Episode 60: Interview with Shelly Xie: The importance of art in healthcare

2014 Passion in Science Award winner Shelly Xie joins us to share what she has learned about the benefits of art for healthcare providers and patients. 

Episode Transcript

(00:03):
(soft music)
- [Lydia] Welcome to theLessons from Lab & Life Podcast,
brought to you by New England Biolabs.
I'm your host, Lydia Morrison,
and I hope this episode offersyou some new perspective.
Today I'm joined by 2014Passion in Science Award winner
Shelly Xia.
Shelly was a winner in thecategory of arts and creativity,

(00:24):
and she performed a really moving
and informative piece of sand art
at NEB'S 2016 Passion inScience Award ceremony.
Since then, Shelly hascompleted medical school
and is currently completing a master's
in the arts and medicine program
at the University of Florida.

(00:46):
Hi Shelly, thanks so muchfor joining me today.
- [Shelly] Thank youso much for having me.
It's a pleasure to be here.
- [Lydia] I was hoping thatyou could remind our listeners
what you received your 2014Passion in Science Award for.
- [Shelly] Sure, I was honored
to receive the Passionin Science Awards in arts

(01:08):
and creativity for my work in using arts
to communicate scientific concepts
and raise awareness aboutvarious health issues.
- [Lydia] I remember itwas before I was hired
that you received your award,
but I've been to the Passionin Science Award since then,
which were so moving.

(01:29):
Could you tell me what youraward experience was like?
- [Shelly] Absolutely.
Winning the award was incrediblyencouraging and humbling,
especially coming from sucha prestigious institution
like New England Biolabs,
and it was validating as well
as it reinforced my belief in the power

(01:49):
of combining the scienceand medicine with the arts
to create something meaningful
and having that meaningfulimpact on our audience.
It was also inspiringto meet other winners,
not only in my categoryof arts and creativity,
but also in scientificmentorship and advocacy,
humanitarian duty,
and environmental stewardship,

(02:11):
just to see how everybodycombine their various passions
in their greater pursuits.
- [Lydia] Yeah, it is really amazing
and humbling to meet all of the winners
that we've selected over the years.
Could you share with uswhat you've been up to
since the 2014 Passion in Science Awards?

(02:32):
- [Shelly] Sure, sincereceiving the award,
I've continued to explore the intersection
of arts and health.
And in recent years I've beenpursuing graduate studies
in arts and medicine to equipmyself with deeper knowledge
and skills in the fieldof arts and medicine,
both from the program development
and administrative perspective,
but also research and evaluation,

(02:55):
so that we can develop more programs
and resources that are evidence based
and at the best practice forthe targeted populations.
- [Lydia] It sounds likeyou've been very busy.
I'm just curious,
did the Passion in Science Awards
impact your pursuitsafter the awards ceremony?

(03:17):
- [Shelly] Yes, absolutely.
The award not only provided validation
for my work up to that point,
but also opened up doors tohow I perceive my passion
and where I wanna lead my future path.
At that time, I was still in the process
of figuring out how toincorporate the arts
into my path in medicine,

(03:37):
and despite the incredibleexperiences I've had thus far
using the arts to enhancepatient experience
in healthcare settings
and to communicate and advocate
for important global health issues,
I initially thought thearts would just remain
as a hobby in my life.
And so the awards reallyopened my perception
of what I could do,

(03:58):
and seeing other winnerswas also so inspiring
to see that one can reallycombine their varied interests
and passions and lead avery meaningful career.
- [Lydia] Yeah, I haveto say your presentation,
you did a sand art project onneglected tropical diseases.

(04:20):
You did a presentation
during our 2016 Passion in Science Awards.
It was so, so moving.
I shared it with my children.
I just think it's such anamazing media to work with.
Have you made any more sand art pieces?
- [Shelly] So actually Ihaven't had much opportunity

(04:40):
and time to create new pieces.
The latest one that I createdwas on sickle cell disease
that I presented backat New England Biolabs
in 2016, I believe.
And since then I've beenreally taking the time
to learn more about artsand medicine as a field
and how we can incorporate the arts

(05:01):
into the medical setting and healthcare
and medical education as well to enhance
not only the wellbeing of patients
and physicians and students,
but also how can weincorporate more research
so that it's more data driven
and more evidence-based best practices.

(05:23):
- [Lydia] Oh, that's really interesting.
Can you explain to our listeners
how art enhances the wellbeing of patients
and healthcare providers?
- [Shelly] Sure.
So for the patients,
given my personal experiencehaving been a volunteer artist

(05:43):
in the hospital setting since high school,
and first volunteering as a musician
playing various music on the floor
for patients and families,
and then moving on to a newvisual arts based program
where I drew portraits for patients

(06:03):
and families of various health conditions,
ranging from newborns topatients with terminal illnesses.
I definitely witnessed how the arts
provided safe space
and the sense of normalcy
for patients in thehealthcare environment.

