Email

scotth@bcm.edu

Positions

Lead, Communications

Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery
Baylor College of Medicine

Addresses

Baylor College of Medicine Medical Center (Office)

McNair Campus
7200 Cambridge Street
Houston, TX 77030
United States
Phone: (713) 798-5209

Education

BFA from Case Western Reserve University / Cleveland Institute of Art

Cleveland

Medical Illustration

Certifications

Board Certified Medical Illustrator

Association of Medical Illustrators

Honors & Awards

Quality and Service Excellence Award

Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery (09/2024)

Professional Interests

• Scientific illustration
• Medical Illustration
• Communications
• Event Marketing
• Web Publishing

Professional Statement

Scott C. Holmes, C.M.I. is a board-certified medical illustrator and communications professional currently serving as Lead, Communications in the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine. With a career spanning over three decades, Holmes has contributed extensively to the fields of medical illustration, scientific visualization, and healthcare communications.

He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Medical Illustration in 1995 through a joint program between the Cleveland Institute of Art and Case Western Reserve University. During his senior year, Holmes worked with the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s Physical Anthropology department, where he completed the reconstruction of Australopithecus afarensis AL-288 “Lucy,” a landmark paleoanthropological exhibit still on display today.

Holmes began his professional journey at Medical Plastics Lab (now Laerdal) in Gatesville, Texas, designing anatomical models and CPR simulators. In 1997, he became a certified Emergency Medical Technician to better understand the practical applications of the training tools he developed.

Before joining Baylor in 2011, Holmes spent over 12 years at UT McGovern Medical School in Houston, contributing to departments including Surgery, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Pediatric Surgery, and the Center for Traumatic Injury Research (CeTIR). At Baylor, he supports 300 faculty, providing a wide range of media services including illustration, animation, photography, web publishing, social media, and event marketing.

Holmes is a recipient of the Quality and Service Excellence Award from the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery (2024) and is an active member of the Association of Medical Illustrators. His work continues to elevate the department’s communication efforts and its visibility within the scientific and medical communities.

Websites

Selected Publications

• DY Liu, S Holmes, Z Kaposztas, R Zhang, J Yuan, AZ. Luo, MR Blackburn, AD Kulkarni, F Thomson, CT Van Buren "Topical Application of Nucleotides Does Not Affect Wound Healing in CD73 Knockout Mice." Clin Nutrition. 2009;4(2):173.
• Van Buren CT, McKissick E, Holmes S, Kerman RH, Lappin JA. "The Successful Use of Donor-specific Antibody Crossmatch-negative Donors in Renal Transplantation." BIT Life Sciences' 3rd Annual International C.;
• Reece EM, Davis MJ, Abu-Ghname A, Chamata E, Holmes S, Winocour S, Hansen SL, Xu DS, Bohl MA, Ropper AE "Vascularized Bone Grafts for Spinal Fusion-Part 4: The Scapula." Oper Neurosurg.; Pubmed PMID: 33616164
• Do A, Davis MJ, Abu-Ghname A, Winocour SJ, Reece EM, Holmes S, Xu DS, Ropper AE, Hansen SL "The Historical Role of the Plastic Surgeon in Spine Reconstruction." Semin Plast Surg. 2021;35

Projects

Medical Illustrator

Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery

Member - Conference Planning Committee

Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery

Research Day DeBakey Surgical Society Alumni Symposium Advances in Critical Care Conference

Design and Layout

Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery - Annual Reports, Surgery Newsletter and Surgery e-News Bulletin

Communication

Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery

2025 Annual Report

https://cdn.bcm.edu/sites/default/files/2025-10/2025-annual-report-final.pdf

Memberships

Association of Medical Illustrators

Professional Member

Vesalius Trust for Visual Communication in the Health Sciences

Board Member

Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery

Staff Council