BVIS Class of 2026
Brenna Alford Heading link
Brenna Alford is from Atlanta, Georgia. She graduated from Oglethorpe University with a Bachelor of Art in Studio Art with a concentration on Medical/Scientific Illustration. She grew up always loving art and discovered the field in Undergrad. Through the BVIS program, Brenna hopes to hone her skills as a medical illustrator and to make learning the sciences more accessible to learn.
Ananya Ananth Heading link
Ananya is from Toronto, Canada, where she graduated from the University of Toronto with a Life Sciences degree: majoring in Biology, and minoring in Biomedical Communications and Psychology. She grew up doing art during her free time and was part of the graphics teams of multiple campus groups at school. She discovered the world of scientific communication through her Biomedical Communications minor program and developed a passion to simplify complicated healthcare jargon for the public. Through the BVIS program, Ananya hopes to continue advocating for underrepresented groups through illustration, as well as to improve accessibility to healthcare.
Chloe Best Heading link
Chloe grew up in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire but moved to New Orleans, Louisiana before high school, which she now considers home. Combining her long-time passions of art and science, she decided to pursue biomedical visualization as a career in her senior year of high school. Chloe graduated from Louisiana Tech University in 2024 as a member of the VISTA Program with her BFA in Studio Art and a minor in Biomedical Illustration.
Chloe is excited for the opportunity to learn and explore different techniques within biomedical visualization as a step closer to professional practice, especially animation and 3D programs that she has not explored before. She decided to pursue this career to help those who struggle with the instability of medical issues, so she is excited to start working with clients while in the BVIS Program. In her free time, she enjoys reading, exploring the city with friends, spending time with her cat Tilly, and, of course, making art!
Amanda Dazo Heading link
Amanda Dazo grew up in northern California. She attended Ateneo de Manila University where she received a bachelor’s degree in Life Sciences. After graduating, she worked as a medical scribe in an Emergency Department but leaned into teaching herself design in her free time. This eventually led her to pivot to a creative role as a graphic designer. Applying to the BVIS program was naturally the next step in allowing her to merge her education, interests, and skills.
Amanda’s biomedical interests include reproductive health, mental health, and oncology. She is passionate about improving diversity in medical visuals and promoting patient education for populations with low health literacy. In the BVIS program, she’s excited to explore new mediums including 3D modeling and animation.
In her spare time, she likes to work on sewing projects, consume true crime content, and go to live shows to see her favorite artists and bands.
Hanie Jaffery Heading link
Hanie Jaffery is a Chicago native who spent his upbringing in and around the streets of the windy city. Hanie completed his undergraduate degree in Biomedical Sciences at North Park University. While at NPU, Hanie was involved with and led various on-campus organizations, including a student mentorship program and the American Medical Student Association. Hanie has always had a passion for drawing and spent his free time drawing and taking classes at a community college to prepare for BVIS.
With Hanie’s previous experience in student teaching, he plans to use his time in BVIS to develop his abilities as a visual communicator. He hopes to work at the intersection of medical visualization and instructional design to create comprehensible learning programs and visual aids.
Outside of his studies, Hanie enjoys exploring the city with his friends, working as a Barista, reading comics, and caring for his rescue dog.
Court Johnson Heading link
Court grew up in the Chicagoland area. She began her professional journey in research focused on mental health and received a graduate degree in Social Service Administration from the University of Chicago. Shortly following the completion of her studies, she transitioned to a role as an educator in the non-profit sector, and most recently, has worked as a licensed therapist and director at a private practice in Chicago.
From an early age, Court has been engaged with artistic practices and has had a love for science. She is curious about exploring the intersections of art and science and how interactions between the two can be used to push one another forward. She intends to pursue work that helps to further understanding and connection and that bridges the gaps between research and clinical practice.
In her spare time, you might catch Court making/restoring furniture, playing guitar, or spending time with her wonderful partner and their exceptionally funny dog, Murphy.
Adam Kessler Heading link
Adam, originally from Camarillo, California, has followed a diverse academic path, earning an AA in Art and a BS in Health Sciences. His educational journey allowed him to gain professional experiences in both the art and health care fields.
It wasn’t until the end of his undergraduate studies that he discovered the field of Biomedical Visualization where he could use the artistic skills he had developed alongside his interest in health and other sciences. Looking forward, Adam is eager to delve into opportunities within the Biomedical Visualization program that foster his interests in modeling, video game design, and interactive digital skills.
