The sign reading “wet tissues” outside the wet tissues lab at Dell Seton Medical Center certainly does not imply a room full of wet wipes or used Kleenex. Despite this, Dr. Grace Farris chuckles at the double entendre. The hospital, full of puns, ironies and humorous scenarios, gives Dr. Farris plenty of inspiration for her medical comics.

Dr. Farris, a hospitalist and associate professor of internal medicine at Dell Medical School, also focuses on graphic medicine — the combination of health care and comic mediums. Farris’ humorous yet honest comics explore a variety of topics through outlets like the Annals of Internal Medicine for her “Dr. Mom” column, National Public Radio for medicine and culture pieces, the Cup of Jo blog for weekly motherhood cartoons and her Instagram, @coupdegracefarris, for her everyday life, among many more. 

“There’s always interesting stuff going on (in the hospital),” Farris said. “The human experience is very compelling. In hospital medicine, you see a really wide array of people and interesting backgrounds.”

Farris said the comics began with medically focused intentions. However, as life progressed, the topic broadened to motherhood, starting with a comic that detailed the process of returning to work after pregnancy.

“I thought maybe (I would) make (the comic) funny and also show how there are parts of it that are tender and hard and poignant,” Farris said. “That was the first of these ‘Dr. Mom’ comics I started drawing.”

In March 2022, Farris released a book called Mom Milestones that describes motherhood’s seemingly small yet memorable moments. Farris’ niche, the life of a physician mother, draws other doctor moms to her work. Dr. Jillian Bybee, a pediatric intensive care physician from Michigan, discovered Farris’ comics around the time of her son’s birth. Bybee said she felt isolated during this time, and the comics made her struggles feel more universal.

“The comics themselves were a lifeline,” Bybee said. “I didn’t know that I was looking for them, but it was great to have something that I related to both as a physician and just as a woman.”

In addition to creating comics, Farris shares her knowledge with others by teaching courses like Humanities in Medicine at Dell Med and partaking in Harvard Medical School’s Media and Medicine certificate course. Second-year internal medicine resident Dr. Rutit Pak, who took Farris’ class at Dell Med, said Farris introduced her to the graphic medicine medium. Since taking the class, Pak’s art, which portrays the realities of medical residency, has been published in the Annals of Internal Medicine’s graphic medicine section. 

“It’s because I took (Dr. Farris’) course that I even considered creating or submitting a cartoon to Annals of Internal Medicine,” Pak said in an email. “It’s a great way to combine two passions of mine (art and medicine), and hopefully, it brings more awareness to the process and struggles of becoming a doctor in the US.”

In the future, Farris said she hopes to write more books and continue creating educational cartoons that resonate with others. 

“(The comics are) more about showing parts of life that you just don’t get to see,” Farris said. “Hopefully, it’s helpful.”