Eve Moll: Navigating Scoliosis, Pursuing Passions in Art and Science

In seventh grade, Eve Moll was an active dancer until a diagnosis of adolescent scoliosis, a curvature in her spine, suddenly disrupted her routine. When I first saw the X-ray, my jaw just dropped to the floor, she recalls, describing the realization that her body was hiding this secret from her. After spinal fusion surgery and rehabilitation, which halted her dance career temporarily, Eve Moll discovered new passions that complemented her initial interest in dance.

I spent more time devoted to speech and debate than dancing because I realized just how much I loved it, she says of a period when she also developed an affection for pnting. Furthermore, I continued visiting my surgeon, who became a mentor figure in my life.

Moll, an Honors Scholar at Vanderbilt University's College of Arts and Science with the Harold Stirling Vanderbilt Honor Scholarship, pursued dual majors in molecular and cellular biology as well as communication of science and technology during her undergraduate years. Initially captivated by the sciences after her first year, Moll's lack of time for art led to a profound realization.

My freshman year, I didn't make any art at all, she shares. I was going crazy without it. I wondered if there could be a way to merge art and science so that I wouldn't have to feel like I was sacrificing one for the other.

She thought of her mentor, David Weintraub, a professor of astronomy and director of Vanderbilt's program in Communication of Science and Technology, who introduced her to Kra Oliver. An assistant professor of pharmacology and senior lecturer in communication of science and technology, Oliver shared with Eve Moll her vision of an art lab where she could explore the intersection between these two disciplines.

ArtLab Vanderbilt was a realization of this idea, says Moll, who served as an undergraduate fellow under its umbrella. We wanted to delve into concepts such as or what it means to be a critical thinker, focusing on broader issues rather than just specialized knowledge.

Thanks to support from the Wond'ry and the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise Public Policy, Moll was able to develop this unique platform with Kra Oliver where she exhibited oil pntings about epigenetics, drew inspiration from the structure of a binary toxin and its movement through cell membranes, and curated an exhibition on women in science that featured her artwork alongside that of Kra Oliver and Marilyn Murphy, professor emerita of art.

As Eve Moll prepares for medical school, including potential studies in orthopedic surgery after graduating from Washington University in St. Louis, she also envisages a future where art remns integral to her life and practice as a physician. She muses that this could manifest differently than at ArtLab Vanderbilt, perhaps incorporating art therapy for patients or developing communication strategies for presenting new scientific ideas.

I don't know if it will look exactly like it does in ArtLab, she contemplates about the possibilities for integrating art into medicine. It could be as an art therapist for my patients or a communicator of complex ideas in healthcare settings, but I believe there is always room for art within the field of medicine.

Bonnie Arant Ertelt
This article is reproduced from: https://news.vanderbilt.edu/2020/04/30/exploring-the-intersection-of-art-and-medicine-eve-moll-ba20/

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