In 1910, Brödel received an inviting offer for a position at the Mayo Clinic. Gynecologist and close friend of Brödel, Dr. Thomas S. Cullen, began raising funds for a department where Brödel could remain content at Johns Hopkins and train the next generation of medical illustrators with the necessary skills and background. Henry Walters, a Baltimore financier, philanthropist and art collector, agreed to fund the creation of this endeavor. In 1911, Brödel became the inaugural director for the Department of Art as Applied to Medicine at Johns Hopkins. His goal was to train medical illustrators to work in conjunction with physicians to increase understanding of how the body works. The program was the first medical illustration program, and attracted both medical and art students from all around the world.