Michael P. Flanagan, MD, FAAFP 2023 Wild Onions Guest Editor
If you have enjoyed Wild Onions in the past, you know that each year editors choose a theme to inspire and coalesce the creativity, motivation, and artistic talent of our Penn State community and beyond. As a member of the Penn State College of Medicine’s University Park (UP) campus, it is my honor to introduce this year’s theme, “Growth and Regeneration.” This focus is especially fitting following a season of adversity during the COVID-19 pandemic. At this point, many may now be poised for new growth — and perhaps even regeneration.
Growth implies progressive, more complex development from a simpler form or stage. Regeneration connotes a process of restoration or renewing, especially after something has been damaged or lost. Regeneration is a multifaceted term that can be applied in the fields of medicine, business, and theology, as well as to the biological, social, and physical sciences. Regenerative medicine, regenerative agriculture and regenerative policies all promote interdependence among diverse systems to build resilience and sustainability.
Like the fruit trees in my backyard orchard that remain stark and gray through the long winter, our personal growth may have also stagnated during the pandemic. Nevertheless, a change in season brings opportunity for both new growth and regeneration. Green leaves and pale buds emerge in the warming spring sun. Similarly, we too find ourselves in a new season, one of hopeful resilience. The creative expression and artistic beauty found in this edition of Wild Onions has the potential to promote such hope, healing, and perseverance. I encourage you to immerse yourself in it, much as our University Park medical students immerse themselves in our clinical settings from the very beginning of their education.
I want to recognize the significant number of students, faculty, staff, and patients, as well as their families, who shared artistic submissions with Wild Onions this year. The number of entries has been growing each year, from both the Hershey and the University Park campuses. This reflects the sustained support and esteem that our educational community demonstrates for the arts and humanities. Thank you also to our dedicated Senior Co-editors, Benjamin Watt and Lindsey Peck, as well as our enthusiastic student editors from both campuses. Gratitude is also extended to our Editor-in-Chief, Daniel George, PhD, and Managing Editors, Deborah Tomazin and Kerry Royer, for their steadfast efforts in putting forth Wild Onions each year, and for inviting me to serve as this year’s guest editor.
Please allow this exceptional collection of poetry, photography, narratives, and paintings to stimulate your own personal growth, and regenerate both your mind and spirit. Also, please be encouraged to share this year’s edition with a colleague or friend to promote their well-being. You might even be motivated to create your own art, or plant a few seeds in fertile soil this spring and then appreciate the growth that unfolds.
Michael P. Flanagan, MD, FAAFP
Assistant Dean for Student Affairs
Professor of Family and Community Medicine, and Humanities
Penn State College of Medicine, University Park Campus