Brief Intro:
Dr Usaamah Khan is a Neurologist in Boston at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He completed his Neurology training at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA after which he completed his Neurocritical Care fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital , Brigham and Women’s Hospital & Harvard Medical School. He is currently pursuing a second fellowship in Clinical Neurophysiology/Epilepsy at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Dr Khan has a passion for creating artwork inspired by his clinical practice of Neurology through which he aims to capture various neurological disease processes. His artwork can be found via instagram @Neural_Blends. Follow him for clinical and research updates on Twitter/X @DrUsaamahKhan
Q. Tell me about yourself
A. I often find myself pausing momentarily when asked the question “so, where are you from?”- I’ve had the unique privilege of calling numerous places across the world home. I was born in the city of Durham in the United Kingdom and then lived in Newcastle for the earlier part of my life, and then lived in Pakistan briefly before moving to the Middle East in Saudi Arabia where I spent most of my school years. I then traversed across the globe to Toronto, Canada where I lived for 5 years, followed by some time in the beautiful Caribbean tropics and now have been living in the United States for the past almost decade or so. Somewhere along this wild journey, I found my passion for people, for science, for art and now I get to live out my dream of working as a Neurologist caring for patients with neurological disease, and also use art to capture some of those experiences. I recently completed my Neurocritical care fellowship at Harvard and am now staying on for another fellowship in Epilepsy. The learning truly never stops.
Q. Tell me about your art. How did you start and why the medium you work in? Why do you keep making art when so many people who loved it stop? What's your process? What happens to you when you make art?
A. I was never an artistic kid growing up. Most of my time was split between sports and studies and I didn't really develop an interest for the arts until much later. As a neurologist, I’ve always been intrigued by the brain and its incredible role in the human experience - people often think about “left brained vs right brained” people - those being more analytical and cerebral, vs others being more creative and artistic. The complexity and intricacy of the brain would suggest it's far more dynamic and fluid than just those broad categorizations, so I wanted to explore both those facets of my own brain and that's really what inspired me to try and delve into my creative element. Neurology as a specialty is truly an art-form, the level of detail that goes into observing and assessing patients with neurological conditions, deconstructing the most complex integration of neural networks and identifying inaccuracies, demands a degree of unparalleled finesse and focus. Like a Jackson Pollock masterpiece, It is both beauty and chaos. The works of Oliver Sacks, one of my inspirations for pursuing Neurology, made me truly appreciate the allure that exists in how we understand the brain and its vast neurological phenomenon. And what better way to capture beauty than Art? - so my goal with the artwork is to tell a story about a neurological disease, to capture it in a raw and abstract form, and to use that as a platform to teach the audience about certain disease processes.
I typically paint with Oil on Canvas (though I have at times dabbled in acrylics), mostly because of how well I find the blending process with oils rather than acrylics. The process involved in my artwork typically involves thinking about a disease process that I want to illustrate, often inspired by a patient encounter - and the first step is usually identifying the various aspects of that disease that I want to portray in the piece. There is a degree of improvising that goes into the artwork and that's both a challenging but also exciting part of the process. In many cases, the artwork will carve its own path along the way and I’ll just improvise and adjust along the way and the finished product may be very different from what I initially had in mind. In some ways, that degree of adaptability and resetting the canvas is symbolic of the approach we sometimes have to take as providers caring for patients with dynamic and unpredictable clinical courses.
Q. When applying into medical school and residency in neurology (and fellowship in neurocrit). Did you have to hide that or did you assert that straight on in conversation with program directors and faculty?
A. Not at all, it was definitely not something I felt I had to hide, however it was also not something I brought too much attention to. For the most part, the artwork was a personal side hobby that I did not bring much intentional attention to, but with the growing positive feedback I have gotten about it, and now recognizing the value it can hopefully bring, I have become more welcoming of the exposure it is now getting.
Q. Residency (and fellowship) is demanding, all-consuming for so many people. But you’ve seen to keep your art a priority and it's been recognized by the field, appearing in both academic journal covers and as an exhibition in a history of medical science museum? What strategies helped you keep in touch with your art?
