Comic Books at the Bedside: A Unique Day of Discussion at the Montpellier School of Medicine

[Press Release] - Published on June 2, 2025 in Art & Culture, Press Room

On Friday, June 13, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Montpellier will host three comic book authors—Alice Baguet, Olivia Hagimont, and Matthieu Blanchin—for a day of meetings, workshops, and discussions open to students and the general public. Organized in partnership with the Joint Documentation Service, this event is part of an innovative educational project that integrates comics into medical training.

An event to rethink healthcare through the^9th art

Since 2023, the Montpellier Faculty of Medicine has been developing an innovative educational program centered on comic books, with more than 250 titles available in the university libraries of Nîmes and Montpellier. By recounting their own healthcare journeys, the three guest authors give a powerful and sensitive voice to the patient experience. Their stories, blending intimacy, reflection, and commitment, allow for an in-depth exploration of the caregiver-patient relationship in its human, ethical, and social dimensions.

Through this event, students, teachers, and the general public are invited to explore the role of storytelling and personal accounts in healthcare practices, and to discover how comics have become a fully-fledged educational tool in the healthcare professions.

Highlights and schedule

Throughout the day:

• Comic Book Fair and Book Signings: Open meet-and-greets with authors, students, and health education teachers.
• Booths: university libraries, student organizations, and the“En traits libres” bookstore (open all day for sales and book signings).
• Discussion workshops (for students only): discussions about the comics of various authors, led by faculty members, focusing on the themes of care, the caregiver-care recipient relationship, and bodily experience.

Closing highlight:

• 5:30 p.m. – Public roundtable discussion in the anatomy amphitheater:

What does it mean to be a caregiver? To be a patient? What role does personal experience play in teaching healthcare?
A roundtable discussion between guest authors and educators to explore the role of comics in narrative medicine and in the humanization of medical practices.

This event is supported by the Art & Culture Department of the UM Campus Life Division, the SCD, the DUMG, the UM School of Medicine, and the health-related student associations in Montpellier and Nîmes.