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December 9, 2019
February 18, 2020
March date TBD
April 26, 2020
December 9, 2019
5:45 pm — Doors Open
7:00 to 8:45 pm — Program
The Hof — 2818 West Broad Street, Richmond, VA 23230
limited seating available on a first-come basis
Embodied Empathy, a collaboration between Jill B. Ware and John Henry Blatter, explores empathic concern, bias and movement in order to strengthen medical education and to benefit the medical community. Hear about their recently-completed controlled study with Dr. John Nestler to understand the effects a virtual reality experience on first year medical students.
What to Expect
A short talk, moderated panel discussion, spirited Q & A and an Art-Science Nightcap of the EVR experience Wooded Dance originally exhibited by Embodied Empathy at Urban Glass in Brooklyn, New York.
This free event is for adults 21 and up.
Scientific Thinkers:
Jill B. Ware is a movement artist and embodiment virtual reality researcher at VCUarts where she is a member of the VCUarts Dance and Choreography Department as a teacher of improvisation and other dance forms. She is also an Artistic Associate with Amaranth Arts, a contemporary dance company that tours nationally and internationally. Ware was a 2017/2018 faculty fellow for the Center for Teaching Excellence for her work with RVArts Cultural Passport, and the creator of the daily drawing project, 125 Images. Ware holds a BFA in dance performance from SUNY Purchase and an MFA in dance from George Mason University.
John Henry Blatter is an installation artist and researcher, who has been exploring the themes of identity, body and self. Currently, he is working with hemispherical video and virtual reality (VR) to create fully immersive or embodied experiences. His installations and collaborative works have been exhibited nationally and internationally. He was Artist in Residence in the High Arctic, Bemis Center for Contemporary Art and the Vermont Studio Center and a recipient of the Jacob Javits Fellowship. In 2014, he collaborated with Ryan Holladay, Artisphere’s New Media Curator, to mount the region’s first major sound art exhibition. Blatter received a BFA in Sculpture from The Ohio State University and an MFA in Sculpture from Virginia Commonwealth University.
John E. Nestler, MD, MACP is a Professor at VCU’s College of Medicine and the inaugural Physician-Scientist in Residence at VCUarts. Dr. Nestler explores how art can be applied to enhance medical education and the healing of patients. Nestler is the former chair of VCU’s Department of Internal Medicine and a member of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism. He presently holds joint appointments as professor in the departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pharmacology and Toxicology. Dr. Nestler’s past research has focused on the role of insulin resistance in polycystic ovary syndrome. He has been a principal investigator on numerous research projects and received two of VCU School of Medicine’s highest honors, “Outstanding Research Achievement Award” and the “Distinguished Mentor in the Clinical Sciences Award.
