"India: Through My Eyes" Photographic Exhibit by Jonathan Black

“India: Through My Eyes,” a photographic exhibit by second-year medical student Jonathan Black, is on display through May 31, in the Edward G. Miner Library, University of Rochester Medical Center. 

Under the auspices of the School’s International Medicine Program, Jonathan went to India for ten weeks to study water practices and their impact on health in a few small villages in Tamil Nadu, a state in southeast India. “I followed my heart into this experience and discovered more than I could have imagined.”

Jonathan describes the rigors of carrying out an international research project as “a great learning experience.” From finding a translator to implementing a survey in a small rural village, he learned to expect the unexpected. When he wasn't conducting research, his experiences were broad and varied.  “I walked barefoot for 13 miles under a full moon with 300,000 other people and learned to cook South Indian cuisine.” Mango pickle became a dietary staple, as did chai, masala potato chips, and Indian sweets.

Jonathan received his BS in Economics and Film & Media Studies from the University of Rochester before turning his sites to the University’s combined MD/MPH program. He started taking photographs as a teenager and is only a recent convert to digital media. He is the recipient of a special scholarship from the Haggerty-Friedman Psychosocial Fund for Research in Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, and plans to spend his next program year working with chronically ill children under the mentorship of Dr. O. J. Sahler. Will it involve photography? You bet!

Miner Library is open Monday-Thursday, 7:30 am – midnight; Friday, 7:30 am – 8 pm; Saturday, 10 am – 8 pm; Sunday, noon – midnight. Call 585.275.3361 for holiday hours.

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