Protective Membrane in an Environment of Care

Inside a Multi-disciplinary Team Meeting (MDT) Here I am like a fly on the wall in a multi disciplinary team (MDT) meeting at The Edinburgh Cancer Centre at the Western General Hospital where not one but a whole team of healthcare professionals are deciding on the course of treatment for their patients with head and neck cancer. The dentist sitting beside me peers over my shoulder curiously as I process this environment through drawing. Observing the team navigate images of the interior with ease and fluency, it strikes me that I have never seen the body like this before; a new perspective that differs greatly from the everyday experience of being.

Searching for Osiris inside the body

The person on the computer to the right is driving the imagery at the front of the room and sitting in these red seats are the team of surgeons, oncologists, nurse specialists and dentists. The pathologists are in the space remotely via the two cameras at the front of the room. I’ve chosen to highlight the red seats as a way to remind myself and those of you reading this that we are all in this together; whether or not our body is in one of these seats or appearing on the screen. The red chairs and those occupying them appear to me like the new outer shell of a collective body; a protective membrane in an environment of care. My thoughts are with Osiris the salivary gland as they help to facilitate communication amongst this dedicated team of clinicians. Osiris is not only the name of the salivary gland in a patient with head and neck cancer. Osiris is my salivary gland and yours; tucked away discretely within the architecture of the body.

Thanks for reading,

Emily

You can contact/find me at:

emilyfongstudio@gmail.com

@emilyfongstudio 

• To discover more about Dr Elaine Emmerson’s research you can visit  http://crm.ed.ac.uk/research/group/manipulating-stem-cell-niche-promote-regeneration

• For support or more information about head and neck cancer, or to make a donation, you can visit the Throat Cancer Foundation website at https://www.throatcancerfoundation.org

• To get hands on and creative with the tools of science, you can drop into an open session at the ASCUS Lab at Summerhall in Edinburgh, Scotland’s publically accessible laboratory. You can find out about their many courses and opportunities here http://www.ascus.org.uk

• For insight into human pathology and physiology, you can visit Surgeons’ Hall Museums  https://museum.rcsed.ac.uk