While he is still discovering his specific interests within the Biomedical Visualization field. He looks to increase accessibility to healthcare information and assist in the dissemination of emerging scientific information within the health care and health information sciences. Beyond academia, Adam finds fulfillment in creative pursuits, exploring various art forms.
Sam Kobel Heading link
Sam Kobel is a Long Beach California native who graduated from CSULB, achieving her degree in Fine Arts with a focus in Medical illustration. She has always had a passion for science and art, so finding the unique intersection of the two in her high-school biology class ignited a lifelong passion. Moving forward in the UIC BVIS program, Sam hopes to hone her skills in order to bring accessible art to those who need it most.
Liana Lanford Heading link
Liana is a Texas native and graduated from The University of Texas at San Antonio with a B.A. in Medical Humanities and Art. Liana has always had a passion for art from a young age and wanted to be an artist growing up. She attended a medical magnet high school where her interest in anatomy, biology, and microbiology developed. Torn between her passion for art and interest in medicine, she began to research career paths that blended the two. Once she found the field of Medical Illustration she fell in love and knew what she wanted to do.
During her time at UTSA, she worked as a medical scribe in the pediatric emergency department. Liana was also heavily involved in extracurriculars, especially student organization Women in Medicine. Here she held a position as Historian and worked as the graphic designer & social media coordinator for 2 years. She enjoyed hosting events like food bank volunteering days and CPR/ BLS certification opportunities. In her free time, she loves watching shows with her sister, exploring cafe shops, attending dance classes, listening to true crime podcasts, and catching up on sleep.
Madaline Meagher Heading link
Madaline Meagher grew up in Chicago, Illinois where she started homeschooling in the 6th grade. For high school, she attended community college as a dual enrollment student.
At age 13 she started volunteer work at the Museum of Science and Industry, Field Museum, and Alder Platinum. This ended with over 1000 hours of volunteer work in science education and outreach. This is how she was first exposed to the BVIS program as the intersection of art and science. Her mentors at the museums highly recommended this path going forward. For college she attended UIC, graduating with a bachelor’s in Biological sciences and a minor in life science visualization.
Outside of school, her hobbies are mainly art adjacent, from oil painting, digital art, 3d modeling, and sewing. She is also very passionate about birds and all things concerning ducks! Her favorite model to make art of is her dog, a golden doodle named Stitch.
Morgan Merrill Heading link
Morgan Merrill is an occupational therapist who graduated from UIC with their MSOT 2019. They graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with their undergraduate degree in American Culture Studies, Women/Gender/Sexuality Studies, and Studio Art in 2014.
As an occupational therapist and Certified Hand Therapist (CHT), Morgan specializes clinically in helping people return to the things they want and need to do in their lives following injury, surgery, or dysfunction of their hands, wrists, and elbows. Morgan is passionate about providing affirming care to patients of all backgrounds, improving the healthcare experience for LGBTQ+ individuals, and enhancing patient and provider education to elevate care.
When they aren’t working or studying, Morgan enjoys painting, foraging and hiking with their dog Cookie, reading, watching old movies, and playing video and board games.
Fabianna Morell Heading link
Fabianna Morell grew up in San Juan, Puerto Rico surrounded by explosive creative expression and awe-worthy natural environments. Her profound passion for the visual arts and sciences has significantly marked her undergraduate career and she purposefully curated her experiences to accommodate both interests to reflect her desire to become a medical illustrator. In 2024, Fabi graduated from University of Richmond with a Bachelor degree in Biology and Visual Media Arts Practice. Apart from her academic achievement, she delved into microbiology research and attended an illustration assistantship which allowed her to experience the broad spectrum of both fields and reinforced her interest in merging scientific knowledge with creative communication.
As a proud member of the BVIS program, Fabi is determined to expand her skillset in illustration, graphic design, and 3D animation. While at BVIS, she means to prioritize multilingual content and projects to ensure the spread of engaging educational resources and increase accessibility of medical information across Puerto Rico.
Kat Sakdaauscoskul Heading link
Hi! I’m Kat (Naphatsorn Sakdaauscoskul),
I was born in Hatyai, in the south of Thailand. I grew up loving both art and science, but I ended up leading my life toward science. I graduated with a degree in Medicine from Prince of Songkla University, Thailand. During my studies, I learned medical subjects and procedures through medical illustrations, and that was when I first knew about the field. The Medical Illustration field is such a unique and exciting field that could combine my passion for art and my background in science, so I decided to switch my career goal toward medical illustration. After graduating, I worked for a few years as an aesthetic doctor, developing my art skills, and worked briefly in an animation company.
