Welcome to billwalshart.com. I am Bill Walsh, or more formally William Walsh, MD, CMI, and I am both a physician and certified medical illustrator. I would like to tell you how I joined two challenging professions that I deeply enjoy.

My art training began in grade school and high school, where I received formal art lessons from John Bradley, a commercial artist from St. Paul. He taught me rendering, perspective, grid drawing, and light and shade; the basics of art that I continue to use daily. I went on to refine my artistic skills at the University of Notre Dame where I studied studio art and design. During college, I decided to focus on scientific illustration. To help me truly understand scientific illustrations, I took basic science classes at Notre Dame and quickly became interested in the biological sciences. Detailed cadaver dissections in gross anatomy initiated my interest in medical illustration.

Since both medicine and art fascinated me, I wanted to combine both disciplines into my career. I not only graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Arts degree in studio art and design, but also received a Bachelor of Science degree in pre-professional studies. Several years later, I became a Certified Medical Illustrator (CMI) after passing the board examination and a rigorous portfolio review by the Board of Certified Medical Illustrators.

While illustrating surgeries during college, I saw how a surgeon has the opportunity to combine his skills, knowledge and personality to help patients. Inspired by the opportunity a surgeon has to serve others and planning to continue my work as a medical illustrator, I went on to medical school at Northwestern University in Chicago where I graduated in 2002. While in medical school I became fascinated by the anatomy of the head and neck and the diseases that impact this region of the body. I chose to specialize in Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery and will finish my residency at Northwestern University in 2007.

I also spent the last several years learning facial prosthetic techniques and performing research to improve auricular prostheses. I have received additional training in forensic facial reconstruction and website design.

My experiences as both a medical illustrator and surgeon have given me a unique view and deep respect for both professions. The surgeries I have performed have taught me to illustrate from a surgeon’s perspective; understanding the details that are important to show in an illustration and how best to communicate those details to other surgeons. My medical illustrations not only help other surgeons, but also reinforce the thought processes and skills necessary for me to improve as a surgeon.

I plan to utilize my artistic and surgical training as an Otolaryngologist, Head and Neck Surgeon, and hope to focus on treating patients who need facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. I will also continue to work as a medical illustrator, adding to the medical literature by illustrating surgical procedures.

If you have questions or comments about my artwork, please contact me. To learn more about what happens when I am commissioned to create a medical illustration, view my project guide. While you are looking through this site, I also encourage you to view the artwork by my wife, Jamie Walsh; her portraits are outstanding! Thank you for viewing my online portfolio.

Sincerely,