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Bridging Visual Arts & Healthcare: Impact, Innovation, Research
NOTE: Registrants should look for a follow-up email from Sched Software to sign up for individual symposium sessions
Founded in 2022, the Visual Arts in Healthcare Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (VAH@BWH) is a national leader in the application of visual arts to train healthcare professionals. VAH@BWH’s mission is to develop and advance visual arts-based learning experiences to cultivate empathetic, resourceful, and collaborative healthcare teams to improve patient care. Our programs help build the core skills of the healthcare professional, including detailed observation and interpretation, active listening, metacognitive awareness, critical thinking, compassion, and effective bidirectional communication. The VAH@BWH will host an international symposium, Bridging Visual Arts & Healthcare: Impact, Innovation, Research, in Boston on September 23-25, 2026 (Wednesday – Friday). This symposium aims to build community between the visual arts and healthcare professions, educators, and artists. Through an exchange of methodologies and emerging research, participants will share unique curricula and learn about the emerging evidence to improve healthcare professionals’ skills and effectiveness as well as positively impact patient outcomes.
Target Audience
This activity is intended for physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, dentists, psychologists, physician assistants, social workers, other members of the healthcare team, as well as Arts and Humanities professionals.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:
- Describe new methods to integrate visual arts-based methodologies into health care education to improve patient and provider experiences.
- Summarize and discuss impactful research, evidence-based evaluation, and scholarship that will move the field forward.
- Create a community of practice comprised of arts/humanities and health care educators at all levels and in all healthcare disciplines to build collaboration.
- Demonstrate knowledge, skills, resources, and tested practice-ready innovations in teaching.
Additional Information
Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, and Mass General Brigham
Notes:
- All sessions and meals take place on Brigham and Women’s Hospital Campus except Gallery Demonstration Breakout Sessions at local Museums & Collections
- Virtual Option: Keynote presentations and panels will be livestreamed, but the museum sessions, posters, and receptions will not be livestreamed.
Wednesday, September 23, 2026 | 1:00pm - 6:30pm
| 1:00pm | Check-In Desk Opens |
| 2:00 | Welcome Remarks |
| 2:30 | Networking & Travel to Panel |
| 3:00 | Breakout Panel Sessions and Writing Workshop
|
| 4:30pm | Adjournment of Educational Activity |
5:00-6:30pm Welcome Reception with performances
Thursday, September 24, 2026 | 8:30am - 7:30pm
| 8:00am | Check-In Desk Opens Coffee/Tea Available |
| 8:30 | Keynote Speaker, Dr. Daisy Fancourt |
| 9:30 | Networking & Travel to Panel |
| 10:00 | Breakout Panel Sessions
|
| 11:30 | Lunch |
| 12:30pm | Travel to Museum |
| 1:00 | Gallery Demonstration Breakout Sessions at Local Museums Museums include: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Harvard Art Museums, MassArt Art Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Harvard Medical School Countway Library, Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston |
| 3:15 | Travel Back to BWH |
| 3:30 | Break Coffee/Tea & Snacks Available |
| 4:00 | Breakout Panel Sessions
|
| 5:30 | E-Poster Presentations |
| 7:30pm | Adjourn |
5:30-7:30pm E-Poster Session and Reception
Friday, September 25, 2026 | 8:30am - 6:00pm
| 8:00am | Coffee/Tea |
| 8:30 | Fireside Chat with Dr. Vivek Murthy |
| 9:30 | Networking & Travel to Panel |
| 10:00 | Breakout Panel Sessions
|
| 11:30 | Lunch |
| 12:30pm | Travel to Museum |
| 1:00 | Gallery Demonstration Breakout Sessions at Local Museums Museums include: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Harvard Art Museums, MassArt Art Museum, Museum of Fine Arts, Harvard Medical School Countway Library, Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston |
| 3:15 | Travel back to BWH |
| 3:30 | Break Coffee/Tea & Snacks Available |
| 4:00 | Concluding Plenary - The Future of the Field |
| 5:30 | Closing Remarks |
| 6:00pm | Adjournment of Educational Activity |
Keynote Speakers | |
 | Daisy Fancourt is a Professor of Psychobiology & Epidemiology at University College London and Head of the Social Biobehavioural Research Group. Her research focuses on the effects of social factors on health, including loneliness, social isolation, social & community assets, arts and cultural engagement, and social prescribing. Daisy has received over £30m in research funding and her work has been recognised with over two dozen national and international research awards including a Philip Leverhulme Prize and British Academy Rising Star award. She is Director of the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre on Arts and Health, a Technical Advisor to the WHO, an Expert Scientific Adviser to UK Government, a BBC New Generation Thinker, and a World Economic Forum Global Shaper. Daisy has published over 300 peer-reviewed papers and given over 50 keynotes around the world. Her latest book Art Cure is published by Penguin & Macmillan. She is listed by Clarivate as one of the most highly cited scientists in the world. |
 | Dr. Vivek H. Murthy served as the 19th Surgeon General of the United States from December 15, 2014 to April 21, 2017 and as 21st Surgeon General of the United States from March 23, 2021 to January 20, 2025. In addition to his role as America’s Doctor, as the Vice Admiral of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Dr. Murthy commanded a uniformed service of 6,600 public health officers, serving the most underserved and vulnerable populations in over 800 locations domestically and abroad. He worked with thousands of Commissioned Corps officers to strengthen the Corps and protect the nation from Ebola and Zika and to respond to the Flint water crisis, major hurricanes, and frequent health care shortages in rural communities In 2020, Dr. Murthy authored the New York Times Bestselling Book, Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World. Dr. Murthy received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard and his M.D. and M.B.A. degrees from Yale. He completed his internal medicine residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and later joined Harvard Medical School as faculty in internal medicine. This information and more can be found on Dr. Murthy’s website. |
Symposium Planning Committee | |
 | Brooke DiGiovanni Evans, EdM, co-chair Mass General Brigham |
 | Christine Bentley, PhD, co-chair Missouri Southern State University |
 | Staci Eisenberg, MD Mass General Brigham |
 | Liz Gaufberg, MD Harvard Medical School |
 | Joel Katz, MD, co-chair Dana Farber Cancer Institute |
 | Kate Milazzo, MSEd Educator and Museum Education Consultant |
 | Barbara Reville, DNP, ANP Dana Farber Cancer Institute, retired |
 | Corinne Zimmermann, MA, EdM Independent Consultant |
In support of improving patient care, Mass General Brigham is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Credit Designation Statements
AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM
Mass General Brigham designates this live activity for a maximum of 17.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Nursing
Mass General Brigham designates this activity for 17.5 ANCC contact hours. Nurses should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Available Credit
- 17.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
- 17.50 Nursing Contact Hours
- 17.50 Participation
Price
*Registration will close on August 31, 2026
| Tuition Type | Early Bird (January – April 30, 2026) | Regular Fees (beginning May 1, 2026) |
|---|---|---|
Healthcare Professionals (clinicians, healthcare educators, scientists, administrators) IN-PERSON | $700.00 | $800.00 |
Arts and Humanities Professionals (artists, art educators, art faculty) IN-PERSON | $500.00 | $600.00 |
Students/Residents (art and healthcare) IN-PERSON | $300.00 | $400.00 |
Virtual Attendance | $350.00 | $350.00 |
Cancellation Policy:
Registrations cancelled on or before September 9, 2026 will be refunded, less a $70 administrative fee. Registrations cancelled after September 9, 2026 will not be refunded.
Contact [email protected] if you require assistance in cancelling your online registration