Why PPE Portraits?

Learn More

Case Studies

Early Adopters

Implementation Resources

Files & Templates

What’s a PPE Portrait?

Jennifer Reidy wearing a PPE Mask and PPE PortraitThe PPE Portrait project started during the 2014/2015 Ebola outbreak in Liberia.

PPE Portraits are postcard-sized portrait pictures worn on the body. They are most commonly disposable one-time-use stickers, but can also be laminated and reusable.

check out our FAQ…

Our Mission

The PPE Portrait Project is a group of researchers: artists, health care implementation scientists, doctors, a user experience designer, photographers, and a moral philosopher specializing in practical ethics and bioethics dedicated to improving the connections between people who can’t see each others’ faces, especially in the healthcare environment. We volunteer our expertise to help institutions and individuals adopt PPE Portraits, and establish best practices through research and dialogue with our partner institutions.

Latest Updates

Use a long lens/zoom lens A zoom lens (long lens) will allow you to put a lot of distance between you and your subject. The safety of the photographer and the subject are of paramount importance. The more you can distance, the better. Try for a 200mm lens, or at a minimum 120mm. Look for soft outdoor lighting Find a location outside that is in the shade or shoot on a cloudy day.  Find a plain background You don’t want read more

We’ve been hard at work these past few months designing a reusable version of PPE Portraits. Our goals were: stands up to frequent decontamination with “black top” or other hospital-grade disinfection wipes securely affixed at top and bottom to prevent cross-contamination puncture-free attachment low gloss for easy patient visibility high photo quality off the shelf components low cost We have settled on a matte lamination design. This design affixes with off-the-shelf embedded steel plate that attache to neodymium magnets. A read more

This document is also available as a PDF: Creating PPE Portrait Stickers