{"id":25472,"date":"2015-09-27T12:34:34","date_gmt":"2015-09-27T16:34:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=25472"},"modified":"2015-10-13T12:49:58","modified_gmt":"2015-10-13T16:49:58","slug":"poetry-of-and-from-the-heart-cardiologist-joseph-gascho-68-brings-new-perspectives-of-medicine-healing-to-homecoming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2015\/poetry-of-and-from-the-heart-cardiologist-joseph-gascho-68-brings-new-perspectives-of-medicine-healing-to-homecoming\/","title":{"rendered":"Poetry of and from the heart: cardiologist Joseph Gascho ’68 brings new perspectives of medicine, healing to Homecoming"},"content":{"rendered":"

Contract, pump, relax, fill. The heart takes blood in, then pumps it back out through the body, with life in each heartbeat.<\/p>\n

Joseph Gascho notices these patterns in his work as a cardiologist at Penn State University\u2019s Milton S. Hershey (Pa.) Medical Center. He also notices them in his passion for art<\/a>, weaving the two fields together seamlessly.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a medical term called diastole,\u201d Gascho said. \u201cIt\u2019s the phase of a heart cycle when the heart relaxes and blood is coming in. It\u2019s a metaphor for me of what we take in, and it\u2019s really important what we take in, because that then determines what goes out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"gaschopoetry\"<\/a>
Gascho’s photography and poetry often includes images of the heart, like this one of the left atrium, left ventricle and aorta with the color demonstrating the flow of blood into and out of the heart. (Courtesy of Joseph Gascho)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two of Gascho\u2019s primary outlets include poetry and photography, including a photo collection he titled \u201cDiastole.\u201d Other works include the photo series \u201cFlowers,\u201d \u201cLeaves,\u201d and \u201cSky,\u201d as well as a collection of echocardiogram-inspired poetry titled \u201cEcho Poems\u201d and a 2014 series of photos on hospital support personnel<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Gascho will share from his work at two events during Eastern Mennonite University\u2019s Homecoming Weekend<\/a> Oct. 9-10. The first will be a gallery showing and poetry recital at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 9, followed by musical guests Emulate<\/a> in the University Commons\u2019 Common Grounds coffeehouse. The second will be a more medically oriented Suter Science Seminar<\/a> presentation at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, in Science Center 106.<\/p>\n

‘Ears and eyes open’<\/h3>\n

In both presentations, Gascho will share how he tries to open people to new perspectives.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, seeing is a really, really big thing,\u201d Gascho says. \u201cOne of my favorite biblical passages is the Emmaus Road story, where the disciples\u2019 eyes are opened with the breaking of bread. As a physician, I try to have my ears and my eyes open not just for physical signs or for abnormal sounds from the stethoscope but also trying to take in something about the patient, what makes the patient tick.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo what I hope for in my art is that people would see things in different ways\u2014to see a patient differently or understand something about themselves, about medicine, healing, et cetera, in a different way. When we see things in a different way, it\u2019s kind of an \u2018a-ha\u2019 moment, an epiphany, and we can do things differently. We tend to make the most changes when we have those moments. That\u2019s what I hope a photograph or a poem can be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Henry<\/a>
One of the “Patient Portraits” series, on permanent display at Hershey Medical Center. (Courtesy of Joseph Gascho)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One of Gascho\u2019s projects\u2014on permanent display at Hershey\u2014is titled \u201cPatient Portraits,\u201d a series of 50 patient photographs that contain abbreviated, cryptic notes about the patients\u2019 medical conditions but also show their humanity. Most of them are long-time patients, and Gascho says they have been glad to assist.<\/p>\n

\u201cNinety-five percent are delighted to have their pictures taken,\u201d he says. \u201cMy point is to show they are more than just patients; they\u2019re people, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Promoting a holistic approach to medicine<\/h3>\n

Gascho says that ethos is embedded in the work of Hershey Medical Center. While he is a professor of medicine and teaches about cardiology, he also teaches in the humanities and tries to introduce students to other aspects of medicine\u2014the \u201cnon-scientific but important side.\u201d He says that balance is a \u201creal strength\u201d of Hershey, which was one of the first schools to advance that holistic approach.<\/p>\n

Eastern Mennonite also provided some of the foundation for Gascho\u2019s work. He graduated from Eastern Mennonite High School (EMHS) and later spent his senior year of college in Harrisonburg following two years as a conscientious objector at Lankenau Hospital just outside of Philadelphia, where he took classes while serving as a medical research \u201cguinea pig.\u201d<\/p>\n

He mentions chemistry professor emeritus Glenn Kauffman as a particular influence, someone who knew and taught science well but also built his own harpsichord and appreciated music and art. Gascho\u2019s parents, Alvin and Irene, also worked at EMU. His father, a former pastor, became a maintenance worker so his son could attend EMHS.<\/p>\n

Gascho says he will likely share poems about his father during the Homecoming Weekend visit, along with medicine-themed poems, some of his \u201cEcho Poems,\u201d and more\u2014expect \u201ca variety of things,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Contract, pump, relax, fill. The heart takes blood in, then pumps it back out through the body, with life in each heartbeat. Joseph Gascho notices these patterns in his work ... read more about Poetry of and from the heart: cardiologist Joseph Gascho ’68 brings new perspectives of medicine, healing to Homecoming<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25482,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[266,7931,14184,60,7682],"tags":[16458,17025,17027,6028],"feature":[],"class_list":["post-25472","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-arts","category-campus-guests","category-homecoming","category-suter-science-seminar","tag-emulate","tag-glenn-kauffman","tag-irene-gascho","tag-joseph-gascho"],"yoast_head":"\nPoetry of and from the heart: cardiologist Joseph Gascho '68 brings new perspectives of medicine, healing to Homecoming - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2015\/poetry-of-and-from-the-heart-cardiologist-joseph-gascho-68-brings-new-perspectives-of-medicine-healing-to-homecoming\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Poetry of and from the heart: cardiologist Joseph Gascho '68 brings new perspectives of medicine, healing to Homecoming - EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Contract, pump, relax, fill. 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