Award Opportunities

The Fisch Art of Medicine Student Awards allow University of Minnesota medical students (current MS1-MS3, MSTP, Duluth & Twin Cities) to explore the arts and humanities in ways that are not typically emphasized in a conventional medical school curriculum. The Fisch Awards acknowledge the reality that even during this time of rapid scientific advancement, medicine remains as much an art as it is a science.

These annual awards nurture creativity, allow students to express themselves in new ways, and enhance lifelong connections between the art and science of medicine. All award recipients will present their work at the annual Fisch Art of Medicine Celebration held each Spring at the Weisman Art Museum.

Any artistic or creative project—limited only by the applicant's imagination—will be considered. Past projects have come from a range of creative disciplines including: music, dance, photography, sculpture, writing, crafting, theatre, and aerial arts to name a few. Preference will be given to acquisition of new knowledge or a new skill. No more than $2,500 will be funded per proposal.

University of Minnesota pediatrics professor emeritus Robert O. Fisch, MD, and his wife, Karen Bachman, established the Fisch Art of Medicine Student Awards in 2007. The endowed fund was created to honor the spirit and work of Dr. Fisch, a physician, artist, and Holocaust survivor who has shared his experiences through writing and art. A humanitarian with deep commitment to the arts, young people, and medicine, Fisch combined his work as a pediatrician with an artist's sensitivity to the world around him.

Dr. Fisch believed that this award will enrich the lives of physicians in training as well as their future patients. The Fisch Award aims to support medical students who long to address untapped creative urges or reacquaint themselves with avocations that have gone dormant during their medical studies. Dr. Fisch died June 12, 2022, on his 97th birthday, and CFAM is honored to continue his legacy through the Fisch Art of Medicine Student Awards. Read more about the life and legacy of Dr. Fisch here.