UCLA Journal of Radiation Oncology APRIL 2022 - Flipbook - Page 4
Chairman’s
Letter
Dear All,
The art historian E.H. Gombrich presented Da Vinci and his contemporaries as
the prime example of how artists used medicine and science to elevate their craft
and respectability in the 15th Century. Today, this concept is flipped on its head
when it comes to medicine and science. Our patients and treatment approaches
benefit from the underpinnings of the fine arts. The juxtaposition of medicine
and art allows us to bring an empathetic sense of whole to all we do––from
precisely defining the contours of the tumors we endeavor to treat to gaining
awareness and insight into the psycho-social dimensions of our patients’ lives.
This issue of the Journal is steeped in the arts––their relationship to the human
condition––and science’s efforts to improve the human condition. From the
apparent and subtilities of our featured artist, Kara Walker, and our featured
poet, Natasha Trethewey, to the important, treatment-improving research being
done by Dr. Joanne Weidhass, Dr. Erina Vlashi, Dr. Amar Kishan, and Dr. Jie
Deng.
While society often manufactures a dichotomy between the arts and the
sciences, I am proud that here at UCLA Health in the Department of Radiation
Oncology, we actively embrace and embody the living connection between the
two.
Be well and stay safe,
Michael Steinberg, M.D.
Professor and Chair
@MSteinbergMD
