Author: Henry Somerby

Bio: I am currently an M1 at the University of Michigan Medical School. Before medical school, I worked as a freelance visual artist and was a visual artist in college. See some of my other works here: https://www.henry-somerby-portfolio.com/

Commentary: This mixed medium piece uses charcoal and pen to depict a portrait of a medical student for our Donor Day Celebration. My intention was to emphasize the crucial role of the donor in a medical student’s life, and to honor their immeasurable contribution. I aimed to do this through the abstract representation of a thought bubble, which highlights how the lives of our donors impact our education and future as physicians. The thought bubble is constructed of adjectives and nouns that I hope encompass even a fraction of all the many things that our donors were, and continue to be. Although we never had the chance to know our donors and their lives, I believe that we can begin to intuit things about their past lives during the time we spend with them. Whether they were soft-spoken or adventurous, a professor or a grandparent, I don’t take their lives for granted, and keep in mind the tremendous possibilities of who they might have been. In a way, my donor was my first professor. They will guide me every day as I care for my future patients.