“Feathered” by Marcia Riegle, Patient
Welcome to the 2022 edition of the Wild Onions magazine!
The past year has been a time of many changes for the journal, and we would like to highlight some of the most exciting recent innovations. First, last fall, the editing team worked to establish Wild Onions Online . This is a means of categorizing all the journal’s written and visual work into a single location and ensuring that it is as accessible as possible. The editorial team then embraced an opportunity to expand the breadth of editor experiences through outreach to the College of Medicine’s University Park regional campus. Special thanks both to the University Park students for their interest and outreach and to Michael Flanagan, MD, for his faculty support!
For this year’s theme, we wanted to select something that was meaningful not only to ourselves, but to our community as a whole. Now over two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, “Touch” is something that can, at times, feel foreign in a new landscape defined by social distancing. However, “Touch” is something that we crave as humans, both in a physical and emotional sense. We were thus ecstatic to have the opportunity to witness the theme emerge in this year’s submissions as they rolled in during the winter. Getting to explore another’s feelings through art, photography, and writing is truly something special. Each individual piece allowed us to consider a different meaning of “Touch,” and for that we are forever grateful.
Finally, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on what Wild Onions has meant to each of us as editors. Wild Onions has served as an anchor point throughout our medical school experience. In the first and second years, it served as a break from didactic material, allowing us to revere creativity as a goal for healing in and of itself. Later, the magazine served as a way to bond with patients and encourage them to continue their artistic, photographic, and literary endeavors. Now, as we prepare for residency, we are honored by the ability to share this wonderful journal with the world.
Elias Harkins and Haley Hartman
2022 Senior Co-editors
Elias Harkins, MSIV
Elias was born to a military family, and while he spent many years in Washington and Texas, he always felt Hershey was home, both as the place in which he was born and where he would grow up. Elias went to Messiah University for his undergraduate degree in biopsychology, a field perfectly tailored to understanding the connections between biology and the human mind. During his time in medical school, he found a passion for teaching others, and so is pursuing an MD/M.Ed degree. In his spare time, Elias enjoys writing poetry (including doing a poem-a-day challenge every October), working with his feline writing partner named “Dickens,” and playing Dungeons & Dragons with his medical school classmates. He is excited to pursue a residency in pediatrics at Penn State Health, where he aims to serve as an advocate, educator, and cheesy pun creator.
Haley Hartman, MSIV
Haley grew up in Punxsutawney (home of the groundhog) and went to The College of Wooster for her undergraduate degree in biology. While there, she utilized the flexibility of a liberal arts degree to explore literature, ethics, and the arts. She fell in love with the connection between her science major and the humanity that was so intricately connected. During her time in medical school, she pursued her passion for ethics by earning a master’s degree in legal studies as well as her MD. In her spare time, Haley enjoys working in her garden (indoors and outdoors), embroidery, and playing Dungeons & Dragons with her medical school classmates. She is excited to pursue a residency in diagnostic radiology at Penn State Health, serving on an ethics committee, and contributing to Wild Onions for years to come.