Visus

Oakland University’s Center for Moral Value in Health and Medicine recently published the inaugural issue of a journal featuring OUWB medical students that’s focused on ethics, humanities, and social justice in medicine.

Visus debuted during the fall 2024 semester after months of work put in by its editorial team consisting of OUWB students and faculty. (It’s set to be an annual publication.)

Jason Wasserman, Ph.D., Dean’s Distinguished Professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies, served as co-editor-in-chief and says the idea for such a journal has been in the works for years.

The reason, he says, is a longtime desire to create an outlet to feature the consistently strong work produced by OUWB students — especially in the school’s Medical Humanities and Clinical Bioethics (MHCB) longitudinal curriculum.

“We do so much education around ethics and students contribute so much to the discussions and often write really good things,” he says. “We wanted a place to showcase the work that they do.”

Expanding reach

Building on the vision and hope demonstrated by the Bella Rozencweig Hirsch Endowment for Biomedical Ethics, the Center for Moral Values in Health and Medicine at Oakland University is a collaborative and interdisciplinary unit that critically engages medical humanism, clinical bioethics, and social justice. It is led by OUWB.

As a national leader at the frontiers of ethics, the center aims to generate high profile scholarship, innovative curricula, and community engagement that fosters more ethical and humanistic care for patients and communities and greater personal and professional insight for practitioners who grapple with questions about the moral dimensions of health and medicine.

Wasserman says Visus — Latin for “sight” — is a natural extension of the center’s intent.

“We thought about places we could expand that are efficient and that we can manage and Visus ticks those boxes…it’s visible, relatively low cost, and showcases what we’re doing,” he says.

‘Uncertainty’

Wasserman says he wanted students to have a significant role in creating the journal so he began the process of bringing Visus to life by meeting with members of the school’s biomedical ethics club.

Among those with interest in the project was Reba Aldaire, M3. Eventually, they would be named Wasserman’s co-editor-in-chief.

“I think it’s really important to talk about topics that challenge us and let us better understand why we do the things we do,” said Aldaire.

Wasserman also reached out to other faculty to find associate editors for each of the three sections of the journal (Narrative Medicine, Clinical Bioethics, and Social Justice). Students interested in being part of the project were then paired with the associate editors.

With a team in place, the editorial team launched into a pre-production phase by identifying the issue’s theme: “Uncertainty.”

“The theme of this issue…embraces the many meanings of visus  — to see clearly, but also to see uncertainty itself as a natural challenge of health and medicine, while seeing social life more broadly, too,” states an editorial at the beginning of the first issue.

With the theme established, a call for papers was issued in early 2024. It was open to any students at Oakland University and OUWB. Submission categories ranged from traditional articles to essays and commentaries, case studies, creative narrative works, and visual art. 

The two editors from each section then reviewed submitted manuscripts and made all editorial decisions. Layout was completed by Lauren Chopski, graphic design and communication specialist, OUWB, and featured a mix of written content and images of student art.

The Narrative Medicine section exemplifies the variety of work in Visus. Students Alice Hou and Maxwell Li co-authored a piece called “Kaleidocycle: A Sculpture of the Human Psyche” and is a combination of written words and imagery. Jack Dryden wrote a commentary on being a new parent while also a medical student. Kellan Martin penned poetry inspired by her participation in OUWB’s Study Trip to Auschwitz. Manasa Pavuloori’s abstract painting also was inspired by her experiences on the same trip.

A great showcase

The first issue was 32 pages long. The dimensions were 6 x 9. The journal has been distributed in various places, ranging from different ethics-related events and classrooms to locations throughout OUWB’s O’Dowd Hall.

Wasserman says he’s “really happy” with the first issue.

“It’s a great way to showcase what our students can do in these different spaces … the pieces are interesting, inspiring, and moving,” he says. “I’ve received really great feedback…the people who have seen it have been complimentary.”

Those reactions have him considering the first issue a success.

“The real success is in promoting the visibility of the ethics and humanities work we do here with the students,” says Wasserman.

“The reaction to it is the best judge of its impact because the goal is visibility.”

“I’m just really proud to showcase what our students are capable of in terms of their thoughts and expressions in this space,” he adds.

Aldaire said they also were proud of the work. They also will serve as co-editor-in-chief for the second issue of Visus, set to publish in later 2025.

“It’s definitely been one of my more time-consuming side projects, but it’s been pretty rewarding,” they said.  “It was really exciting to see when it came out…we have so many talented people at OUWB.”

To obtain a copy of Visus, email [email protected].