AAS Ethics Committee Online Auction – Artists Vivian Hsio & Madhuri Nishtala

About the Art: Critical Capacity – This image depicts the mental and physical exhaustion felt by many critical care staff as they worked tirelessly for their patients while the nation erupted in racial strife, economic injustice, and a mass disinformation campaign against public health policy during a deadly global pandemic. The black critical care physician shows unyielding dedication despite the harrowing inequities that undervalue her own life. Critical Capacity was the winner of the AAS Ethics Committee Art Contest.

About the Artists: Madhuri Nishtala is an Indian-American immigrant who obtained her undergraduate degree at The University of Chicago prior to completing her MD at Case Western University School of Medicine. She is currently a general surgery resident at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is completing her NIH/TL1 funded postdoctoral fellowship in Dr. Ben Zarzaur’s lab. She is studying the role of the economizing behaviors of financial hardship in mediating the health outcomes of injured patients. Her long-term goals include pursuing health services research with a focus on health equity and health economics. Madhuri enjoys writing and performing poetry, pottery, and engaging with local politics in her free time. Vivian Hsio is a Chinese-American General Surgery Resident at the University of Wisconsin, Madison currently completing her NIH/NIDCD-funded postdoctoral fellowship with a focus on health informatics and Endocrine Surgery. She is mentored by Dr. David F. Schneider and Dr. David O. Francis. She is also interested in quality improvement, ethics, and diversity. Vivian grew up in California and received her undergraduate and medical education at Brown University. Ever since childhood, Vivian has enjoyed telling stories using art.