UHBW Medical Illustration Department

20/10/2025

📸​ Winning another Bronze Award at the Institute of Medical Illustrators Awards 2025, Cate was recognised for her photograph “Vision Support in SEND”.

Reflecting on the work, Cate says: “Accompanying a videography team, I captured images of optometry tests at a SEND school, aiming to demystify the process for children, parents, and carers. These visuals help prepare families by illustrating what to expect, reducing anxiety and supporting understanding of the children’s experiences during eye care assessments.”

This award underlines the value of photography in making healthcare more accessible, particularly for children and families. What role do you think photography can play in helping families feel more confident about care 🙂?

14/10/2025

🌟​ Another Bronze Award at the Awards 2025 goes to Sidrah for her “Dangers of Hot Drinks” roller banner.

Designed for Child Safety Week 2025, the banner’s purpose is to raise awareness of the growing number of scald injuries in children from hot drinks. It provides practical prevention techniques and directs the public to a supporting campaign video.

This project is a great example of how thoughtful visual communication can educate and help protect our communities. Well done, Sidrah! 👏

13/10/2025

Our team at the Institute of Medical Illustrators (IMI) Conference 2025 🎉

Earlier this month, Simon, Josh and Karel went to the IMI Conference and Awards Presentation 2025 at the Crowne Plaza Newcastle.

It was a great chance to learn, share ideas, and celebrate creativity and teamwork in our profession. Simon also gave two insightful presentations: one about the Reframe Diverse Images for Healthcare project alongside Debbie and Sarah from UWE Bristol , and another about the new IMI guideline.

Our teammates did a fantastic job, receiving awards both for themselves and on behalf of colleagues who couldn’t attend, including recognition at the Wellcome Trust Photographic Award for Christina’s stunning photo 📸✨

A huge congratulations to everyone involved - a great achievement for the team 👏

10/10/2025

📅 On World Mental Health Day, we are reminded of the importance of awareness, understanding, and empathy - themes powerfully captured in Cate’s photograph “The Silent Struggle”, which has just received a Bronze Award at the Institute of Medical Illustrators Awards 2025.

She describes her approach: “Asked to convey mental health to support a campaign, I focused on body language over facial expression, using composition and tone to express emotional depth. The man’s entwined hands resting on his forehead symbolise universal mental strain. His anonymity reflects how mental health struggles are often invisible, internalised, and unspoken.”

This powerful image reminds us how photography can give shape to experiences that are often hidden or difficult to put into words 📸

09/10/2025

🌟​ The Institute of Medical Illustrators Awards 2025 recognised Christina with a Bronze Award for her photograph “Trichilemmal Cyst”.

Christina explains: “The clinician wanted me to capture the raised nodular lesion on the patient’s neck. I used cross lighting with a reflector to capture this. It was also important that I captured the tiny hairs as this type of keratin-filled cyst originates from the hair follicles.”

Images like this play an important role in helping clinicians and patients better understand medical conditions with clarity and accuracy.

Congrats again to Christina! What details do you think make medical photography such an effective tool for learning and care 🙌?

07/10/2025

We are thrilled to announce that our video, “BHOC: Thank You For Talking to Me” has won Gold at the Institute of Medical Illustrators Awards 2025 🏆!

The video brings to life a moving poem by Beth Calverley, UHBW Poet-in-Residence, written in conversation with staff across the Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre (BHOC) at University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust.

It shows the patient journey from reception to outpatient, haematology, radiation, and back office support, and how every role helps patients, their families, carers, and friends.

It is a powerful reminder that while we can’t cure everything, we can always offer care, kindness, respect and a listening ear 😊

We want to say a huge thank you to all the staff, patients, and visitors of BHOC who helped with this project. It was made possible with support from Bristol & Weston Hospitals Charity and in partnership with the Arts and Culture Team of our trust 🙌

Huge congratulations to our talented video team, this award celebrates the power of storytelling in healthcare and the difference that care, creativity, and teamwork can make!

Watch the video now. Celebrate with us and see the impact of compassion in healthcare!

Thank You for Talking to Me is a poem written by UHBW Poet-in-residence, Beth Calverley.The piece was written in conversation with colleagues at Bristol Haem...

06/10/2025

🌟​ We are excited to announce that Alice has been awarded a second Bronze at the Institute of Medical Illustrators Awards 2025 for her photograph “Phototherapy for Neonatal Jaundice.”

“This photograph was also taken as part of a larger photography project funded by NHS England South West Maternity and Perinatal Team and South West Neonatal Network. The photograph shows a neonate undergoing phototherapy using ultraviolet light for the treatment of jaundice. Jaundice is common in neonates and caused by a build-up of bilirubin in the blood. Signs include yellowing of the skin, whites of the eyes, mouth, palms and soles feet.” - Alice Kenny

The photograph captures both the clinical process and the quiet resilience of neonatal care, reminding us how early treatment can make a lasting difference for the youngest patients 🙌

03/10/2025

🎥​ We are delighted to share that our video, “Bristol Eye Hospital: Vision Assessments in Special Schools,” has been awarded Silver at the Institute of Medical Illustrators Awards 2025!

The video highlights the incredible work of the Special Needs Vision Team of Bristol Eye Hospital at the University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust in carrying out vision assessments for children with special educational needs.

Children with special needs are 28 times more likely to have a serious eye condition, so early detection is vital.

The team carries out a range of tests: checking vision, squints, binocular vision, peripheral vision, and more, adapting methods to keep the children engaged and relaxed.

We are grateful to the staff, pupils, and parents at New Siblands School, and to Friends of Bristol Eye Hospital for supporting this project.

Here is a sneak peek from the video - stay tuned for the full version!

02/10/2025

02/10/2025

We are pleased to share that our teammate, Sidrah Choudhry has received a Bronze Award at the Institute of Medical Illustrators Awards 2025 for her “Burns Prevention Leaflet” 🥰

The leaflet was created in collaboration with the Southwest Burn Clinical Network for people over 65 and their families. Its purpose is to highlight the potential and avoidable burn hazards that can be found in the home and provide first aid guidance in the event of an emergency.

This award demonstrates how well designed healthcare materials can make a real difference in safety and awareness!

01/10/2025

📸 At this year’s Institute of Medical Illustrators Awards 2025, our colleague Karel Headley received a Bronze Award for his photograph “Severe Atopic Dermatitis” 🥳

The image shows a 33-year-old patient with severe atopic dermatitis (eczema), also displaying signs of pruritic papular eruption, lichen simplex, and prurigo nodularis. Using a Bowens Flash Head and beauty dish to illuminate from the right, the photograph captures the detail and definition of the condition with clarity.

This award highlights the role of medical photography in helping us to better understand and document complex conditions.

We will be sharing more of our award-winning work soon - stay tuned!

30/09/2025

We are proud to celebrate our teammate Christina Knights, whose photograph “Reframe Diversity in Healthcare” taken as part of Reframe Diverse Images for Healthcare project has been awarded Bronze at the Institute of Medical Illustrators Awards 2025 as well as the Wellcome Trust Photographic Award 🤩

She reflects on the work: “This photograph was taken as part of a wider project to create a diverse library of images of healthcare workers and patients that reflect the UK population. This image was taken using the natural light from a window with a small amount of fill-in flash. The patient is wearing their breast binder with the healthcare worker navigating this undergarment to listen to their chest.”

This recognition honours the role of photography in breaking down barriers and ensuring that healthcare imagery truly reflects the diversity of those it represents.

How do you think representation in medical photography can change the way people experience healthcare? Tell us in comment!