Comics & Graphic Medicine

I started Shirlywhirl MD in 2016 as a beleaguered third year medical student. It began as a vehicle of self expression during a time of professional growth, and was initially only shared with my classmates at Pritzker School of Medicine. A friend pushed me to share my work with a wider audience (and also to adopt Instagram, which I was resistant to at first because despite appearances, I’m an old lady at heart). I now consider it a space for advocacy, in which I highlight the inequities, disparities, absurdities and sometimes delights created by the American healthcare system.

The moniker “ShirlyWhirl” came from a nickname bestowed upon me by one of my friends. I picked it without thinking too hard about it. Now it’s stuck. ShirlyWhirl MD has been featured in the Washington Post, WebMD/Medscape, the Lancet, Axios, Doximity.com, and more. My account on Instagram has amassed over 100,000 followers. This is the best place to see my comics (I’ll make a website someday!)