A new set of portraits dons the halls of the student study center of Harvard Medical School. Traditional in style yet modern in subject, these newly installed paintings spotlight undervalued and underappreciated medical leaders and school alumnae, Harvard Medical School News reported Jan. 5.
The set of portraits was created by Pamela Chen, MD, a 2020 Harvard Medical School graduate, after she realized the majority of the artwork around campus represented white, male medical leaders. In response, Dr. Chen researched notable alumnae, interviewed them and then painted them.
The pandemic delayed the exhibition of the portraits, which have only recently been installed. One of the first students to see the paintings displayed was Sapna Nath, a second-year dental school student. She said, "It's very different than a lot of the existing paintings that are around campus. It was nice to see people of color, and women especially, portrayed on the walls as leaders in medicine and science."
Willy Lensch, former strategic adviser to the dean of Boston-based Harvard Medical School, acknowledged that the majority of the medical school's portraits are not very inclusive.
"This is how we make a better future. We don't ignore our past. We look at it, and then we change our future," he said.