For many aspiring doctors, the first year of medical school is their first real experience with human body dissection. But future doctors and dentists who enroll in the biomedical sciences major at Marquette have a major advantage because the program features one of the few full gross anatomy experiences for undergraduates in the nation.
They’re known in the laboratory as “the silent teachers.” And these cadavers — bodies donated for the sole purpose of medical science and education — give the future medical professionals enrolled in the Department of Biomedical Sciences an edge some of their peers can only dream of.
That’s because most aspiring physicians don’t have access to introductory gross anatomy and human body dissection courses until their first year of medical school. But Marquette’s program is much more than an introduction. It’s an intensive, full-semester experience — one of the few undergraduate gross anatomy dissection courses in the country.
“I spent countless hours in the gross anatomy lab gaining a comprehensive understanding of the human body,” says Dr. Maggie Basche, biomedical sciences alumna and former gross anatomy student and teaching assistant. “Without question, my unique experiences and opportunities as a teaching assistant, as well as the tremendous support that I received at Marquette, led me to my current position as a neurosurgical resident.”
More than 80 biomedical sciences undergraduates, working in lab groups of four or five students, take the course each spring. The department also provides anatomical dissection courses during the year for the College of Health Sciences’ professional-level programs in physical therapy and physician assistant studies; a series of continuing education courses held during the summer; and a course for School of Dentistry students.
And teaching assistants play a key role in keeping the program among the nation’s elite.
These junior and senior TAs — students in the biomedical sciences program, Marquette’s largest academic major — are chosen for their academic performance in two anatomy courses: Clinical Human Anatomy and Gross Anatomy, both taken sophomore year. They also are judged on their communication skills and record of volunteer service with the anatomy program.
“These students are stewards of the gross anatomy lab and body donation program,” says Diane Novotny, H Sci ’04, the biomedical sciences program director and TA program coordinator. “They assist in nearly all aspects of the lab operation, making sure that every component is upheld to the highest standard.”
Five of the gross anatomy lab TAs — Naimul Alam, Conor Masterson, Katherine McGurk, Justin Peters and Paige Woeckner — sat down to share their experiences with the College of Health Sciences Magazine.
CHS MAGAZINE: Before we begin talking about your work in the anatomy lab, why did you choose Marquette for your undergraduate studies?
KATHY: It was because I toured the gross lab. I live close — I’m from Green Bay — so I came and toured it when I was in high school and thought, “Wow, this is so cool.” That’s when I knew that I wanted to come here.
CONOR: I was the same way. I toured the lab here first, and then I went and did a tour at another school. When I asked about their gross lab, they said, “Well, we’ll have you study dissections made by one of our professors.” at wasn’t good enough. Here, we have the full experience of learning through the full dissection process.
PAIGE: For me, it was the fact that Marquette offers a biomedical sciences program — the fact that it’s a human and medically focused major that begins with the study of the body, rather than more general science studies. That definitely drew me here.
CHS MAGAZINE: So the lab experience was an extremely attractive factor for most of you?
JUSTIN: I can’t tell you how many people I know who are pre-med or pre-dental at other schools, and when I tell them about this, they’re amazed. A lot of my friends are lucky to even see a human body in anatomy class before they graduate.
KATHY: That’s what’s unique here. We actually do our own dissections. A lot of other schools use pre-dissected specimens, but I think you learn so much more when you can perform the complete dissection process.
JUSTIN: One of our anatomy professors emphasizes the fact that the great advantage of starting with an intact specimen is learning to understand the three- dimensional relationships of anatomical structures in relation to each other. That’s what you do as you go deeper, and it really makes a big difference in terms of understanding function, which is the ultimate goal.
CHS MAGAZINE: What do you remember about your first time in the lab?
PAIGE: I was so excited. I didn’t tour the lab previously, so the first time I was in there was as a student. I was really excited for the opportunity.
NAIMUL: I had come for a tour in high school, and there were about seven bodies out to view. I actually got scared. I went through everything, but I was one of those people who powered through it, even though I felt like I was about to faint.
CONOR: Now as TAs, we worry a little about these kinds of visitors. (laughs)
CHS MAGAZINE: Was it strange for you to begin working on human cadavers? As TAs, how do you help new students acclimate to the lab?
CONOR: It helps to keep the learning experience at the forefront. I obviously keep in mind that this was once a living person but focus on the learning because that was the intent of the donor making the anatomical gift.
PAIGE: Once you’re in the environment more often, dissecting and learning, you get used to it really quickly. Everyone gets used to it over time, some faster than others.
KATHY: It’s cool to see that progression. The first few days you’re intimidated, working slowly. Now, as a TA, you know how those students feel because you were there once.
CHS MAGAZINE: The respect for the donors is actually one of the hallmarks of the program, isn’t it? The idea of the donor as the “silent teacher”?
KATHY: Exactly — it’s one of the greatest gifts a person can give. As a student, it’s an incredible privilege to bene t from such a profound final gift.
CONOR: The faculty reinforce this from day one. They also encourage us to memorize the words on the memorial plaque at the front door to the lab and take them to heart — it really sets the tone for what follows in the courses.
NAIMUL: I was surprised to learn that after the dissections are completed, the cadavers are cremated and the ashes are returned to the donor’s families. That’s why the lab procedures are followed so precisely, and we expect everyone who enters the facility to treat the rooms as hallowed ground.
CHS MAGAZINE: How do you think this opportunity will impact you as you go on to a professional school curriculum in medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, physician assistant studies or other health fields?
JUSTIN: A lot of anatomy isn’t textbook. Many of the structures turn out to be slightly different from one body to the next — these are called anatomical anomalies — and that can be critically important to know as a health care practitioner.
CONOR: I’ve learned that many Marquette students who have had this experience do really well as professional students in medical or dental school. Having served as a TA can only help to reinforce the information as I go forward.
CHS MAGAZINE: Aside from the anatomical studies, what are some of the lessons you try to pass on to the younger students as you teach and mentor them?
JUSTIN: Get involved, especially in things that make you unique. When it comes to professional programs, the gross anatomy course is one of those things you can put on your application that shows you are different from the 5,000 other people applying to school.
PAIGE: And be appreciative, because most of the opportunities we have in this program are so unique. It’s not something to be taken for granted.
CONOR: Another thing to keep in mind is that this experience is really a beginning. The courses we take after this go progressively deeper, to physiology and biochemistry to cellular biology and molecular genetics to pathology and pharmacology. All of those disciplines make much more sense when we put them in the context of the anatomy we learn here first.
The designation “gross” refers to anatomy visible to the naked eye and thus not requiring magnification to see. “Microanatomy,” on the other hand, refers to that which requires magnification to be viewed, as in individual cells and their components. A common misconception is that the word “gross” in gross anatomy refers to some unfavorable qualitative aspect of the experience (it’s actually meant to distinguish “macro” from “micro”), although that sense of the term can occasionally apply.