Visualizing Health Equity—and Mentorship

Health equity means that everyone has an equal opportunity to live the healthiest possible life. But what exactly does this look like? For Smita Bhattacharya, MS—the Incubator’s Artist-in-Residence in August 2017—this meant diving deeper into a health condition that disproportionately impacts her South Asian community: cardiovascular disease. The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) has selected Bhattacharya’s visual exploration of this subject to be featured in its Visualize Health Equity gallery, a curated community art show exploring multiple perspectives on the meaning of health equity. 

The selected artwork, entitled Dil (“heart”), was created during Bhattacharya’s immersion week as an Artist-in-Residence at the Incubator. With her signature energy and sharp analysis, Faculty Director Sue J. Goldie mentored Smita to integrate her interests in art, education, and public health. Beyond providing the space and equipment needed for this project, Dr. Goldie would often drop by Bhattacharya’s desk for rapid-fire brainstorms, a stack of thoughtfully curated articles on art and medicine in hand. 

Goldie repeatedly reminded her to view her science background as a tool, rather than a field to be boxed into. Bhattacharya felt empowered to explore a piece of her own identity through this multidisciplinary skill set. “With this art piece, I hope to bring awareness and invite dialogue on the rising rates of heart disease in South Asia and more specifically focus on the diaspora living in the United States,” said Bhattacharya.

Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death globally, accounting for thirty percent of all deaths. South Asians, however, make up 60 percent of the heart disease patient population. These facts illustrate a clear and concerning health disparity, which remains understudied in the United States. Bhattacharya invites important dialogue about the ways culture, diaspora, and health intersect within the South Asian community, using traditional henna patterns to depict an anatomical heart. Henna is a common natural dye used during social and holiday celebrations across South Asian countries. 

The Visualize Health Equity gallery is part of NAM’s Culture of Health Program, sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and was launched as a part of the program’s second public stakeholder meeting.  The Culture of Health Program is a multiyear effort to pinpoint strategies to create and sustain conditions supporting equitable good health in the United States. Explore the online gallery and learn what people across the United States view as the most pressing health challenges and opportunities in their communities.