On September 30, a new online medical magazine called The Healing Holograph was published by Stamford High School senior Nabeeha Nafey. The magazine is written by high school students and is geared toward a teen audience. 

“I want to bridge the gap to make healthcare seem a little less intimidating than it might be, and hopefully inspire some people to pursue medicine,” Nafey said. “I want to grow our social media presence and feature weekly highlights on the Instagram page.” Nafey added, “I would also love for the magazine to circulate within hospitals, especially in pediatric units.”  

The magazine itself won’t be the only thing seen in hospitals: some of its writers may also be found there at times. Senior Naisha Joseph was an intern at Stamford Hospital’s non-invasive cardiology unit. She has since gained an interest in cardiology and plans to become a nurse practitioner.

Joseph said she is able to trace her interest in medicine back to elementary school. “My mom is my biggest inspiration,” said Joseph, noting that her mom having a place in the medical field was particularly inspiring.

Another one of the writers, senior Mia Luciani, is an EMT in the Stamford community. Luciani, who prefers a gender-neutral pronoun, got their license in the middle of their sophomore year when they turned 16. Before they realized that you only have to be 16 to be an EMT, Luciani did not have much interest in the medical field but they have found the decision to be one of the best that they have made. 

“You work in everyone’s community, you step into their houses and really get to meet new people,” Luciani noted.

Nafey said she was inspired to create the magazine by her deep passion for writing and her newly found appreciation for dermatology. She has been passionate about writing since the fourth grade when she began to enter writing competitions, and this passion has followed her to this day. While her medical interest is rather recent, she said she recalls her father suggesting that she should be a doctor when she was younger.

“Thank you to all the writers, they are the ones making this possible” said Nafey, showing how truly collaborative this project is.