The Student's Interest in Anatomy Is Vitalized Only as the Anatomic Facts Are Correlated With Those Practical Problems With Which He Is Confronted as a Practitioner of Medicine.

Today, medical education emphasizes clinical applications of anatomic knowledge. In 2014, we instituted Clinically Applied Anatomy (CAA) within first-year Human Gross Anatomy at our university. The course was designed and overseen by academic plastic surgery. We hypothesized CAA would positively impact students' understanding, performance, and interest in human anatomy. From 2014 to 2018, 13 CAA case-based didactics were integrated into the anatomy curriculum without changing the total anatomy-related student hours; each emphasized the clinical relevance of overlooked (or memorized) anatomic detail. Clinically Applied Anatomy instructors led associated clinical cadaver dissections. Upon course completion, students from each participating class were anonymously surveyed. One hundred sixty-four students completed the survey (75% response). Eighty-six percent reported CAA increased mastery of human anatomy, 77% stated CAA improved examination performance, 87% agreed CAA increased interest in anatomy itself, and 96% reported CAA increased their critical thinking of how understanding anatomy affects clinical care. Nearly half (49.4%) responded that CAA increased interest in applying for a procedurally oriented residency. When considering future integration of CAA into the medical school curriculum, 9% of students wanted less CAA, 61% wanted the same, and 30% wanted more. Clinically Applied Anatomy significantly impacts medical students' anatomy education. Currently, 17 CAA faculty from 7 departments/divisions participate in all 26 of our school's anatomy sessions. As per our institution, we advocate this cost-effective and impactful initiative be led by academic plastic surgeons. These clinicians possess broad and specialized anatomic expertise as well as the leadership and interdisciplinary working relationships needed to enroll a multidisciplinary team of clinical educators.

Introduction : Training of anatomists began in Nigeria in 1963, when the Faculty of Medicine of University of Ibadan approved a program of intercalated B.Sc anatomy simultaneously with B.Sc (medical science) in such disciplines as anatomy, physiology, chemical pathology and microbiology. Many Nigerian universities now offer degree programs in anatomy as a biomedical science. It is, however, important to investigate the interest of students who are being admitted to study anatomy as this would most likely affect their performances, motivation and commitment to making a career in anatomy. This investigation was designed to determine the newly admitted students’ interest in anatomy B.Sc program in South-Western Nigerian Universities. Materials and Methods: A total of 209 newly admitted students (year 1) into the B.Sc/B.Tech Anatomy program in the six universities in South-Western Nigeria accredited to run the undergraduate program completed structured questionnaires. Data from the retrieved copies of the questionnaire were collated and analyzed using descriptive statistical methods primarily. Collated data were calculated in percentages for easy comparison, and interest of respondents was determined generally and taking gender into consideration. Result and Discussion : Results show that students had their interests in anatomy affected negatively by initial lack of knowledge of the course and lack of proper career counseling, yet, many students upon admission hoped to work with their skills and knowledge as Anatomists upon graduation. Efforts should be channeled toward proper pre-university career education and counseling relative to the anatomy. Key words: Anatomy, bachelor program, interest, Nigeria, students

Two previously unpublished letters by John Thelwall offer us a window into the understudied topic of his work in the field of speech pathology, a venture to which he dedicated three decades of his life. In the fall of 1810, and again in the early summer of 1811, Thelwall wrote detailed reports to Dudley Ryder, the 1st Earl of Harrowby (1762–1847) about the progress Ryder’s son was making at Thelwall’s ‘Institution for the Cure of Impediments, the Remedy of Organic Defects, and Preparation of Youth for the Pulpit, Bar, & c’. A Tory and close friend of Thelwall’s nemesis William Pitt, Ryder seems an unlikely Thelwall client, but he was a politically progressive Tory, and even supported electoral reform. Still, the fact that a Pittite Tory would trust his son to Thelwall’s care indicates that the notorious radical found some success in his reinvention at the opening of the nineteenth century: from the infamous ‘Jacobin Fox’ hounded by the Home Office and vilified by the loyalist press, he refashioned himself ‘John Thelwall, Esq., Professor of the Science and Practice of Elocution’. This new Thelwall emerged in the early 1800s, though his interest in science was apparent a decade earlier. A lifelong autodidact, Thelwall dabbled in anatomy in the early 1790s, and was elected a member of the Physical Society of Guy’s Hospital in London, where he gave lectures on ‘animal vitality’ and the ‘origin of mental action’. It was after the Pitt ministry hounded him out of public politics that Thelwall returned to his early interest in science. Driven ‘into temporary retirement’, he recalled, ‘former trains of reflection were gradually renewed; and the treasured remembrances of anatomical and physiological facts, mingling with the impressions that had resulted from the oratorical habits of twelve preceding years’, led to the discovery, Thelwall claimed in a Frankensteinian flourish, of ‘some of the most hidden mysteries of the Science of Human Speech’. Thelwall was one among many contemporary elocutionists, but what distinguished his work, what revealed those hidden mysteries, was his corollary interest in anatomy and physiology. The Romatic-era culture of popular medical study allowed amateurs like Thelwall, operating outside of university settings, to develop novel areas of medical expertise. London, in particular, had a ‘climate of intellectual pluralism’, notes Roy Porter, that ‘allowed new medical specialties to flourish’. It was the new field of speech pathology that emerged from the disciplinary meeting that Thelwall described as his ‘Union of Physiological and Elocutionary Science’. If the energy of amateur scientific endeavor in

