Artwork featured on cover of the American Journal of Bioethics

When I learned that I would be creating an illustration on pediatric medical decision making, I immediately wanted to work from the perspective of a child. Grappling with heavy topics such as informed consent and patient autonomy is difficult for adults and so must be especially daunting for children and their parents.

It was important that the illustration include elements from both the childlike world of imagination and wonder, and the less innocent world of medical decision making. The overall concept is a balance of dichotomies such as adult and child, serious and playful, big and small, reality and fantasy, autonomous and dependent. Through these subtle comparisons and ironies, the image is meant to evoke an appreciation for the overwhelming task of making important decisions before one may be ready to do so.

Check out the journal’s site here!