Every Friday afternoon, 60 students cram into three laboratory spaces. Those labs have a distinct smell: ethanol and other chemicals, preserving four human cadavers.
More than half of the 60 students are members of the Advanced Human Dissection Team (AHDT) at the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno. The dissection program uses a peer-to-peer approach to help students learn anatomy with hands-on experiences and the opportunity to teach their peers after taking a year of the course. The team is led by teaching professors Jennifer Hollander and Jeff Baguley in the Department of Biology.
When Hollander graduated from the University with her doctorate and started teaching at the University, she said the number of students enrolled in anatomy and physiology skyrocketed.
“We proposed increasing the frequency Anatomy and Physiology I and Anatomy and Physiology II were offered, so that both would be offered every semester (some semesters more than once), so then we proposed getting even more cadavers,” Hollander said. “We decided to grow the dissection team because we need more people to dissect. That led to us developing an upper division course.”
Virtual reality becoming a popular alternative
Hollander and Baguley said that students at other universities may not have the opportunity to dissect or learn anatomy on human cadavers. Many universities have moved toward using only models, or virtual dissection tables that use virtual reality to display the human body.
“It’s very common for medical schools to use virtual tables for the first-year anatomy experience, and then they’ll allow those students to dissect on cadavers during third year, fourth year,” Baguley said.
Hollander points out that because of this, many medical students are seeing a human body for the first time in their third year into medical school. Working with a body on a screen is a very different experience than placing your hands onto someone’s heart that had been beating for years.
Baguley added that at some universities, a cadaver is used for several years to teach hundreds of students. However, the collaboration between the University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno’s School of Medicine and the Department of Biology provides the AHDT with two new cadavers each semester. In total, AHDT students have a more realistic experience dissecting the human body than many other university cadaver programs.
The opportunity to dissect and work with human cadavers is becoming increasingly rare. There are regulatory measures that change and compliance efforts that must adapt. Training students to dissect the cadavers takes time. While many people have chosen to donate their bodies after passing, cadavers are expensive to maintain.
The experience added value
Despite all the work that it takes to keep the program running, Hollander and Baguley are enthusiastic about the real impacts the program has on students. Hollander said that when she and Baguley travel up to the School of Medicine, the students who were part of the AHDT are top of their anatomy class and more comfortable dissecting the cadavers compared to first-year medical students who didn't have this experience.
“I've struggled with confidence my whole life and my journey towards applying to dental school really forced me out of my comfort zone,” said Maggie Rodriguez, a former AHDT member and currently a dentist working in Reno. “Just being selected to be part of the team helped me so much. Obviously, it was a great addition to my application, but I gained so much more than that from the experience of being on that team, teaching the students and really connecting with people. It certainly boosted my confidence during interviews, and I was one of the only students in my class with experience working on human cadavers prior to dental school.”
“It's been a really big recruiting tool for us over the years,” Baguley said. He added that the students they’ve recruited to the University and College of Science include National Merit Scholars, who were particularly attracted to the University for the Advanced Human Dissection Team. Seeing the cadavers is part of the ÁùºÏ±¦µä Bound tour for prospective students interested in pursuing biology, and many students who take anatomy and physiology recall their first time seeing a cadaver during their tour at the University.
Joining the team
Members of the Advanced Human Dissection Team start as students in the 200-level (or the new 300-level) course for Anatomy and Physiology. The two-semester course features lab teaching assistants (TAs), along with a dissection assistant, who serve as peer instructors for students in the lab.
If students want to join the team, they must first take the two-semester Anatomy and Physiology course, then apply to be a member dissection team. Applications to be part of the Advanced Human Dissection Team open during the spring semester. Students' grades, performance, engagement in the class, opinions from the TAs and an interview with Hollander and Baguley all inform the decision about whether the student will “make” the AHDT. Hollander and Baguley said there are usually 60 to 80 applicants, and they typically accept 32 students.
The accepted students enroll in the Advanced Human Dissection course. These students meet every Friday to prepare specimens and do cadaver dissections for whatever topic is being taught in the anatomy labs the following week, such as the nervous system, respiratory system and reproductive systems.
“We like having people that are patient and are really good at explaining and working in groups,” Hollander said. “It's a big commitment. Being able to come every Friday, and in some cases they're here for five hours in lab coats, masks and goggles, dissecting, trying to get all the structures out and labeled, because it must be done by the next Monday for when the first lab section shows up to learn.”
The first of 30 anatomy lab sections per week is taught the following Monday and dissection team members assist in lab instruction and work with students to identify the structures and explain their role in the human body.
After serving on the AHDT for one year, interested students can apply to become a paid undergraduate teaching assistant for the next year. Out of the 30 lab sections per semester, on average only 14-16 sections are taught by graduate students. Therefore, the remaining sections are taught by highly qualified undergraduates who have excelled on the dissection team.
“I love how they are so excited and respectful,” Hollander said. Hollander and Baguley impress upon the AHDT how important it is to be respectful of the cadavers. Those students, in turn, tell their students ways they can be respectful of the cadavers. One of those ways is that the instructors don’t share how the cadavers passed away. Occasionally, students will tell Hollander and Baguley about some pathology that they’ve noticed in a cadaver, which the professors note is further evidence of the students’ engagement with the course and anatomy.
“Seeing the anatomy drawn in medical illustrations is one thing, but being able to see the structures firsthand and being able to see the natural variations between people is unparalleled,” said Rhonda Mittenzwei, another former AHDT student currently working as a forensic pathologist.
“We are very, very respectful about the cadavers,” Hollander said. “We try to keep it very scientific.”
“This type of environment, a structured educational setting where students are learning together and can support each other, can really demystify the human body and what it means to "donate your body to science,"" Mittenzwei said.
