Conversations that Matter: The Visual Thinking Strategies Approach

Groundbreaking to the extent of controversy when it was first introduced in the 1990s, the Visual Thinking Strategies approach to teaching with visual art is more relevant than ever in today’s fractured, interconnected world. This talk introduces Visual Thinking Strategies across disciplines in higher education, with a focus on its growing use in medicine. Participants will gain an overview of VTS research to date and its relevance to key paradigm shifts influencing society today. We will further look at examples of applications of VTS towards medical diagnosis, bias awareness, and inter-professional teamwork. Join us to look at a wide range of images as we consider their catalytic potential to critical thinking and leadership across contexts.

About our Facilitator

A visual artist and facilitator by training, Alexa Miller founded ArtsPractica in 2011 to deliver observation-based approaches to physicians to support their success in uncertainty with patients, students, and organizations. Her study of adaptive approaches to uncertainty – as found in medicine, society, the arts, and performance – has been supported by fellowships from the Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine and the Hermitage Artist Retreat. She received a B.A. from Swarthmore College, an M.A. in Painting from the Wimbledon School of Art, and has completed extensive training in Visual Thinking Strategies coaching and facilitation. An original co-creator of Harvard Medical School’s Training the Eye Program, she teaches at Brandeis University.