Posted Thursday, July 17, 2025 @ 1:09 PM Orlando Health’s Arts in Medicine program is reshaping the way patients heal, using music, painting, writing, and other forms of creative expression to support emotional and mental well-being during treatment. Thanks to a long-standing partnership with UCF’s Experiential Learning program—part of the Division of Student Success and Well-Being—UCF students are helping lead this creative approach to care. Through internships and volunteer roles, students gain hands-on experience working directly with patients while building empathy, communication skills, and professional insight. For over 10 years, UCF Experiential Learning (EL) — part of the Division of Student Success and Well-Being — has partnered with Orlando Health to provide a steady stream of student interns to support and expand the Arts in Medicine program. What began with a small group of Arts and Humanities majors has evolved into a vibrant, interdisciplinary initiative that now includes students from Biomedical Sciences, Psychology, and Health Sciences majors with an interest in arts and integrative medicine. Part of Orlando Health’s Integrative Medicine Department, the Arts in Medicine program serves primarily cancer patients. It goes beyond clinical treatment to help patients process their diagnosis, regain a sense of control, and find comfort through art. Patients often report reduced anxiety, improved mood, and a stronger sense of purpose. Through the partnership, which has been nurtured carefully by EL faculty coordinator Chinyen Chuo, students bring creative expression into healthcare settings using music, visual art, and storytelling to support patient well-being while gaining valuable, hands-on experience in integrative care. Together, UCF and Orlando Health are shaping a new generation of healthcare professionals and advancing the role of the arts in healing. This summer, marketing intern Nicavia Walters interviewed Healing Arts Specialist Brittney Reid to learn how the program is impacting not just patients, but also student interns. The result is a closer look at how creativity and care intersect and how UCF students are contributing to that mission. In one case, an older patient who had never painted before began creating several pieces a week. Within two years, his work caught the attention of professional artists who assumed he’d been painting for decades. Through visual arts, writing, music therapy, and sound healing, patients can choose the medium that resonates with them. Sessions are led by trained professionals, and the program plans to expand into dance and movement therapy in the future. Students of all majors can get involved. Music students may play in the hospital lobby or use tools like Tibetan bowls to reduce patient stress. Visual arts students can support workshops, prep materials, help curate exhibitions, or create marketing materials. Interns also gain technical skills — such as how to measure and install art — that aren’t often taught in the classroom. Reid works closely with student interns to help them build these skills and prepare for real-world careers. But the most powerful takeaway may be empathy. Working with patients undergoing serious treatments leaves a lasting impression. Many students walk away changed, having seen firsthand the emotional strength and resilience of the people they serve. The Arts in Medicine program is a reminder that healing is more than physical — it’s emotional, creative, and deeply human. For UCF students, it’s also a chance to grow, serve, and step into their future careers with compassion and purpose. To learn more about Orlando Health’s Arts in Medicine program and explore student opportunities, visit: orlandohealth.com/services-and-specialties/orlando-health-cancer-institute/patients-and-families/integrative-medicine-program Like Tweet Share < Back to News