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Michigan Medicine physician assistant photographs fellow emergency room staff

"Sarah." Photo courtesy of Cecile Hollinshead. (Cecile Hollinshead)

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – University of Michigan Department of Emergency Medicine physician assistant Cecile Hollinshead has been photographing fellow healthcare professionals in their personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Initially inspired by having to recognize her coworkers through their eyes, Hollinshead said that she started taking photos of her coworkers as a way to mark this time in their lives.

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Hollinshead has worked for 14 years in the adult and pediatric ER at Michigan Medicine. She has worked for almost 20 years as an emergency room physician assistant.

“It’s like our family away from home,” Hollinshead said referring to the emergency department. “And that’s how we feel like when we work in the ER. It’s like we’re family, and our goal is to take care of patients and to also make sure to take care of each other.”

"Alicia." Photo courtesy of Cecile Hollinshead. (Cecile Hollinshead)

As of now, she’s photographed 160 coworkers and has incorporated them into mosaics. When taking their photos (many have asked to be a part of her project), Hollinshead asks coworkers to just be themselves.

See more of her photos of frontline workers below.

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"Chanda." Photo courtesy of Cecile Hollinshead. (Cecile Hollinshead)
"Rita." Photo courtesy of Cecile Hollinshead. (Cecile Hollinshead)
"Taylor." Photo courtesy of Cecile Hollinshead. (Cecile Hollinshead)
"Megan." Photo courtesy of Cecile Hollinshead. (Cecile Hollinshead)

About the Author
Sarah Parlette headshot

Sarah has worked for WDIV since June 2018. She covers community events, good eats and small businesses in Ann Arbor and has a Master's degree in Applied Linguistics from Grand Valley State University.

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