Editor's Note

PLEXUS is a student-organized journal of the arts and humanities that showcases creative work by medical students, physicians, faculty, and others in the UC Irvine medical community. Through the universal language of art, the journal aspires to connect those who seek to heal and be healed.

We hope that PLEXUS will always serve as a creative and welcoming space in which we can all reflect and express our various emotional journeys in medicine and in life. Medicine, especially in recent years, may feel like a solitary endeavor. Now, more than ever, we hope PLEXUS provides solace and community to all who contribute to and view its pages.

Identity is the fact of being or knowing what and who we are – an intrinsic property of ourselves and our world that can be challenged, taken for granted, and ultimately shaped by how we choose to live. This year's 24th edition of PLEXUS, Identity, focuses on the experiences and reflections that make us who are. We are moved by forces and convictions that define our individual identities, our motivations in healthcare, and our society. Let us celebrate the triumphs and mourn the losses that carry us to the present and remember the hopes and ambitions we have for the future.

We are incredibly grateful to our amazing community for their support in sustaining PLEXUS. We would like to give special thanks to our faculty advisors Drs. Juliet McMullin, Tan Nguyen, and Frank Meyskens. As well as the Endowed Program in Medical Humanities & Arts and the Department of Family Medicine. This journal would not have been possible without their continuous support and guidance.

We hope you enjoy PLEXUS 2023: Identity.

Kenneth Schmitt (MS4), Celina Yang (GR1), Ashley Hope (MS4)

Editors in Chief

(Front cover) Tower, Clifford Danza, MS1

(Background image) Salt of the Earth. Ashley Hope, MS4

Welcome to the 25th anniversary edition of PLEXUS, UC Irvine School of Medicine’s annual student-organized Journal of Medical Humanities & Arts. To mark this celebratory milestone, it is with great pleasure that I present to you NAVIGATE. In the ever-evolving landscape of medicine, the ability to navigate through challenges and unforeseen obstacles is paramount. NAVIGATE serves as a timely invitation for our colleagues to reflect on the distances traversed and to envision the new horizons that lie ahead. We sought to highlight the constellation of tools utilized when we feel lost and to acknowledge the beacons that steer our actions. The subsequent pages offer its readers profound

insights into the extraordinary journeys undertaken by the greater UCI Health community. We hope it delivers a sense of direction, solace, and clarity to all readers.

As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, we

honor the visionaries, contributors, and readers that have propelled us forward on this remarkable voyage. Their collective support fuels our efforts to serve as a creative outlet for the community, catalyze meaningful discussions, and apply the tenets of medical humanities to foster a cohort of compassionate healers.

We extend our deepest gratitude to our faculty advisors Dr. Juliet McMullin and Dr. Tan

Nguyen for their invaluable guidance and for sharing their expertise within the field. We thank the UCISOM Medical Humanities & Arts Program and the UCI Department of Family Medicine for their unwavering support. I invite you to embark on this exploration with us, and witness the intricate tapestry of our contributors’ lived experiences that defines our shared journey in healthcare.

Bon voyage,

Christopher Sahagian

Editor-in-Chief

Creative Review — Caroline Gee

Creative Review — Huan Nguyen

Creative Review — Sana Shah

Design — Nicole Parker

Design — Britney Weng

Faculty Advisor — Dr. Juliet McMullin

Faculty Advisor — Dr. Tan Nguyen

Staff Advisor — Leonora Naser-Saravia

{Front Cover): NEW HEIGHTS Britney Weng, MS1

San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

(Inner Cover): TRAVERSING  Britney Weng, MS1

Chile Route 23