Navigating Women's Sexual Health After Pelvic Radiation
Up to 90% of gynecological cancer survivors experience debilitating, long-term sexual side effects after pelvic radiation treatment, yet patients routinely face an educational vacuum due to medical stigma and barriers. The visual challenge was communicating incredibly sensitive topics, including anatomical and cellular biology data, accurately without sounding overly sterile, hyper-sexualized, or clinical.
THE CHALLENGE
CLIENT
SHaRe Clinic at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre & Women’s College Hospital
DELIVERABLES
Hybrid 2D/3D Patient-Centered Educational Animation
TOOLS
Maya, ZBrush, After Effects, Illustrator, Premiere Pro, MAXQDA
TIMELINE
2025 (Research Ongoing)
RESEARCH
Patient Interviews
Semi-structured interviews with patients identified key communication gaps, educational needs, and design preferences that guided the animation.
1
Creation of Animation
Insights from patients and clinicians informed an evidence-based hybrid 2D/3D animation designed to communicate sensitive health information with empathy and clarity.
2
Patient Surveys
Patients evaluated the completed animation, providing feedback on its clarity, usefulness, inclusivity, and overall learning experience.
3
Publication Pending
Research findings are currently being prepared for publication to share insights on patient-centered design and biomedical animation for cancer education.
4
DESIGNING FOR EMPATHY
Characters
From sketches to fully rigged models in Maya, the characters highlight diversity in age, body type, skin tone, and sexual orientation. Group scenes reinforce that survivors are not alone and reflect the broad audience this resource serves.
Expressions
Research on patient education for sensitive topics shows that facial expressions improve empathy and understanding. I created mouth, eyebrow, and eye blend shapes to convey those expressions on screen.
Impact
This project transformed patient experiences and clinical evidence into an accessible educational resource designed to improve understanding of sexual health after pelvic radiation. By combining patient-informed research with empathetic visual storytelling, the animation supports more inclusive conversations around an often-overlooked aspect of cancer survivorship.
Future
Ongoing evaluation and publication of the accompanying research will help inform future patient education resources for cancer survivorship.
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