Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus
<p><strong>STIMULUS</strong><br />stim·u·lus | \ ˈstim-yə-ləs \<br />n. something that incites change, action, or response.</p> <p>Our journal name, Stimulus, has a double meaning: first, it represents a stimulus for<br />positive change in the healthcare field as a result of the medical humanities. Secondly, it<br />represents the purpose that underlies every artform: to stimulate the audience’s<br />emotions. </p>Mavs Open Press; UTA Department of Philosophy, Medical Humanities en-USStimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal2767-7281The Maze of the Mind
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/53
<p>Patients may seem okay from the outside, but they may feel imprisoned in a labyrinth in their minds. The patient in the illustration displays masking as they exhibit a colorful palette. At the same time, their head seems to indicate very dark colors. As the patient looks up in this illustration, the patient conveys signs of hopefulness. The maze of the mind may be a long journey for someone, and many people delay getting any help due to the stigmas of mental illness. They are racing in their heads every day whether they should seek help or keep everything inside of them. Doctors will never know if their patient is going through something if they do not try to take the time to communicate with their patients.</p>Karen Hernandez
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252101010.32855/stimulus.2022.02.001Curtain
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/72
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hello there! My name is Uchechi Etumnu. I graduated UTA Fall 2021 as a Biology major with a passion for health care and education. I was also previously involved in the AMAZING Mavericks for Medical Humanities Spring 2020 - Fall 2021 as one of the founding officers.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Being a doctor can be a challenging process, but being a black, female doctor is even more challenging. Although it is hard, it is never impossible.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Therefore, I wrote a poem called “Curtain” to encourage anyone who has ever struggled with their career goals because of discrimination due to their ethnicity, faith, gender, or socioeconomic status, as well as any other experiences that may have occurred.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is dedicated to you.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You are seen. You are loved. Never give up or quit on your dreams.</span></p>Uchechi Etumnu
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252121210.32855/stimulus.2022.02.002Prioritizing Wellness
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/89
<p>In order to function well the next day, it is very important to prioritize getting at least 8 hours of sleep each night. This is sometimes easier said then done especially with a child, but I have found maintaining a routine helps. My son and I have a bedtime routine starting at 9 PM which consists of story time and breakfast ideas for the next day.</p>Sandy Hobart
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252141410.32855/stimulus.2022.02.003Never a Task, But a Person
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/61
<p>...</p>Shakyra Silva
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252171710.32855/stimulus.2022.02.004PIVOT
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/66
Kayode AremuMayur Bhakta
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252191910.32855/stimulus.2022.02.005Hidden Pieces
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/70
Kayode AremuOlolade Aremu
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252212110.32855/stimulus.2022.02.006Fatphobia in Healthcare
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/76
Sarah A. Shelton
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252232310.32855/stimulus.2022.02.007You Can Still Hold On
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/57
Gabrelle Kelley
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252272710.32855/stimulus.2022.02.008The Power of Literacy
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/65
Angie Gonzalez
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252282810.32855/stimulus.2022.02.009Life and Growth in All Forms, Within the Soul
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/73
<p>This resin piece demonstrates the beauty of life in various forms. The flowers represent growth--rather it be emotionally, mentally, or physically. </p>Maleah Galvan
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252292910.32855/stimulus.2022.02.010Mid-Level Providers May Solve Healthcare Shortages in Underserved Communities
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/40
<p>...</p>Randy RamirezNavvin Sadarangani
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252303010.32855/stimulus.2022.02.011Reading Between the Lines
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/75
Serena Karim
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252333310.32855/stimulus.2022.02.012Aging Out of Healthcare
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/45
Rebecca Bruton
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252343410.32855/stimulus.2022.02.013Care Beyond Medicine
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/56
<p>This was a short list of lessons I learned being in healthcare.</p>Theresa Huynh
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252353510.32855/stimulus.2022.02.014An Aptitude for Tranquility
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/50
<p>Benbrook Lake on any evening, March 2021.</p>Ignazio Previto
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252373710.32855/stimulus.2022.02.015The Relationship Between the Biopsychosocial Model and Autism Spectrum Disorder
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/48
<p>As more disorders and diseases are studied, researchers use different models and methods to enhance their knowledge on the subject. One type of model that researchers use is the Biopsychosocial Model. This model gives researchers a better understanding about the topic they are studying. Thus, allowing researchers to identify the characteristics of the disorder or disease. Motivated by that, we are going to show how the biopsychosocial model helps characterize and enhance the understanding of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We will look at the relationship between the model and the disorder, compare the differences between childhood autism and adulthood autism and the characteristics that emerged from using this model. Although ASD is a complex disorder using the biopsychosocial model will help give us a better understanding of ASD.</p>Anna Nguyen
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252383810.32855/stimulus.2022.02.016Mind and body
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/51
<p>A drawing of the brain, heart, skeleton, and the skull. Represents the human body and it's vital parts in the function of living.</p>Ami Patel
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252424210.32855/stimulus.2022.02.017What If You Were Still Here Now?
