NIMHD Announces Winners of First Health Equity Art Challenge

By Gina Roussos and Shelly Pollard

Multiple scenes of diversity around the Bronx, New York: in a doctor's office, a playground, a vaccination tent, a kiosk in a public garden - with "in this together" in multiple languages and musicians and musical notes in the middle showing all in harmony.

1st place adult. “In This Together” by Zarrin Tashnim of New York uses imagery inspired by the Bronx to highlight the importance of clean environments, access to healthy food and breaking generational cycles of illness through quality preventive care.

A golden statue of Lady Justice holds up the staff-wrapped-with-snakes symbol of medicine and two equal scales, each filled with kids of different races, in front of the stripes of the Pride Flag.

2nd place adult. “The American Dream” by Kirandeep Kaur, California. Justice is depicted holding the Staff of Hermes (symbol of medicine) with the background of the pride flag. Her scale is balanced with children of different ethnicities sitting on it.

Brown and beige hands reach up toward a paper with a barcode that reads: Healthcare Access Pass

3rd place adult. “Healthcare Access Pass” by Adam Vossen of California visualizes an access pass that allows everyone regardless of their race, class, or gender to receive health care, replacing the inaccessible monetary requirements of modern health care.

Children of different races swing, play ball, ride bikes and walk on a playground full of shrubs and other greenery.

1st place teen. “A Playground is Just a Small City” by Larisa Kachko of Maryland depicts a playground where children and adults from all backgrounds and abilities can play.

A red heart with an EKG graph in it, hovers over a green map of the US, as pairs of hands of different races, palms up, reach over from all sides.

2nd place teen. “Working Together to Bring Health for All” by Katie Bonilla of Georgia shows working together to create a healthy nation with equitable health for all, no matter race, ethnicity or background.

The staff of Hermes (a rod with snakes wrapped around it with a pair of wings) is at center of half black, half white picture with hands of different races circling around it.

3rd place teen. “Medical Equality” by Arielle Clark, Maryland. Equal medical services are in reach of hands of all races and ages.

In 2020, NIMHD marked 10 years as an institute, 20 years as a center, and 30 years since establishment of the NIH Office of Minority Programs, making for a 10-20-30 celebration! Looking for new ways to bring national awareness to minority health and health disparities, NIMHD hosted its first Envisioning Health Equity Art Challenge as an anniversary activity. Teens and adults were invited to submit original artwork expressing NIMHD’s vision for the future: an America in which all populations will have an equal opportunity to live long, healthy and productive lives.

NIMHD received 70 entries from 25 states and Puerto Rico, each expressing the artist’s unique vision of health equity. A team of NIMHD extramural, intramural and administrative staff selected the winners for each category. Winners received a cash prize: $3,500 for 1st place, $2,500 for 2nd place and $1,500 for 3rd place.

“At NIMHD our vision is to promote health equity and we have been a leader in raising national awareness about the prevalence and impact of health disparities,” said NIMHD director Dr. Eliseo Pérez-Stable. “Our anniversary celebration provided an opportunity to hear from others by sponsoring the Envisioning Health Equity Art Challenge.”

“I was amazed by the passion and creativity displayed in each of the entries,” said Dr. Gina Roussos, project lead for the challenge. “I am excited for NIMHD to share these six talented artists with the world.”

To view the winning art and artists online, visit NIMHD’s YouTube page https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=QckirBvHcWo&feature=youtu.be.