Introduction: Narrative medicine (NM) is a humanistic approach to the health sciences that values individuals’ stories and lived experiences. This framework has been shown to improve various competencies, including communication, perspective-taking and ethical inquiry. Graphic medicine (GM) is a subset of NM that places an emphasis on the visual expression of stories.

Description: GM is one of the topics explored by McMaster University health sciences students in a course known as ‘Praxis Pathways.’ In a month-long module, students read, reflect on, and present a GM story that they find personally relevant. After a group reflection, students are given the opportunity to create a short GM piece that shares their own health story.

Outcomes: This presentation is centred in the experiences of one recent health sciences graduate who found value in NM. After completing the GM module, this student used GM to share his story growing up as a gay child. He curated his story with the intention to disrupt and bring nuance to reductive and stereotypical narratives around gay youth.

Discussion: His learning experiences and subsequent NM-based initiatives offer insight into the successes and areas of improvement for the GM module offered in Praxis Pathways. This exploration of a student’s lived experience may also shed light on the broader pedagogical considerations for NM-oriented programs delivered to undergraduate students.