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/60
<p>A short prose about the thoughts that go through my mind, on a daily basis, about my son, who passed away in 2017. </p>Megan Norris
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252434310.32855/stimulus.2022.02.018The Art of ADHD
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/54
<p>In the piece, there are multiple events happening at the same time, and one of the key factors I wanted to highlight in the painting was the constant movement and change that occurred in the mind of one who has ADHD. On the right side of the painting, creativity is expressed through the abstract mediums and inconsistent flows and presses of the brush used. On the left side, however, the art is much neater and has clear imaging rather than having an abstract approach. This represents the right and left hemisphere of the human brain with its creative and logical side, but if that was all, then why are there four dividers rather than two?</p> <p>To answer that question, one needs to delve into ADHD a little more to find out. To start off, an understanding of what ADHD entails is necessary. ADHD, which stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, is often described as “an ongoing pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development”. An average of 5.4 million children, about 8.4% of the world, has been diagnosed with ADHD, and an even higher amount are predicted to have undiagnosed ADHD. People diagnosed with ADHD often experience symptoms such as: Finding it difficult to sit still, this is especially true in environments that are calm and quiet. A need to constantly fidget and move their fingers. A difficulty when it comes to concentrating and paying all one's attention to a task. An excessive amount of physical movement. As well as excessive talking, beyond the normal. Having difficulty waiting for their turns as well as taking turns. A tendency to do an action before thinking it through. And finally, a habit of interrupting others while they speak.</p> <p>All in all, those with ADHD often have constant activity buzzing through their mind and are found to actively move from one task to another even without completing the first one. Therefore, I found it best to make not only two sides to the portrait of their brain, but four, since they are constantly firing neurons about multiple things all at the same time.</p>Asma Saleh
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252454510.32855/stimulus.2022.02.019Fluoroquinolone Toxicity: From Mysterious Internet Illness to My New Reality - A Memoir of My Bout with Levofloxacin
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/67
<p>This short story is a memoir divulging my experience in 2017 with an antibiotic known as levofloxacin and a syndrome called <em>fluoroquinolone toxicity</em>. With this autobiographical account, I hope to educate readers about the toxicity of fluoroquinolone antibiotics, so they can make more informed decisions regarding their health and the health of others and, ultimately, effect positive change in the medical field, either as a student, patient, or provider as far as fluoroquinolone administration, pharmacovigilance, and “floxie” patient advocacy is concerned.</p>Michael Paul Lewis
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252474710.32855/stimulus.2022.02.020something comforting
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/62
Teresa VuJessica Pham
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252525210.32855/stimulus.2022.02.021Our Red Sun
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/46
<p>Just like the Sun, we change. We change every day, every month, every year. This picture was taken at the very beginning of the Fall ’21 semester, and it is by far one of my favorite pictures I’ve ever taken. In my twenty-two years of living, I have never seen a red Sun until that moment, and I’m still waiting to see another one. Usually during sunset, the sky looks different. The clouds and the sky look colorful with swatches of pink, orange, and red. It’s amazing, and it’s all because of the Sun. If we think about it, we actually have a lot more in common with the Sun than we think. When it’s gloomy outside, the Sun still comes out even if we don’t see it, just like we still go to work or to school when we don’t feel 100%. Our co-workers or classmates may not see the effort we put into getting out of bed, but <em>we</em> know it. Because of season and time changes, the days may feel longer or shorter. When the days are long, the Sun seems to never want to go down. A little just like us when we never want a moment to end. Or when the Sun goes down way sooner than expected, it’s like us when we realize something, like a deadline being way closer than we think. The Sun provides for us the way we provide for ourselves, without it we would not be able to <em>live</em>. </p>Isabella Moreno
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252535310.32855/stimulus.2022.02.022The Reality of Barriers to Specific Populations of Pre-Health Students
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/59
<p>Shedding light on the reality of barriers that several individuals in soecific populations face with respect to being a pre-health student face.</p>Eric Rios
