Rachel Mindrup's Work Featured in AMA Journal of Ethics

Wednesday, July 1, 2020

KHN Alumnx (2017) Rachel Mindrup announced she has co-authored an article about her paintings from her portrait series, Many Faces of NF. The peer-reviewed article about her portrait work of Ashok Shrestha's NF Transformation was published by the American Medical Association's (AMA) Journal of Ethics, in the journal's June 2020 issue.

The article, "Neurofibromatosis and a Portrait of 1 in 3000" (by Rachel Mindrup, MFA and Regina Idoate, PhD), highlights the work Rachel has done in her ongoing project, Many Faces of NF, in which she has painted and exhibited more than 200 portraits of people living with neurofibromatosis to raise awareness of and resources for this little-known disorder. Neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that occurs in 1 in 3000 births, can cause tumors to grow anywhere on or in the body. Rachel is an artist-researcher and mother of a son living with neurofibrmatosis.

Among many stories shared through Rachel’s works is the story of Ashok, a Nepali man who has undergone 3 surgeries to remove facially disfiguring tumors that developed as a result of neurofibromatosis. This article analyzes portraits of Ashok and interviews that she conducted with Ashok during each phase of his surgical process "to present a case study of their lived experience at the intersection of art and medicine that illustrates the power of portraiture as medicine." (FTA)

Rachel Mindrup, is a professional artist and Assistant Professor of drawing and painting at Creighton University. She received her BFA from the University of Nebraska - Kearney and then continued with atelier studies at the Art Academy of Los Angeles. She received her MFA from the Art Institute of Boston. Her current painting practice is about the study of the figure and portraiture in contemporary art and its relation to medicine, as well as her ongoing Many Faces of Neurofibromatosis (NF).

KHN will feature Rachel's work in an upcoming exhibition (TBA), so watch for more news in our newsletters and on social media, and follow Rachel's Many Faces of NF page to learn more.

Congratulations, Rachel!

Link to the article / AMA Journal of Ethics, June 2020, "Neurofibromatosis and a Portrait of 1 in 3000"

Rachel Mindrup's website

Rachel Mindrup/Many Faces of NF on Facebook

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Rachel Mindrup's Work Featured in AMA Journal of Ethics

Rachel Mindrup's Work Featured in AMA Journal of Ethics

What the Artists are Saying...

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