By Sylvia Chebet
Everyone likely has a favourite memory from biology class. Perhaps it's the day your entire class broke into a fit of giggles as a puzzled teacher explained seemingly bizarre terms for body parts like "medulla oblongata" and "proboscis".
Which uninitiated child could have imagined that the medulla oblongata is a crucial part of the brainstem, playing a vital role in regulating many bodily functions?
Or that proboscis is an elongated, flexible appendage that protrudes from the head of some animals?
Navigating the complexities of biological study, peppered with terminologies, can be a daunting experience.
Experts like Ni-ka Ford, a certified medical illustrator, use their visualisation skills to help demystify and break these often pedantic lessons into fascinating scientific stories of life and living.
"I am the founder of Enlight Visuals, a medical and scientific visualisation initiative," she tells TRT Afrika.
"I produce 2D illustrations for research publications and patient education alongside 3D models for scientific visualisation."
Ni-ka's work is an intricate fusion of art and science, tech and skill, and passion and knowledge.
Her anatomical illustrations also stand out by using black people as models, making the exercise "inclusive of the entire range of humankind".
"Today, we recognise how a lack of representation and disenfranchisement in medical illustration can lead to health disparities," states a paper titled From Netter's Naturalism to a Representation Revolution, explaining the purpose of Ni-ka reimagining a famous Caucasian facial anatomy illustration by the American surgeon and illustrator Dr Frank H Netter.
Breaking it down
Ni-ka, who is based in the US, says medical illustrators use art to convey complex topics in both science and medicine to serve audiences with diverse needs.
"Medical illustration is important because it helps with patient care and patient understanding of medical information. It helps with understanding scientific research. It promotes education and is also used in marketing," she says.
Her work primarily helps close health literacy gaps, which health experts reckon plays a massive role in preventing and managing diseases.
Visuals are a universal language. So, being able to visualise health information enables viewers' understanding of it. It can also be used to dispel harmful misinformation.
Racial disparities
It bothers Ni-ka that few talented people of African descent have woken up to the potential of her field. "Currently, of the medical illustrators practising professionally, I think only 2% are black," she says.
The impact of this is evident in the work that has been created in the field. "Historically, medical illustrations have mostly featured white, able-bodied male individuals.
This contributes to health inequities," Ni-ka tells TRT Afrika. "If a healthcare provider has not been exposed to how conditions present differently on people of different skin tones or backgrounds, the person will not be equipped to treat that condition.
This could lead to underdiagnosis or misdiagnosis of conditions on, for example, darker skin.
" Inclusivity also helps with patient empowerment. When patients see themselves reflected in healthcare material, Ni-ka reckons that they become much more receptive to information that empowers and informs them to make better decisions.
I think being a black medical illustrator has helped me combat the racial biases in medicine, particularly in the realm of dermatology, and conditions that present topically on the skin.
"Through visual representation in my work, I can show how a condition presents differently on darker skin than on lighter or white skin."
Focus on minutiae
Ni-ka's creations for dermatological literature highlight the obvious or often obscure differences that influence patient diagnosis and management. Like every artist, some works are closer to her heart than the rest. "Some of my favourite creations to date are illustrations depicting women's reproductive systems and maternal health.
In the US, there are huge racial disparities in maternal health," she says. "I am hoping that with my work, I can help reduce some of those."
Ni-ka also fancies creating illustrations relating to neuroscience. "The brain is a fascinating organ, and I love delving into it," she says, referring to a cover illustration in a textbook titled Botulinum Neurotoxin for Head and Neck Disorders.
"That cover remains one of my favourite illustrations to date."
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