For TCU nursing student Cami McCurdy, art is more than an outlet for creative expression. It’s a way to enhance the quality of life of cancer patients at Baylor All Saints Hospital where she volunteers and now leads a group that focuses on the power of art in health settings.

The idea sparked from Dr. Amanda Allison’s Art Education course after McCurdy’s class took a field trip to Cook Children’s Hospital.

“After learning how much of an impact art can have on patients in a hospital, I realized I would love to learn more about that and do something about that,” McCurdy said.

A paper published in JAMA Internal Medicine analyzed 27 studies involving almost 1,600 people.

Cancer patients who engage in art experience less depression and anxiety than those who don’t, according to a review of research trials conducted over 23 years.

The benefits of utilizing art in health settings were similar to those experienced with yoga and acupuncture, the research review found.

McCurdy decided to combine her love for art with her love for her patients and their health. She also isn’t the only TCU student that has chosen a service path using art. Watch this extended clip of Dr. Allison talking about other TCU students that have started similar programs:

McCurdy began volunteering for art and nursing programs throughout the country, receiving a highly reputable internship at Boston Children’s Medical Center she’ll begin this summer. Through Dr. Allison, she was put in contact with a nurse, Carly Witulski, at Baylor All Saints, who was also interested in starting an art program.

The three women came up with an art program in a matter of hours, relying heavily on Dr. Allison’s teaching experience for organization of the curriculum.

“We talked about how we would organize the sessions and how long a particular art material or art project would take, and it didn’t take too long to plan it out,” Dr. Allison said.

McCurdy’s first session was Friday, April 17th, where patients drew an abstract, black and white piece of art on a square paper tile, referred to as a Zentangle. She was really happy with how it turned out.

“We had one boy, and he was very, like, geometric oriented,” she said. “He’s an architect major, so it was really cool to see how he drew a lot of basic shapes, but it looked awesome. There was another woman who did a lot of circles and bubbles and she had a great zentangle, so detailed, so awesome. It was just really cool because none of them had even heard of it before, yet they all left really enjoying the session.”

McCurdy will continue the art sessions every Friday until she goes to Boston for her internship. Carly Witulski, the nurse at Baylor All Saints, will take over the sessions fully until McCurdy returns for her fall semester at TCU.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftpcsOO82gU&feature=youtu.be