Global health – spread it with comics!

Abstract

Aim: The topic of global health affects us all. In order to spread the word about this important medical field, a bilingual brochure containing medical comics on the subject was published at the Medical University of Vienna.Method: Medical comics are well established internationally, have a long history in the communication of medical information, and – under the umbrella of graphic medicine – are both popular and widely used. In the context of the exhibition project art-action-attitude/body, 6 panels were transformed into a 12-page brochure on the topic of global health in cooperation with an artist and a graphic designer.Results: The brochure was made available for free to visitors of the exhibition, published online, handed out at various fairs by the artist, and presented at an international conference.Summary: The collaboration with an artist and a graphic designer (Renate Mowlam, Bettina Jarosch) gave rise to a high-quality product that explains the subject matter clearly and in a way that is accessible to all, with the written word supported by images. In the brochure, 46 pictures shed light on the topics “health as a human right”, “global health” (definition and examples), and “one health” (definition and examples). This enabled readers to quickly become informed about this complex subject, to contemplate it, and to reflect on their own behavior.

Keywords

• medical comics
• teaching
• global health
• art
• climate medicine