes have been represented within the visual arts throughout history.

    • Arts & Well-being Curriculum

    This session explores the design and implementation of curricula that integrate the arts to promote wellbeing in educational and clinical settings.

    • New & Innovative Programs

    This session showcases cutting-edge programs at the intersection of arts and health. Presenters will highlight creative, forward-thinking initiatives that address emerging needs in healthcare practice through the arts.

    • Funding & Sustainability

    This session focuses on strategies for securing funding and building long-term sustainability for arts in health programs.

    Please submit your proposal by September 15, 2025.

    Application link

Symposium Partners

Museum of Fine Arts

Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum

Institute of Contemporary Art

Christine Bentley, PhD, co-chair (Missouri Southern State University)

Kate Milazzo (Educator and Museum Education Consultant)

Staci Eisenberg, MD (Mass General Brigham)

Barbara Reville, DNP, ANP (Dana Farber Cancer Institute, retired)

Harvard Art Museums

MassArt Art Museum

Conference Committee

Liz Gaufberg, MD (Harvard Medical School)

Corinne Zimmermann, MA, EdM. (Independent Consultant)