A. I think finding the balance that allows you to continue to do the things you enjoy and that bring you purpose and meaning is something I have always prioritized. The artwork is meditative and serves as a form of relaxation for me so it is something that I will make time for, however of course when other aspects of life with busy clinical training become more demanding, I do step away from it. One of the things I truly enjoy about the artwork is it is never forced, I’m never painting against a deadline, or painting when I’m not feeling up for it. I have gone months without touching a paintbrush and other times where I want to spend days on end just working on one piece.
The academic journal cover art is still not yet published but hopefully will be soon. It was very exciting and humbling that two of the pieces were accepted as cover art for a prominent Neurology journal so I am very excited about that. And the recent exhibition at the Paul S Russell Museum for the Ode to Joy Celebration of Arts night was an incredible experience. It was my first public showing at an art event and meeting other artists and sharing the platform to tell the story behind one of my pieces to a live audience was amazing to say the least!
Q. Did being a neurologist and what you know about the brain affect how you make art or how you appreciate art?
A. Absolutely! All of my art is inspired by my passion for Neurology. The brain and nervous system is incredibly intricate and its overwhelming magnificence is undeniable when you learn and understand it at a deeper level. At the same time, the suffering and pain experienced by those who unfortunately face various neurological disorders can be horrifying. There is therefore a very complex and oftentimes conflicting mix of sentiments and emotions that I try to embody in my artwork. An example is a piece that was inspired by a young patient who unfortunately suffered from Anti-NMDA encephalitis - a devastating condition that presents with many neuropsychiatric symptoms, and when creating that painting there was a certain uncomfortable eeriness that I needed to capture. I think as someone who works with patients who unfortunately oftentimes have deficits that compromise their cognitive, visual, language, motor faculties, it has made me fully appreciate the various forms in which we experience and perceive life around us. Visual art being one of them - so yes as a neurologist I do find not only am I inspired to create art but I am also more appreciative of the art that exists out there.
Q. Did being an artist and what you know about composition affect how you review biomedical images or examine patients?
A. Not at all, I think most people I work with who learn I have an artistic and creative side are often quite surprised by it. My approach to patients and delivery of care for patients is not in any way affected by the creative and artistic side that inspires the art. Referring back to what I mentioned earlier, I think all of us have an objective-data driven/cerebral side but also an artistic/creative side, and when it comes to my work and my patients, it's definitely the cerebral side that takes over. I’m sure there can be parallels drawn between the two, but my approach to my patients and work in the clinical space is entirely directed by the years and years of rigorous medical training and a methodical and objective approach that is largely driven by data, literature and clinical knowledge and acumen. The artwork however is inspired and impacted by the clinical work, but not the other way around.
Q. How did the exhibit at the Russell come about?
The Center for Faculty Development at Mass General Brigham organized an event called the MGH Ode to Joy - A celebration for the Arts. It was a night of celebrating the artwork of various artists affiliated with MGB and I was fortunate enough to have one of my pieces selected to be displayed and shared at the event which was held at the Paul S. Russell Museum. It was amazing meeting other artists and also having a chance to talk to the live audience about my piece “Prosopagnosia” which is a disease process that causes facial blindness. This was my first art show, and I’m looking forward to having more!
Q. How did the cover-art for an academic journal come about?
Well, this is still yet to be published so I want to keep the details a little limited for now. But, I submitted some of my paintings for the cover art for a prominent Neurology journal and two of those pieces were fortunately accepted and will be published as the journal cover in the upcoming issues. This is quite humbling and exciting for the artwork to get this sort of exposure, it certainly was not something I had imagined but I definitely welcome it!
Q. What are other ways you've co-mingled your art of medicine and your art of painting?
A. Truthfully I haven't yet as much, I think I have kept the art quite private for the most part but am now starting to build on my portfolio further and hopefully bring more attention to it. I would love to be able to share the artwork more with both neurologists and non-neurologists to bring more attention to neurological diseases, the impact certain conditions have on patients, as well as help people appreciate the wonders of the brain and nervous system. I think art is a beautiful form of expression and medicine is a beautiful form of service, and I hope to combine the two and share it with as many people as possible.
Q. If people are interested in learning more about you and your artwork, where should they look/how should they find you?
A. At the moment I only have some of my artwork on my instagram page “Neural_Blends” so I would definitely encourage people to follow that. I intend on building a website soon and am looking to find ways to make my art available for those who are interested.
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