(06:24):
Many of them are inpatient patients
who have been basicallyspending their time
in the hospital for long duration,
and that really provideda sense of normalcy
and wellbeing for the patients,
and also allowed them
to express themselves in a different way

(06:47):
outside of just being a patient.
They had just various storiesto share when we interacted,
and it really shows that, you know,
there are a lot more than just,
you know, their labels ofwhat illness they have.
And for healthcareproviders and physicians,

(07:08):
it's important to know
that their wellbeingis also very important.
If they're not well,
then they're not able totake care of their patients
at their optimal level.
And so arts definitely contribute
to that enhancement of wellbeing
and also it provides senseof empathy and understanding

(07:31):
and tolerance of ambiguity
that are actually beingshown through literature
to be protective factors against burnouts.
So it's really important foreveryone involving healthcare.
- [Lydia] Yeah, I thinkit's so interesting.
What a beautiful service you provided

(07:52):
within the hospital setting,I think to patients.
And I totally understand how a portrait,
a family portrait,
or an individual portraitcould be so moving
and help individuals feel more seen
and less sort of labeledby their conditions.

(08:13):
I think that's really amazing.
And I think, you know,
COVID-19 made a lot of usthink about the pressure
and the weight that healthcare providers
like doctors and nurses carry with them.
I'm curious how you thinkwe can help take better care

(08:33):
of our providers, ofour healthcare providers
and enable them to helptake care of themselves.
- [Shelly] So as healthcare providers,
we definitely alwaysput our patients first,
and that's how we are taught as well.
And so in many times we'resacrificing our own wellbeing
and a lot just to provide thebest care for the patients.

(08:59):
But it's also crucial to recognize
and prioritize the wellbeingof care providers too,
especially considering thedemanding nature of their work.
And so providing adequateresources for self-care
such as mental health support services
and mindfulness programs
and opportunities for creative expression

(09:19):
can really help care providers recharge
and reflect on their experiences
because we often feel lonely
that we're not able to share
that aspects with others.
And there's also thatperception from within,
also outside that we had to be strong

(09:40):
and to always present that image.
And so to have that sense of community
through the arts really helpsus maintain our resilience
in the face of adversity
and to maintain our wellbeing overall.
- [Lydia] I love theidea of more resources

(10:01):
for care providers to take time to invest
in themselves and also to, you know,
be vulnerable in our classes and be human
because I think we dohave higher expectations
for our care providers
than perhaps for the average person.

(10:22):
And when you think about it,
it seems a little bit unfair,
given the burden that they're carrying.
- [Shelly] Right.
- [Lydia] I'm curious, doyou have any new projects,
new art projects or communication projects
that you're thinking about or working on?
- [Shelly] So for right now,
as part of my graduatestudies in arts medicine,
I am working on a project,

(10:44):
a study assessing the burnout
and wellbeing of graduatemedical trainees,
including residents and fellows
and across all specialties.
And to see where they are currently
in that particular institution.
And then since the institution I work at
has a excellent centerfor arts in medicine

(11:08):
and it's amazing the arts resources
that they provide already
to various population withinthe healthcare setting,
I thought it would be great to see
how well those resources are accessed
and perceived helpful by thegraduate medical trainees.

(11:28):
Given that they have sucha unique circumstance
of having such busy schedule
and rigorous training,
it would be great to see
how helpful these resources has been
and where can we go from there
and continue improving theprogramming and resources.

(11:49):
- [Lydia] Yeah, itsounds like you've found
a really amazing program
to continue developingyour communication skills
and continue the dialoguearound taking care
of our care providers, our scientists.
I think there is a lot of pressure

(12:11):
when you're in graduate school.
I think there's a lot of pressure
from faculty and staff to perform.
You know, there's a lot of long hours
required in training and testing
and it is sort of aheavy cost to education.

(12:33):
And it'd be wonderful
to see more people succeedin it happily and healthfully
and earn their degrees in a way
that doesn't feel quiteas demanding and crushing.
So thank you so much for your efforts
to draw attention to the struggles

(12:55):
of being a healthcareprovider in today's world,
in the sort of fast-paced 24/7,
always available sort ofworld that we live in.
I think that your combinationof art and communication style
around these topics is really engaging

(13:18):
and I would love to see thediscussion spread further.
So we're excited to helpamplify your message.
- [Shelly] Thank you so much,
and thank you so much for having me.
This has been a great conversation.
And yes, I would love to keep in touch
and share further projects in the future.
- [Lydia] That would be wonderful.

(13:38):
Thanks so much, Shelly.
- [Shelly] Thank you.
- [Lydia] Thanks for joining us.
Shelly wanted me to makesure to thank Peter Hotez
of Baylor College of Medicine
and Barton Slatko, a longtimeNEB employee on her behalf
for introducing her to thePassion in Science Awards.
We appreciate you joiningus for this episode

(13:59):
of the Lessons from Lab & Life Podcast.
NEB is now accepting application
for the 2024 Passion in Science Awards,
and we invite you to apply.
Find all the information onour website and good luck.