Why Graphic Medicine?

Why Graphic Medicine? In this book, comics scholars Erin La Cour and John Miers explore the myriad ways comics can foster more attentive, empathetic, and meaningful conversations about illness, disability, health, and care. Join them for an afternoon in the park as they introduce key ideas from the burgeoning field of Graphic Medicine. Through engaging conversations and vibrant illustrations – drawing on research, teaching, artistic practice, and healthcare interventions – they show how Graphic Medicine can illuminate the emotional, social, and deeply personal dimensions of health and healthcare. The writers move from the use of informational comics in healthcare, where they are familiar as an educational tool in patient brochures, to the profoundly personal, messy, and vivid experiences showcased within Graphic Medicine. They reveal why Graphic Medicine matters: it bridges professional expertise and lived experience in ways that conventional infographics and medical communication often cannot. Bringing clinical knowledge into conversation with personal stories, Graphic Medicine offers fresh ways of understanding what healthcare feels like for patients, caregivers, advocates, and practitioners alike. Whether you’re a patient seeking new ways to tell your story, a healthcare professional hoping to better understand those you care for, an advocate, caregiver, educator, or simply a curious reader, this book invites you to see health – and each other – through a new lens.