VME COVID Response | Emory School of Medicine

Emory Visual Medical Education engaged extensively in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We contributed to personal protective equipment (PPE) training for frontline Emory providers, advancing and explaining research breakthroughs, created educational materials for patients and families and the public, and just in time training for providers. These materials were created by highly-trained medical illustrators, with attention to scientific accuracy, educational efficacy, and elegance of design.

PPE Education

NETEC Guide My PPE Web Application

NETEC is the National Emerging Special Pathogen Training and Education Center. It is comprised of faculty and staff from Emory University, the University of Nebraska Medical Center/Nebraska Medicine and the New York Health and Hospitals Corporation, Bellevue Hospital Center. Building upon Emory's PPE education efforts to create a large number of visual guides to the use, extended wear, and reuse of personal protective equipment (PPE), Emory partnered with NETEC to build a web application that allows users to choose their own PPE configuration or have PPE recommended for their circumstances. The goal is to create a tool that is not only useful during COVID, but for future epidemics as well.

NETEC PPE web app on a computer display. The screen says Welcome to Guide My PPE

Emory PPE Education (Collection of multiple documents available)

Emory Serious Communicable Diseases Program, Emory Infection Prevention, and Emory Visual Medical Education have teamed up to create a large number of visual guides for the use, extended wear, and reuse of personal protective equipment (PPE). These guides have been used with enthusiasm all over the world, because they not only address ideal PPE standards, but give guidance when supplies are running low.

Putting PPE ON: Illustrated handout that was used to instruct clinical staff in the process of safely putting on personal protective equipment. (donning PPE)

NETEC Education

Many of the PPE resources that have been developed by the Emory Visual Medical Education team are also featured on the NETEC resources archive. Emory and NETEC partners have safely and successfully treated patients with Ebola and have worked diligently to share their knowledge with other health care facilities and public health jurisdictions.

image of the NETEC website with COVID-19 Preparedness title

PPE Animations

These animations were created to help providers safely care for COVID or patients under investigation (PUI) for COVID when supplies are limited.

PPE animation image: Illustration from an animation teaching healthcare workers how to properly use personal protective equipment.

Public Education

How mRNA Vaccines Work

We wanted to make a really complex process a little easier for the public to understand. This is part of the story of how mRNA vaccines create immunity to COVID-19.

How Do COVID mRNA Vaccines Work? This illustration depicts the molecular function of the mRNA vaccines.

COVID vs. Vaccine (3D Printing Analogy)

COVID produces copies of the entire SARS-CoV-2 virus within your cells. The vaccine gives your body instructions to make just a small, non-functioning part of the virus. The process it uses to make it is a lot like computer code being used by a 3-D printer to make a single piece of a larger machine.

SARS-COV-2 vs. Vaccine. This illustration depicts the production of spike protein by the body after the vaccine.

Exhalation Valves

Exhalation valves are common on masks, especially those designed for fitness, due to their increased comfort. The escape of moisture that enhances their performance makes them potentially deadly if used as "source control" in a pandemic. We designed this simple image to be easily sharable on social media.

Illustration of viral particles escaping an exhalation valve and invading the airspace of a nearby person

Antibodies and Immunity

This image was used by Emory University Woodruff Health Sciences Center to explain a study about COVID-19 antibodies and immunity. This image compares different types of antibody tests, and is intended to help facilitate easier understanding by the public of a very complex subject.

"Antibody Tests: Testing Your Blood for COVID-19". Series of illustrations depicting COVID-19 antibody testing.

SARS-CoV-2 Virus Spike (S) Protein

The Spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 is what the virus uses to gain entry into human cells via the ACE2 receptor. We modeled and rendered this protein using real data published from the McLellan Lab in Austin, TX.

SARS-CoV-2 Virus

This is image is an artistic representation of the virus that causes COVID-19. We used accurate protein models in a 3-dimensional digital space in order to depict the virus. This image has been used on many Emory internal and external communications about COVID-19.

SARS-CoV-2 Model Rotating 360º

Animated 360 view of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus based on data from the Protein Data Bank. If you work for Emory, please contact us if you need the original movie file instead of this YouTube link.

Internal Communications

Care Partner Education

This handout is designed to explain Emory Healthcare's Care Partner program to families and visitors. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was vital to protect the health of our patients and staff, so visitation policies needed to be updated and communicated in a compassionate way. This allowed families to understand the options and limitations.

Small flyer (PDF 1MB)

Illustration of care partner offering support to patient with provider nearby to care for medical needs of patient

Flu and COVID Poster

We designed this sign to be printed in a large format and posted indoors at Emory Healthcare hospital and clinical locations so that patients, visitors, and staff would increase health behaviors that prevent the spread of flu and COVID. We also designed a smaller flyer that can be posted within individual units.

Small flyer (PDF 3.8MB)

The poster is deceptively simple on the surface but draws upon principles of psychology and design to engage the viewer. We only have milliseconds to engage them. Humans beings are drawn to faces, and eyes in particular. This is what grabs the initial attention of the viewer. The image is a little humorous, which helps the subject let down their guard and feel curious. Then they see the red bold word "STOP" which subconsciously urges the viewer to literally slow or stop their movement and pay more careful attention. The subject of the sign "Flu and COVID" is the next bit of information registered, so the topic is immediately understood. Now that they are fully engaged, they are presented with simple, memorable, visual actions that they are urged to take.

Stop The Flu and COVID Too! This poster was printed and displayed at Emory hospital locations to help control the spread of COVID and influenza.

Thank You For Wearing a Mask

We designed this sign to be printed in a large format and posted at each entryway into Emory Healthcare hospital and clinical locations so that patients and visitors can better understand masking practices that will keep themselves and others safe during the COVID pandemic. We also designed a smaller flyer that can be posted within individual units.

Large sign
Small flyer

Citrate Protocol (ICU)

This piece was designed to be printed and displayed on a dialysis cart in the ER to guide the citrate protocol administration in the intensive care unit. The goal is to help health care providers and increase patient safety at the point of care.

Citrate Protocol. Instructional card for the operation of dialysis machine that includes color coded symbols and labels to aid understanding

Sharing and Disclaimer

Creative Commons for all COVID-19 content unless otherwise indicated: Give appropriate credit, indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests Emory endorses you or your use.

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