Growing up, when Sarah Aloi wasn’t in school, her time was occupied with a myriad of activities such as horseback riding, soccer, medical camps and community art classes.
But with every passing interest, science and art remained a constant. As she was earning her undergraduate degree in biological sciences at the University of South Carolina, she continued to cultivate her love for art in her free time while also finding creative ways to merge art and medicine — like painting parking meters in Five Points to raise money for the American Heart Association.
“Art is something that translates across language and culture,” says Aloi, a third-year medical student at the USC School of Medicine Greenville. “In many ways, medicine is an art form itself. Every physician brings a different approach to patient care, from their specialty to the way they connect with patients. That is what makes medicine and art so similar, as there are different paths to have successful outcomes.”
Her love for art led her to start a student interest group called Art in Medicine. She and other club members have worked on several projects that have been displayed at the school and in the community. Last year, they made paper flowers to honor students and alumni who have died of cancer. The club’s latest project is called, “Why Medicine?” and features notes from students about why they chose to study medicine. The notes are written on cardstock and arranged to mimic a stained-glass mosaic. She says the project is a chance for students to take a breath and reflect.
“You get such tunnel vision in medical school, and so it’s nice to give students an outlet to help them take their mind off of things for a second and think about why we’re doing this in the first place,” says Aloi, who is from Westampton, New Jersey. “It’s so lovely to help people and also take a step back and look at the big picture, instead of worrying about needing to be perfect and get perfect grades.”
In addition to her work with Art in Medicine, Aloi has contributed artwork across the USC School of Medicine Greenville community. She performed a live painting at an event for a liver and kidney transplant center, designed banners and posters for the School of Medicine Greenville, and made a digital design that was printed and displayed on lockers. “I love the school and this community, and it is so fulfilling to see my projects on our campus play a part of that,” says Aloi.
Outside of her artistic pursuits, she has been involved in several faculty-led research projects focusing on neurology. She currently works with Dr. Thomas Nathaniel, a biomedical sciences professor, on research highlighting the differences between male and female stroke patients.
She also completed EMT training, part of the school’s first-year curriculum. She says this experience was invaluable to her medical education because it gave her the opportunity to see what care looks like before a patient arrives at the hospital and helped her become a part of the Greenville community.
Aloi doesn’t know where her residency will take her after graduating in 2028, but she hopes to practice medicine in South Carolina.
“I would love to spend my time giving back to the school, or even the state, that has made the last six years of my life the best time I’ve ever had,” she says. “I could not be more grateful for the state of South Carolina and USC. It has been an experience that I can’t even put into words. I found myself at USC.”