Elizabeth Andreas

Elizabeth—a New Jersey native—moved to Atlanta to attend Emory University where she completed extensive coursework in biological sciences and received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and Women’s Studies. After graduating, she continued her fine arts training at the New Orleans Academy of Fine Arts and the Blue Easel Club in Louisiana.

After working as a Spanish-English translator at a women’s clinic in New Jersey, I decided I no longer wanted to become a doctor. I wanted art, which had for many years been a passionate past time, to become the focus of my creative energies and my career. Early in my junior year at Emory University, I happened upon the field of medical illustration. Shortly after, I had the opportunity to illustrate two science textbooks for the Emory Tibet Science Initiative. This experience—combining my love for art and science—solidified my decision to pursue a graduate degree in Biomedical Visualization at UIC.

Thus far, my favorite experience at BVIS has been studying the components that make educational material effective and the different ways people learn. In the process, I have enjoyed honing my own visual thinking and visual organizational skills. My interests include understanding the intersectionality of women’s health, destigmatizing mental health, and creating educational materials designed for patients and medical students. I enjoy interactive design, coding, haptics, 2D illustration, 3D modeling, sketching, and figure drawing. After graduation, I will pursue a doctoral degree in Anatomy or Biological Anthropology in order to teach and continue research at a university level.