Revisiting the Exhibits—Medical Student Reflections on Changes to the Institutional Portraiture at a US Medical School

Background Yale School of Medicine’s (YSM) Sterling Hall of Medicine (SHM) has historically been lined with large oil paintings of mostly White men, despite over a century of Black and female enrollment. These spaces can be seen as exclusionary to students underrepresented in medicine, and may result in decreased well-being and adversely affect academic performance. Student-led activism has resulted in recent changes to these walls, including the addition of images of women faculty, and artwork by students, faculty, and staff. Objective We aimed to evaluate how recent changes to longstanding historical portraiture in SHM affected students’ reflections on being in that space. Design This was a qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews conducted virtually. Participants Second- to fourth-year YSM medical students were interviewed. Approach Qualitative interviews were used to gauge students’ impressions of how they perceived both the original and updated artwork and portraiture, as well as the overall physical environment. Key Results Nine interviews were conducted, with interviewees describing the portraiture as reflective of YSM’s institutional values. They related this to other aspects of an exclusionary environment, and noted that they created belonging at YSM within smaller communities. Students recognized and expressed appreciation for the changes to the portraiture, particularly the increase in diverse representation, and they noted stark contrasts to the prior space. While they describe positive attitudes regarding changes in SHM’s exhibited portraiture and art, they also expressed skepticism about whether these changes were performative or whether they reflected true commitment to reform. Conclusions This study depicts how the portraiture and physical environment of a medical school affects medical students, and that interventions to reform institutional portraiture can have considerable impact on students’ attitudes regarding their medical school experiences.