A series of events aimed at medical practitioners and medical students focused on practitioner mental health.

KUMEC x A&HH Collaboration

The positive benefits that engaging with creativity and the arts can have on our mental wellbeing is well established - but what role can it play specifically for the doctors of today and the future?

This summer, Science Gallery London is hosting The Art of Care: Through the Eyes of Tomorrow's Doctors - an exhibition of creative works by 496 second-year medical students from King's College London’s Undergraduate Medical Education in The Community department (KUMEC). During the exhibition Arts & Health Hub are curating a programme of free events exploring the role that creativity can play in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of medical professionals and medical students.

These events are generously funded by the Louise Tebboth Foundation.

Clinical Humanities at King’s College London.

Launched in 2017 at King’s College London, this assignment was created to help medical students explore the human dimension of clinical care - recognising that understanding people is just as vital as understanding disease.

As part of their year-long GP placement, second-year students work in teams to reflect on real patient encounters. Each group supported by both a clinician and an artist, combining clinical experience with creative insight to encourage students to consider patients’ stories in a broader, more reflective way.

Alongside this, students take part in museum-based teaching at the Wellcome Collection, where they use the artworks to practice observation, interpretation, and reflective skills. These sessions help students deepen their understanding of how medicine is shaped by culture, context, and perspective.

The assignment was developed with support from King’s Culture, whose early involvement helped recruit experienced artist-educators and shape a learning environment that values curiosity, collaboration, and open dialogue. Over time, the programme has grown into a core part of the curriculum, now reaching all second-year medical students and recognised nationally as a leading example of clinical humanities in action.

Each year, students share their work through internal exhibitions across the university. Each exhibition is ambitious, showcasing how creative reflection can shape more compassionate, curious, and person-centred future doctors.