Integrating Radiology and Anatomy Teaching in Medical Education in the UK—The Evidence, Current Trends, and Future Scope

Royal college of surgeons edinburgh surgical anatomy workshops (Wade Programme) promote student knowledge and interest in anatomy and surgery.

Objective:to investigate the influence of the application of new methodologies on learning and the motivation of students of the Anatomy discipline.Method:randomized, longitudinal, prospective, intervention study. Sixty-two students were recruited to assess the impact of different methodologies. The sample was randomized to compare the results of teaching with a 3D atlas, ultrasound and the traditional method. The parameters were assessed through a satisfaction evaluation questionnaire and anatomical charts. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to determine statistical significance.Results:in terms of the usefulness of the seminars, 98.1% of the students considered them to be very positive or positive, stating that they had stimulated their interest in anatomy. The students who learned with the 3D atlas improved their understanding of anatomy (p=0.040). In general, the students improved their grades by around 20%.Conclusion:the traditional method combined with new technologies increases the interest of students in human anatomy and enables them to acquire skills and competencies during the learning process.

Ultrasound (US) is increasingly used across medical specialities as a diagnostic tool and medical faculties are therefore further incorporating imaging into their programmes. Using US within undergraduate instruction has several benefits. US, as a learning instrument, may strengthen existing anatomical knowledge and improve visual understanding of anatomy. The cost-effectiveness, as well as portability of the US, makes it a valuable means to add to traditional anatomy teaching modalities. Furthermore, students have an opportunity to develop skills in interpreting US images and this may add a different element to the learning of anatomy. This study aimed to explore undergraduate clinical anatomy students’ perceptions of the use of US as an add-on to cadaveric dissection. Students were invited to participate in virtual focus group discussions. Three virtual focus group discussions were conducted, and 11 participants volunteered to take part. Thematic analysis of the data generated six themes. These are described as the study of living anatomy, learning cross-sectional anatomy, enhanced relevance of anatomy learning, increased interest in anatomy, instructional design, and the affective and technical experience of using US. The results suggest that it is feasible and advantageous to implement US sessions as an add-on to the teaching of anatomy during practical dissection sessions of clinical anatomy students. The use of innovative technologies such as US enhances the interest of students and allows them to develop dexterity and competencies in their learning process.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the type of anatomy specimen (wet or plastinated) affected the anatomy educational experience of high school students from the New Orleans community. High school educational workshops have been carried out as community outreach activities for many years at Louisiana State University Health Science Center to stimulate area youth's interest in the field of Science. These workshops have traditionally utilized formalin‐fixed wet cadaveric specimens, which necessitated the use of laboratory space and safety materials. For this project, plastinated specimens were prepared and utilized to teach the educational workshops in addition to the wet specimens. After the workshop, the high school students were surveyed on their experience with the organs and also their feelings toward the anatomical sciences. Of the participants that attended these workshops, 49% are underrepresented minorities (African American and/or Latino). Each session was one‐hour in duration, and wet and plastinated specimens were labeled for learning key anatomical features. A total of 108 students were surveyed, with one group (n=46) interacting with both wet and plastinated specimens and a second group (n=62) interacting with only plastinated specimens. Data collected demonstrated that 91% of students learning from both wet and plastinated specimens felt positively toward the field of anatomy and 30% expressed wanting to learn more about anatomy. Of the group learning from only plastinated specimens, 79% reported feeling positively toward the field of anatomy and 20% wanting to learn more about anatomy. These results suggest that plastinated specimens may not significantly decrease student interest in anatomy although when given the choice, the students reported that they preferred the wet specimens. Although plastinated specimens are initially costly, they provide other long‐term benefits. They eliminate formalin exposure for the adolescent participants and also the needs for laboratory storage, gloves and bio‐hazardous waste. Based on the results from this study, we encourage other medical universities to invest in plastinated specimens and incorporate them into community outreach programs to inspire future young anatomists.Support or Funding InformationThis project was funded by the American Association of Anatomists Community Outreach Grant.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Background: Some studies suggested that teaching anatomy with a virtual reality simulator would greatly enhance medical education. The purpose of this work is to analyze the available literature to determine the effectiveness of virtual reality as a learning tool for anatomy teaching in medical schools. Materials and Methods: This literature review was completed in accordance with preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines on September 07, 2022. The three databases that were utilized were Google Scholar, Cochrane, and PubMed. After performing the search utilizing the listed guidelines, two independent researchers shared and debated their individual lists, ultimately combining them and applying further exclusion criteria. This resulted in two remaining articles which addressed the research question. Results: One of the most notable findings in both articles is that students who utilized virtual reality in their anatomy learning demonstrated improvement in their understanding of structure locations and spatial relationships. In addition, students ability to read and understand diagnostic imaging markedly improved for images presented both on examinations and in face-to-face settings following virtual reality-based learning interventions. Virtual reality technology also increased interest in anatomy when utilized in the anatomy classroom, though this interest was limited to the anatomic region(s) in which the virtual reality sessions focused. Discussion/Limitations: Due to the scarcity of topically relevant results, this particular systematic review is unable to express anything beyond potential promise in the use of virtual reality-based interventions in the medical school anatomy classroom. As virtual reality technologies have been shown to potentially add benefit in these applications, there is reason to believe that new literature will become available in the near future. Conclusion: This particular review analyzed the available literature from the last 4.5 years on virtual reality learning in the medical school anatomy classroom. The authorial team found that very little has been written on the topic and that further research should be performed to determine the level of effect that this has on student learning other than that virtual reality increases student interests in the topics and specific anatomical regions of study.

