Anatomy course creates hands-on learning environment for inner workings of humans

Pushing back the wet, steel-gray hair, Madison Tollisons lab partner revealed a bony face etched with wrinkles and weathered with age. Eyes closed, the cadaver did nothing but draw silence from the lab group.

The face represented an emotional milestone within OUs human anatomy course. Through examination of a persons face, an ordered collection of cells, organs and tissues became someones relative.

This is the person theyve been working with the whole semester, course professor Cindy Gordon said. [The face] brings back those initial feelings at the beginning of the semester.

And while the students have survived the demanding course, the cadavers have completed a trek of their own.

It all begins with a phone call, said Kayla McNeill, director of the University of Oklahoma Health Science Centers Willed Body Program.

The Willed Body Program, along with the Oklahoma State Anatomical Board, meet academic needs by providing cadavers for medical research and education.

Knowledge of the Willed Body Program usually passes by word of mouth, McNeill said. Once the potential donors are aware of the criteria they must meet, they eventually request and complete donor forms.

Upon the death of the donor, the family contacts the office, and the body is screened for any problems, which could include infectious disease, recent unhealed surgery or extreme obesity, McNeill said. The mortuary service picks up the accepted body and takes it to the programs facility. After a special type of embalming, the cadaver goes into storage and awaits transportation to an academic or research institution.

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Anatomy course creates hands-on learning environment