Former student testimony
Read about some of the experiences alumni had in the program, and how it's prepared them for where they are now.
I had a wonderful experience working as a Dissection Team member as an undergraduate. My years spent working with the Anatomy faculty and my team members were integral and formative in guiding my decision to become a Forensic Pathologist. Dr. Hollander and Dr. Baguley opened the door for an eye-opening and enlightening experience that ultimately influenced my career choice. I chose to pursue Neuropathology and Forensic Pathology because I have the immense privilege of performing gross anatomical evaluations every day. Even over a decade after graduating from undergrad, I still use the information and skills I learned while a member of the Advanced Human Dissection Team. I'm immensely grateful for the experience and would not be where I am today without it!
Being a part of the dissection team was absolutely integral to my medical school preparation and experience. The first two years of medical school at University of ÁùºÏ±¦µä, Reno School of Medicine are academics, full of lectures and didactics, and quite a lot of memorization. Being able to go to the anatomy lab and spend some hands-on time with a cadaver was definitely the most enjoyable part of those years for me. Because I had spent so much time learning the material well enough to teach it while I was on dissection team, I knew the anatomy off the top of my head. Fortunately, my group in medical school was comprised of many of my previous dissection teammates, so we were all on the same page and functioned great together. We were incredibly efficient, allowing us to devote more time to the material we were less comfortable with. I felt very prepared for all our Anatomy practical exams, and I did very well on them. Even now that I'm a full-fledged doctor and finishing up fellowship, I still remember mnemonics from my time on dissection team.
What made you want to join the Advanced Human Dissection Team?
After Dr. Baguley and Dr. Hollander’s class, I was inspired by their commitment to ensuring students can participate in a rare and highly beneficial peer-instruction opportunity that is the Dissection Team. Their goal to create a learning environment where peers empower each other to learn was a goal that I knew I would be honored to contribute to. I was further encouraged to pursue a spot on the team after hearing from my Teaching and Dissection Assistants from when I was a student in the course that everyone on the team enjoys the experience and makes an effort to build a strong and supportive community.
How did being a part of the team help you prepare for medical school?
Working with a group of highly motivated students allowed me to develop interpersonal relationship skills, my teaching techniques, and gain more appreciation for everyone’s contribution to the team. On top of that, cadaver experience is rare prior to medical school due to logistical challenges associated with getting and maintaining human cadavers. Having been lucky enough to be a part of the team, I was able to gain the truly invaluable experience of seeing and dissecting human bodies with all of their intricacies and variability from what we learn from the textbook. The way dissections are run for the Dissection Team are not dissimilar to how they are run at medical schools. Having this experience beforehand gives me confidence to work with a team to complete dissections in medical school.
What was your favorite part of being on the Advanced Human Dissection Team?
An aspect I cherish greatly was having the opportunity to learn from and use the body of a human being to teach students anatomy—the amazing gift and learning opportunity these anatomical donors and their families give us is invaluable. In addition to that, one specific memory that stands out to me was when we completed a multi-day long “special dissection” to remove a brain and spinal cord so students could see it fully isolated. Through all of our rigorous dissections like this one, we got the opportunity to bond and develop friendships, and these friendships are a big part of what I took away from my experience on the team.
What made you want to join the Advanced Human Dissection Team?
Initially, I was looking for ways to set me apart from my fellow dental school applicants. I got to know Dr. Baguley and Dr. Hollander pretty well from going to office hours while taking their classes, so I knew I'd feel comfortable joining the team.
How did being a part of the team help you prepare for dental school?
I've struggled with confidence my whole life and my journey towards applying to dental school really forced me out of my comfort zone. Just being selected to be part of the team helped me so much. Obviously, it was a great addition to my application, but I gained so much more than that from the experience of being on that team, teaching the students and really connecting with people. It certainly boosted my confidence during interviews, and I was one of the only students in my class with experience working on human cadavers prior to dental school.
What was your favorite part of being on the Advanced Human Dissection Team?
We had a great group when I was part of the team. I had so much fun. It didn't feel like a job- it felt like I was hanging out with my buddies, and we'd often do things outside of team meetings and labs. I credit the sense of community to Dr. Baguley and Dr. Hollander. They run a really great program over there!
What is the value in having human cadavers accessible to undergraduate students?
Having exposure to human cadavers, regardless of post-graduate plans, is just a really unique experience. You appreciate the science, you appreciate the people and the families who have donated their bodies to science. I'm a visual learner, so seeing what I'm learning and being able to physically touch it is key.
Being on the dissection team is one of my fondest memories of my time at UNR, and I really can't thank Dr. Baguley and Dr. Hollander enough for taking me in.
I really enjoyed the structure and teaching of the course as a student, which enticed me to learn more and get involved. Dr. Baguley and Dr. Hollander made the lab fun and easy to learn, and being so hands-on with the dissection portion was fascinating.
The fundamental base for understanding medicine is the anatomy and physiology of the human body. A thorough understanding of this is critical to practicing in any field of medicine, and allows me to have a vast scope of practice in Emergency Medicine. Without this well-developed core knowledge, I could not have been as successful as I was through school and into my current practice.
My favorite part of being on the team is split between the excellent team members and faculty and seeing students learn from me and being successful in the course. The team and I had so much fun in that environment. And I find great joy in seeing others succeed and being a part of their education.
There is no substitute for visualizing and touching a specimen to learn the physical structure and function of the human body. The human cadaver accelerates and expands the students' ability to learn in a way that a text or photos could never do. The sacrifice our donors make to the department ensures that students in the course receive the best possible learning environment and helps develop the best clinicians for future treatment of patients.