As Ligas Acadêmicas exercem papel fundamental nas universidades, com atividades extracurriculares que expandem o conhecimento dos alunos integrantes além da graduação, contemplando também o meio acadêmico e a sociedade. O processo pioneiro de implantar uma Liga Acadêmica em um campus em implantação é um grande desafio. A Liga Acadêmica de Anatomia do Campus UFRJ-Macaé (Laanamac) objetiva estimular a interação dos alunos, desenvolver projetos de pesquisa, extensão e ensino, e ser modelo para a criação de novas ligas. Este trabalho relata o primeiro ano da Laanamac e os resultados alcançados: maior interesse dos alunos pela Anatomia, possibilidade de ingresso em uma Iniciação científica, dissecação de cadáveres, interação com docentes e discentes de outras instituições, desenvolvimento de habilidades como gerenciamento de uma liga e organização de eventos, e divulgação do nome da instituição em congressos. Uma liga recém-formada pode contribuir de forma significativa no desenvolvimento de novos campi, por ampliar as possibilidades, principalmente, dos que estão se estabelecendo longe das grandes cidades.

The Campbell University School of Osteopathic Medicine Collaborative Anatomy‐Pathology (CAP) Project grew out of student interest in disease states encountered during cadaver lab of the first year gross anatomy course. Students wanted to learn more about diseases, even prior to being formally exposed to general and systemic pathology. With the primary objective of encouraging students to integrate the clinical and basic sciences, CAP participants developed case studies based on gross and microscopic evaluation of identified lesions emphasizing clinical implications. In addition, the project fostered interdisciplinary collaboration and taught valuable research, presentation, and design skills.MethodsDuring the 2014–15 and 2015–16 academic years, first year medical students documented and photographed lesions found during gross anatomy dissection. Interested students chose which disease states they would like to further investigate in collaboration with Anatomy and Pathology faculty. Samples of the lesions were collected and processed into H&E stained histologic slides for microscopic examination. To allow for convenient dissemination of results, the slides were also scanned for virtual microscopy. Moreover, two of the case studies demonstrated fixed cadaveric tissue could be used for fluorescence in situ hybridization for karyotypic analysis and serve as a source of DNA suitable for single‐gene level DNA sequencing. Over the course of two academic years, 77 students prepared a total of 27 research posters and presented them at local conferences.ResultsMultiple organ systems were identified as having lesions, many of which became the focus of student led poster presentations. Poster topics included hiatal hernia, ovarian teratoma, lung adenocarcinoma, and various anatomic anomalies. At the conclusion of the 2014–15 academic year 28 participants were surveyed, and twenty respondents (71.4%) either agreed or strongly agreed that the program increased their interest in anatomy (90%), pathology (80%), and research (80%). The majority of participants also noted an increased ability to perform literature searches (85%) and compose a poster suitable for presentation at a scientific session (95%). Intersecting research and practicing medicine is increasingly a focus in medical education, and the CAP Project demonstrated that anatomic dissection can be part of an innovative and integrative teaching strategy to attain that goal. Project findings also suggest that cadaveric embalmed teaching material may be suitable for advanced molecular diagnostics. Future work will focus on using the growing database of resources (gross images, glass and virtual histologic slides, and student posters) to promote research on the prevalence of certain diseases. As many of these samples would not otherwise be collected in a clinical setting, this approach offers a unique window into human health and disease.

University of Wisconsin Medical School.

Correspondence