Jessica Angelini ’21, ’25 blends art, science and teaching to chart a unique career path

When Jessica Angelini arrived at Rowan University in 2017, she was torn between two passions: medicine and art. With both a deep desire to learn more about science and a natural talent for illustration, she felt unsure about which major to choose.

Angelini initially enrolled as a pre-med student and was fascinated by the material, but she felt like something was missing.

“I really did crave that creative aspect,” Angelini said.

Fortunately, another program at Rowan caught Angelini's attention: the Bachelor of Fine Art in biomedical art and visualization (BMAV). It’s one of the few undergraduate programs in the country that combine visual art and science, enabling students to create educational illustrations for textbooks, animations for medical procedures, and more.

Excited by the possibilities, she switched her major and added minors in art history and biology.

"That was one of the reasons I chose Rowan; because they had the pre-med option and the BMAV program,” she said. "It allowed me to learn all the medical and scientific background, but then I was still able to communicate those things through art."

She took courses in anatomy, scientific communication and design before graduating from the program in 2021.

Helping medical students learn in new ways

Outside the classroom, Angelini applied her skills as a medical illustrator and project manager at the Rowan-Virtua NeuroMusculoskeletal Institute.

Over the past three years, she has worked on research projects focused on opioid education, creating webinars, online courses and podcasts, exploring how different forms of media can enhance learning and engagement.

“I realized that how you deliver information makes a huge difference and that teaching people in ways that resonate with them is both powerful and rewarding,” she said.

Inspired by this work, Angelini decided to pursue the Master of Science in anatomical sciences at Rowan-Virtua School of Translational Biomedical Engineering & Sciences in 2023. While in graduate school, she worked as a lab assistant, helping first-year students at Rowan-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine with human anatomy through dissection.

“I ended up falling in love with teaching,” she said. “Seeing students light up when something finally clicks is incredibly gratifying.”

Using art to make science more engaging

Angelini’s artistic background gave her a unique edge in the classroom. She often drew muscles, bones and organ systems to create detailed visuals that helped her study and understand the material better.

“I started thinking about what I could create to help students grasp the relationships between structures beyond just memorization,” she said. “I realized I want to keep making visual materials that make learning anatomy more approachable and meaningful.”

As she prepares to graduate this spring with experience in science communication, publication design and anatomy instruction, Angelini hopes any future role she takes on will help medical students and professionals better understand the human body through art.

“I want to help students and future health care professionals see the body differently—through art, storytelling and connection,” she said. “That understanding will ultimately make them better caregivers.”