This annual award provides a grant of up to $4,000 to a team of IMS students, supported by a faculty member, to create a new initiative that demonstrates innovation and excellence in the communication of medical science to diverse audiences.
This year's award recipient is MedComics Con, led by Mariam Elsawy and Shannen Kyte. MedComics Con —short for Medical Science Comics Conference— reimagines how science is communicated by transforming medical research into engaging, visual narratives through the art of comics.
Through this initiative, students in the Biomedical Communications program will collaborate with IMS doctoral students to produce comics based on their research. In a series of pre-conference workshops facilitated by BMC students, participants will learn about the emerging field of Graphic Medicine and how to create compelling comics for science communication.
The culmination of this creative process will be the in-person conference, where participants will share their work with other students, faculty, and the public. Awards will be presented to the most innovative comics, and winners will have the opportunity to spotlight their work in the next issue of the IMS Magazine.
Congratulations to Mariam and Shannen! Stay tuned for more details about MedComics Con which will be taking place in Spring 2026.
