Original poetry written by Aasritha R. Ganta, M.D., MBA, was featured in the first arts showcase presented by the Office of Graduate Medical Education at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Ganta is a child and adolescent psychiatry fellow in her fourth postgraduate year in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.

The Dec. 3 showcase highlighted works from 10 medical students, residents and faculty members, including paintings, metal works, illustrations, photography, music and knitting.

Two of Ganta's poems were on display at the showcase.

"I named the first one 'Firebird‘ as a call back to the mythic Phoenix found in multiple folklores, and the second one 'Afraid,'" Ganta said. "One is about rediscovery of myself and an expansion of my perspective. The other is about the disconnect felt in communication with difficult situations."

Ganta has been writing poetry since elementary school and has gotten back to the craft in the past two years.

"I think that everyone should find as well as pursue their way of asserting themselves in this world. I think it is essential to ease a tension you may not realize is within - and I say this only because I forget to do so for myself," she said. "When I find my way back to creating again, it's like being rejuvenated or rehydrated after a long and terrible drought. You don't really realize what's missing until you get a drop of that water back."

Ganta, who finds her inspiration in her experiences and struggles to understand the world around her, most recently presented her work at the Helen Beiser, M.D., Art Show at the 2018 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) annual meeting in Seattle and the 2019 American Psychiatric Association annual meeting in San Francisco. This year, Ganta also did a PechaKucha presentation, which consisted of 20 slides with 20 seconds of commentary per slide, on "Autism and Anime" for the AACAP Alliance for Learning and Innovation.

"I think it is important to me to find a means of expressing inner turmoil and conflict," she said. "Sometimes, spoken and simple words aren't enough. There is a beautiful catharsis to creative expression, and it doesn't require the level of creativity one might think."

GME partnered with MedIntima, a medical student group, to present the showcase, which was aimed at spotlighting students, residents, fellows and faculty beyond their roles at KU as well as highlighting the importance of having an outlet for creativity.