JeffMD, the updated curriculum at Thomas Jefferson University, includes a graphic medicine course which uses comics to teach students lessons in empathy, communication, and observation.

Graphic Medicine instructor, Christian “Patch” Patchell, published a graphic novel that documented his treatment at Jefferson for squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue in 2007. The course is part of a greater initiative to encourage medical students to view the world from a different perspective, in turn shaping their approach to patient care.