Ashley Ulm
I was originally drawn to Anna Maitland’s article on health care policy for migrants due to the visual challenge it posed, and my own interest in learning more about migration and refugee healthcare access. Healthcare policy can be a challenge for anyone to navigate, but when you are moving through multiple countries, or creating policy for people who have been displaced the challenge multiplies. In many places during refugee travel, simply having access to mental and physical health care is rare. It’s important that the article defines the term “refugee,” and then helps the reader understand the refugee experience. My illustration helps to portray this struggle, and how overwhelming it can feel. Hopefully it will inspire new policy and new movements to help refugees gain access to the care they need and experience some comfort
February 2017 NPHR Cover
and support as they travel from their homelands.
About the Artist
Ashley Ulm is a Chicago-based medical illustrator. She was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she attended Miami University and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Zoology in 2011. She then worked at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Asthma Research before joining the Master’s program in Biomedical Visualization at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Through Biomedical Visualization, Ashley and her colleagues are able to communicate complex medical and scientific topics to a broad range of audiences. In her free time, Ashley is often reading, relaxing, or enjoying good food with good friends.