Graphic Medicine refers to any comic or graphic novel that aids in healthcare communication. Dr. Ian Williams, a physician and an artist based in Brighton, UK, created GraphicMedicine.org in 2007, and in doing so coined the collection name Graphic Medicine, "to denote the role that comics can play in the study and delivery of healthcare."
Williams, I. (n.d.). Why graphic medicine? Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2vF7vTg
Green, M. J., & Myers, K. R. (2010). Graphic medicine: Use of comics in medical education and Patient Care. BMJ, 340(mar03 2), c863–c863. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.c863
King, A. J. (2016). Using comics to communicate about health: An introduction to the symposium on visual narratives and graphic medicine. Health Communication, 32(5), 523–524. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2016.1211063
Williams, I. C. (2012). Graphic medicine: Comics as medical narrative. Medical Humanities, 38(1), 21–27. https://doi.org/10.1136/medhum-2011-010093
Learn more about Graphic Medicine by visiting the National Libray of Medicine's online exhibit "Ill-conceived and Well Drawn".
Reading comics and graphic novels is a different reading experience than reading a traditional book. Comics and graphic novels are still read left to right, however, you are usually following distinct panels from left to right.
The University of Southern California has a great guide to reading comics that don't follow a traditional panel format.
Many of the lists that will be linked also feature Manga (Japanese comics) and Manhwa (Korean comics). Manga and Manhwa are read differently than Western-style comics. Manga and Manhwa are read right to left and are read back to front.
SOAS University of London has a wonderful guide to reading manga and Manhwa, as well as some traditional terminology.
Interested in creating a graphic medicine piece? Check out some of these comic creator tools to help you get started.