Good For Your Health: Graphic Medicine as Comics Form

Sunday, 5/3/26
3:45 - 4:45
Panel • McGinty Room

More and more, we're seeing comics address health, medicine, and wellness. Why are these topics on all our minds -- and what makes the comics form particularly good at addressing them in fiction, history, and autobiography? Come explore graphic medicine with this panel of amazing comics creators working in the field.

Sydney Halpern is an academic turned graphic-narrative writer. Her first comic, INFECTED FOR SCIENCE, created in collaboration with artist Trygve Faste, is being published by Graphic Mundi this month. Follow Sydney: @sydneyhalpernauthor on Instagram, sydneyhalpern.com

Beth Hetland (she/her) Beth Hetland is a critically acclaimed award-winning cartoonist and educator. Her recent book, TENDER published by Fantagraphics, received the 2025 Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize. Follow Beth: @bethhetland on Instagram, beth-hetland.com

Jim Terry (he/him) is a Ho-Chunk storyteller who's called Chicagoland his home for over ten thousand years, and has worked in comics for the last fifteen or so. His memoir COME HOME INDIO was nominated for the LA Bookprize and the Ignatz, and his visual essay PAPER CUTS is currently being taught in several schools. Follow Jim: @jimterryart on Instagram, woundedbutdangerous.com

Jennings Mergenthal (they/them) is a public historian and puppeteer. They live in St. Paul, MN. Follow Jennings: puppetstudies.org