Alison Christy, M.D., Ph.D.

Meet Dr. Christy

City: Portland, Oregon

Preferred medium: Fabric, embroidery floss, beads

About me: I am a pediatric neurologist in Portland, Oregon, with a focus on neuroimmunology and a love for the intersection of science and art. I have a particular interest in the history of women in medicine, and I do research in this field on the side. Embroidery also appeals to me as a particularly feminine art form.

When did you begin your art career?

I love to work with my hands, in all kinds of visual art. I went to a math and science high school but spent my afternoons in the art studio making ceramics. At the end of the day, it is so satisfying to feel you have created something that exists physically in the world. I started making embroidery neurons in 2022. Embroidery is more portable than paint or clay, and easy to pick up and put down – easier to do on-the-go than pen-and-ink, even.

embordered neurons

What do you hope people feel, think, or learn from your art?

This one started with the blue-bodied neuron, which made me think of a planet; then I made the yellow-bodied neuron, like a sun; and then I added fragments that reminded me of stars, but also the debris that you see when you examine neural cells under a microscope. So for me, this represented both a microscopic microcosm of cells and a huge universal macrocosm – like the way the cells of our brains are miniscule, yet create our entire minds and thus our entire existence.

More about Alison in Neuro Today

Learn more about Alison