I am looking forward to learning as many subfields of medical illustration as possible during my time at BVIS. My interests are digital illustration, animation, gaming, and interactive media. I hope upon graduating from BVIS, I can use the skills I learn to aid with practitioner and patient education and training, as well as scientific illustration. My hobbies include watching animations and TV series and talking with my cats through video calls.
Kendal Schreder Heading link
Kendal Schreder grew up in Temperance, Michigan with a love for both the arts and sciences. She attended Purdue University and received a BS in Kinesiology with a minor in 2D Studio Art and Design in 2024. During her undergraduate education, Kendal was a member of Purdue’s women’s varsity swim team and will continue to compete for UIC’s swim team for the duration of her graduate studies. Kendal’s love of sports helped to develop her interests in human anatomy and physiology.
While in the BVIS program at UIC, Kendal most looks forward to continuing to expand her knowledge about properly depicting the human body. Additionally, she’s excited to learn a variety of programs for visual communication of advanced topics to a wide array of audiences.
Melinda Thompson Heading link
Melinda Thompson is from Salisbury, North Carolina. From an early age, she was interested in drawing and painting, and started playing flute at age 11. She attended Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, where she majored in Biology- Biomedical Sciences and Music. During her time at Furman, she was drawn to leadership roles involving graphic design and social media. When she discovered the field of medical illustration, she realized it was a perfect combination of her interests in science and the arts.
During her time in the Biomedical Visualization program at UIC, Melinda hopes to learn new skills such as animation, 3D modeling, and web development while improving on her illustration skills. While she doesn’t know which path she will take, she is excited to discover her own style and create exciting, accessible, and informative work for the field of healthcare.
In her free time, Melinda loves practicing and performing music, enjoying nature, and taking care of her many plants and cats.
Sharon Tran Heading link
Sharon was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She graduated from the University of Georgia with a B.F.A. in Scientific Illustration and a minor in Biology. She grew up always fascinated by the sciences and human anatomy but could never fit in her love for art until she discovered scientific illustration. She then immediately swapped her major to combine her passion for science and art. When she has free time, she loves drinking coffee, watching a variety of shows, and listening to music.
While at BVIS, Sharon is interested in exploring the different courses and opportunities offered in the program and is excited to be part of the Class 2026!
Anna Waddell Heading link
Anna grew up in Park City, Utah and spent a lot of time skiing in the winter and hiking in the summer. This is also where she first got involved in the arts community by taking lots of classes and entering art programs throughout her childhood.
She decided to follow her interest in science when she went to Colorado State University and received her BS in Biology. While studying to complete her undergrad, Anna found that using art as an educational tool helped her learn the complex scientific material.
It became clear that she wanted to merge the worlds of art and science in her occupation, and that is how she found the field of medical illustration.
Anna was accepted to UIC’s Biomedical Visualization program and plans to further explore animation and illustration. Someday she hopes to use museum curation to engage people in the visual aspects of learning through scientific illustration.
Yuming Wang Heading link
Yuming Wang is originally from Nanjing, China. She moved to Chiba, Japan in elementary school and lived there until college. She later attended Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts where she graduated with a biology major. After completing her undergraduate degree, she worked as a lab technician at a molecular biology lab in Baltimore for two years.
During her time at BVIS, she hopes to gain skills in 2D illustrations, animations, and comics to help connect public audiences with researchers and health providers. She is also looking forward to creating educational content for aspiring scientists.
In her extracurricular time, she enjoys playing table tennis, ice skating, watching anime, and playing tabletop games.
Ashley Yuhm Heading link
Ashley Yuhm was born and raised in San Diego, California. From an early age, she was always doing art, as she was inspired by other artists in her family. In high school, Ashley enjoyed figure drawing and learning about the human body, leading her to discover the field of medical illustration. It merged her passions in art and science together, and she was set on pursuing it ever since. She graduated from University of the Pacific with a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and a minor in Studio Art.
Through the BVIS program, Ashley is looking forward to learning animation and 3D modeling, while still refining her traditional illustration skills. She hopes to use her skills to represent the diversity in the medical world and ensure accessibility in her work. In her free time, you can find Ashley weight training, watching thriller films, exploring vintage stores, and spending time with her family and pets.