Brenda Fay
Former Research and Instructional Services – College of Nursing and
Physician Assistant Studies Librarian
Raynor Memorial Libraries – Marquette University and
NOW: Librarian Specialist, Aurora Libraries
Brenda’s new email:brenda.fay@aurora.org
After hearing about Brenda’s honors course at Marquette, I thought it
was time to turn the tables on our WHSLA blogger and learn more about our
colleague and the course she taught this past semester. I interviewed her recently.--- Barb Ruggeri
How did you get the idea for
Graphic Medicine- Illness, Disease, and Health in Comics?
In 2011, I attended a major conference graphic novel conference in
Chicago. I was intrigued by the concept
but not really sure how to apply it to my work at Aurora. I started following authors and reading
blogs. At Marquette, the freshman students enrolled
in the honors program need to take an additional 1-credit honors course. Anyone can teach an honors course, you just
have to make a proposal to have it accepted.
It was fairly easy to get it approved, I would be compensated for my
work, but I could not do any work for the class during work time at the
library. I worked on reading articles
about graphic medicine all summer. I
lined up some guest speakers, including James Sturm who skyped in to talk about his pilot project
with graphic novels and veterans. After
we read a graphic novel on Parkinson’s, I had a neuropsychiatrist come in and
explain about the tests that are given.
How was it received?
I am very pleased by the students’ progress and how they developed a
completely different perspective on comics.
Nine of the twelve students who signed up for the course were premed or
health science related students. They
commented they learned more about other health sciences occupations from this
course than any other. They also learned
about the other side of medicine, coping with disease from a patient’s
perspective. I was particularly happy
to watch one student who original came to class with the attitude that this was
the only thing that worked in his schedule and he had no interest in
comics. He became very engaged during
the course and became enthusiastic about graphic novels. In an anonymous survey, two students who were
exposed to graphic novel presentations on mental health revealed that they had
decided to seek counseling. One of the
books presented was “The Next Day” a graphic novel told by those who had
survived suicide attempts.
Brenda- how did you become a
librarian?
I attended UWM and was very “wishy-washy” over a major. I had taken a vocational test and it
suggested a librarian, biologist or a chemist.
I wasn’t ready to become a librarian; I completed a degree in conservation
biology. But I did take a job in a
public library shelving books. My first
job out of college was a high school library aid. At that point, I realized I did want to become
a librarian and I enrolled at UWM. I
worked in public library, then at Aurora.
While at Aurora, I was particularly proud of being on the team that
created the institutional repository.
That project really helped change attitudes at the hospital of what the
library could do for the institution. I
came to Marquette 16 months ago. I am
pleased to announce that I will be returning to Aurora on January 8. My official title is Librarian Specialist,
reporting to the new library director who is succeeding Kathy Strube. I have learned a lot at Marquette, it will be
hard to leave.
Hobbies: With my four-year-old
son, Ronan, my only hobbies are hanging out with him! He attends 4K at a Spanish/English language
school. One of our favorite things to do is learn Spanish/English songs
together.
MORE ON GRAPHIC NOVELS IN MEDICINE:
Brenda’s course description:
Graphic Medicine: Illness, disease, and health in comics
Brenda’s course description:
Graphic Medicine: Illness, disease, and health in comics
Can a patient’s story be as exciting as a superhero’s? This seminar
will look at comic and graphic novel representations of illness, disease, and
health. Seeing cancer, mental health, disability, aging, neurological
disorders, and more through the eyes of patients, nurses, and doctors can help
us understand and empathize, as we never could before. You’ll hear from nurses,
doctors, and comic artists themselves before getting a chance to create your
own four-panel comic.
Books to check out
Rosealie Lightning by Tom Hart
My Degeneration: a journey through Parkinson’s
by Peter Dunlop-Shohl
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