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252545410.32855/stimulus.2022.02.023Hope
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/63
Anna Tarpley
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252565610.32855/stimulus.2022.02.024What's at UTA
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/94
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-2529393Letter from the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/85
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-25233Letter from Dr. Gellman
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/86
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-25244Letter from the Stimulus Team
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/87
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2022-05-252022-05-25255Meet the Stimulus Team
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/88
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-25277It Takes Two
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/90
<p>...</p>Amal Eltahir Ali
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252656510.32855/stimulus.2022.02.029Sikhism in the United States of America
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/77
Darashagam Nahal
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252686810.32855/stimulus.2022.02.030Shoreline Spirituality
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/91
<p>...</p>Steven Gellman
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252717110.32855/stimulus.2022.02.031The Five Stages of Grief
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/92
<p>...</p>Karyssa Nelson
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252727210.32855/stimulus.2022.02.032Prayer Rug
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/78
<p>"Prayer Rug" is a piece dedicated to my prayer rug, which was given to me as a gift from a close friend on his return from his home country, Jordan. I wrote this piece at the beginning of Ramadan, a muslim holy month of fasting, prayer, introspection, and community.</p> <p>The prayer rug has become an important place for me as I have come to know and love Islam. It is a place of peace and reverence, one that I can take with me to disconnect from the stress of everyday life and connect with God. It is also a place of humility. The rug is all that separates me from the Earth as I ask for guidance, strength, and forgiveness. It is also a place of community. Whenever I perform salah, or the five daily prayers, the rug reminds me of my brothers and sisters who are standing with me, unified in time and direction, quietly speaking His word. </p>Joshua Cupps
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252767610.32855/stimulus.2022.02.033The Dimming of the Shining City
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/43
<p>Our nation has been reduced from the ideals of its founding by forces inherent in our contemporary culture. What results is a nation that has failed the test of the pandemic as evidenced by preventable excess morbidity and mortality...and the loss of my patient's father.</p>Jason V. Terk
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252585810.32855/stimulus.2022.02.025Insecurity
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/58
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">I want my work to serve as portals to another world where stigmatization of mental illness and gender identity are not a reality. I contradict stereotypes of femininity, mental health, and self-perception. While some may consider the self-portrait the ultimate act of narcissism, I revel in it. I invoke imagery from Baroque portraiture, an era categorized by luxury and indulgence. I insert myself and my loved ones into these opulent scenes, but with an unmistakable modern streak. In my portraits, I emphasize features society deems less than perfect. Pores, cuts, and bruises compose the space in a decorative way that may be deemed grotesque. In my experience as a woman with OCD and trichotillomania, these encounters are a reality for me. I hope to capture these realities to spread awareness of my perspective. It is not my goal to romanticize my illness, but rather to acknowledge its power and truth as my reality. In an information-saturated world, I want my works to stand out as moments of raw and confrontative authenticity.</span></p>Audrey Williams
Copyright (c) 2022 Stimulus: A Medical Humanities Journal
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2022-05-252022-05-252606010.32855/stimulus.2022.02.026The Day I Decided to Chase the Sun
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/64
Dana Johnson
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2022-05-252022-05-252616110.32855/stimulus.2022.02.027Rawr
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/80
Anthony Pham
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2022-05-252022-05-252636310.32855/stimulus.2022.02.028Creator Biographies
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/93
<p>...</p>
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2022-05-252022-05-2527878Full Issue
https://stimulus.journal.library.uta.edu/index.php/stimulus/article/view/84
Copyright (c) 2022 The Editors
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2022-05-252022-05-25210.32855/stimulus.2022.02