Medical student and aspiring neurosurgeon Chidiebere Ibe is making use of social media after creating a medical illustration that left people in awe.
The medical student said he was inspired to create medical graphics for students of color, deviating away from traditionally white medical textbooks.
"Textbooks are essentially invincible to medical training. They walk medical trainees through conditions they will encounter during their practice," he said. "Yet, most medical illustrations are on the Caucasian skin. This lack of diversity has important implications for medical trainees and their future patients … Black skin should be equally represented."
Ibe took to Instagram and Twitter to show off his graphics saying, "I'm Black and Black is beautiful! Diversity in Medical Illustration. More of this should be encouraged!"
I'm black and black is beautiful!
Diversity in Medical Illustration
More of this should be encouraged!
Illustration by @ebereillustrate#pregnant
#MedEd
#scicomm
#inclusion
#AcademicTwitter
#MedTwitter
#illustration
#Metaverse
Please support this cause???? https://t.co/Tye9WT1hud
pic.twitter.com/YGrzINJfoe— Chidiebere Ibe (@ebereillustrate) November 24, 2021
Followers of the self-taught designer saw supporters within the Black community echoing the importance of seeing Black illustrations in the medical field, which is still dominated by white doctors, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. In 2018, only 5% of active physicians were Black.
Beautiful work! This is my first time seeing a Black woman and fetus represented in a medical illustration. ❤️❤️❤️
— Linda (@lindaemitchell) December 3, 2021
Beautiful work! I’m a doula and birth educator. I can never find illustrations like this. Are you selling licensing these for educational purposes at all? I would love to use these with clients
— Cassie Marie (@cass_hunie) December 3, 2021
Excellent medical illustration!! I've literally gotten pushback for drawing non-white people as a medical illustrator, and it blows my mind. It's ridiculous how white medical illustrations are still, generally.
— ✡︎ gaslight girlboss ✡︎ (@tinytinydoe) December 3, 2021
this is so gorgeous! i teach sex ed and there is a real problem with diversity in anatomical illustrations, ESPECIALLY vulvas. if they're not visibly white, they're in greyscale or shades of purple or something. you're doing really awesome work.
— kyle???? (@homoerectus) December 4, 2021
Ibe wants to bring awareness to his community and inspire practitioners' knowledge in anatomy and physiology by stimulating minds through diverse images.
To continue his work in medical illustration and to help assist in his studies, the student has started a GoFundMe page.
According to Ibe's GoFundMe campaign, the aspiring medical student was admitted to Kyiv Medical University in September 2021. Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, is the home of KMU, which was the Ukraine's top-ranking medical school in 2020.
The school's website says KMU ranked "24th among 57 higher education institutions."