MD students launch Health and Healing Across Cultures Art Showcase
On February 20, Living Canvas will welcome community members from across Temerty Medicine and the University of Toronto to the inaugural Health and Healing Across Cultures Art Showcase.
Organized by medical students and Living Canvas co-founders Joanna Deng (2T6) and Beverly Tran (2T7), the showcase will feature a collection of paintings, photographs, animation, poetry, and more. Each piece explores diverse cultural experiences and perspectives on medicine, wellness, and healing. Three works will be selected as winners, and the artists will be invited to speak about their submission and the cultural stories behind them.
Living Canvas is a student-led initiative, mentored by Dr. Sarah Kim and supported by the Temerty Faculty of Medicine Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Action Fund. The group aims to highlight diversity, promote cultural inclusivity, and build community in medicine through creativity and the arts. The Health and Healing Across Cultures Art Showcase marks their first major event.
“Our goal with Living Canvas is to create a space focused on cultural inclusivity, where people can share their traditions and experiences,” Joanna said. “This showcase is our first initiative, inspired by our own experiences, our passion for the arts, and our curiosity about the intersection between art and healthcare.”
Both Joanna and Beverly grew up as children of immigrant families and witnessed firsthand the challenges their parents faced navigating the healthcare system. These early experiences continue to inform their understanding of patient‑centred care.
“We’ve seen the system from both sides—through our families and through our interactions with patients from diverse cultural backgrounds,” Beverly shared. “Providing patient-centred care means understanding and respecting diverse practices, beliefs, and traditions that may be different from our own.”
Inspired in part by an art showcase they attended together during their undergraduate studies, Joanna and Beverly envisioned an event that intentionally connects art, culture, and inclusivity. With Health and Healing Across Cultures, they hope to create a space where students and community members can reflect on and express their approaches to health, illness, and healing through the lens of their cultural identities, medicine and well‑being.
The Health and Healing Across Cultures Art Showcase will take place at the University of Toronto Medical Sciences Building, Room 2278, from 6:00–9:00 p.m. on February 20. Details and registration are available on the event website.
