In Episode 3 of Art &, we meet Anita Mohan — a clinical assistant professor of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Stanford Medicine — and Lauren Toomer, an artist and lecturer in Stanford’s Department of Art & Art History.
The two reflect on their personal paths to letting art inform their professional perspectives, and how a chance meeting during a medical humanities fellowship sparked a collaboration that integrates art and medicine.
During the episode, Mohan touches on how plastic surgery’s focus on form, beauty, and what makes the anatomy aesthetically pleasing made for an organic connection to similar topics in art. Toomer shares how taking an undergraduate course on art, medicine and disability opened up her mind to thinking about the world in a more holistic way.
Together, they’re designing workshops that encourage medical students to slow down, observe, and see the body through an artist’s eye.
Hosted by Ellen Oh, Director of Interdisciplinary Arts Programs at Stanford Arts, the Art & Podcast explores arts-driven collaborations across Stanford University’s dynamic research ecosystem through lively conversations about how creative perspectives can spark new pathways, insights, and solutions for the most pressing issues of our time.
Featured Guests: Anita Mohan and Lauren Toomer
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Credits
Host: Ellen Oh
Creator/Producer/Editor: Taylor Jones
Production Support: Edi Dai
Sound Designer and Mix Engineer: Chase Everett
Theme song and Music: Juana Izuzquiza
Executive Producers: Ellen Oh and Anne Shulock
Artwork: Connie Ko