Microbiology students use artwork to describe the impact of infectious diseases

When she decided to attempt an “outside-the-box” lesson in her medical microbiology class, Lisa McLellan had no idea her assignment would have such an impression on some of her students. The Purdue University Fort Wayne assistant professor of biological sciences developed an idea pairing infectious diseases with existing and even original artwork typifying the experiences of those battling the various conditions.

“I really just wanted the students to find something that was meaningful to them and artwork that inspired them,” McLellan said. “So many of them are going on to medical school, and I don’t want them to just study the diseases, but learn how they impact people.”

Before McLellan had finished her pitch, some of the 16 graduate and undergraduate students had already decided which disease they wanted to work with and how it would be represented through art. Some had their own stories from previous life experiences.

The results were personal and impactful as the students displayed their efforts Dec. 12 in the Science Building's third-floor hallway. Dozens of students, faculty, and staff members walked the hallway to examine the chosen art and hear the stories.

Second-year graduate student Chichi Jasper-Duruzor, B.S. ’23, displayed the painting “Ebola” by Susi LaForsch, showing healthcare workers wearing hazmat suits carrying an empty stretcher as if they were about to remove a body. A native of Nigeria, Jasper-Duruzor said in 2014 she was attending a boarding school in her home country when an Ebola outbreak started. Jasper-Duruzor said she was the equivalent of a high school freshman.

“It got to a point where we had to close the school because the teachers and staff members lived off-campus,” Jasper-Duruzor said. “We had to all go home because we were worried for our safety. I was home for four or five months.”

Second-year graduate student Sayka Alam even took the project further, displaying four of her own photographs in a poster that conveys her experience during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh, her home country.

“We had limited resources as a developing country, so there were not a lot of facilities in regard to the healthcare system,” Alam said.

One picture shows Alam’s sister holding her toddler daughter above her head.

“We call her the COVID child,” Alam said. “There was no certainty during that time when things would be normal again and when this child would get out and have a normal day.”

Fellow Bangladesh native Umme Ateka, a first-year graduate student, used a painting by Edward Munch called “The Sick Child” to highlight her description of tuberculosis. The painting shows the death of Munch’s sister from the disease, which nearly claimed Munch’s own life.

Nigerian artist Laolu’s green and black painting “The Muundo” highlighted senior Sadie Gerber’s description of malaria. Gerber took the assignment a step ahead by providing a pamphlet describing what the symbols in the painting represent and a detailed explanation of the disease.

Junior Bella Hodges showcased her smallpox research using the painting “The Pockmarked Boy from Savo” by Akseli Gallen-Kallela. Hodges’ description called smallpox the only human disease eradicated worldwide, signifying its importance to global public health. The facial scars make the boy look much older.

“I think one of the interesting things for me is that microbiology has been with us for so long, and infectious diseases have really shaped human culture, so art has been inspired by it,” McLellan said. “I am proud how the students connected to the material and hope to make this a recurring event.”