Sasha Hatinger
Staff Writer
With national cadaver shortages, WCC Math, Science, and Engineering Division were able to purchase an Anatomage table to be used in the coming spring and summer. The division was able to purchase it with the help of the WCC Foundation. Courtney Prielipp | The Washtenaw Voice
There is a national cadaver shortage–institutions like hospitals, colleges, and universities have resorted to resolve what has become a pressing issue with new, cutting-edge technological advancements.
Dean Tracy Schwab of the Math, Science, and Engineering Technology Division at Washtenaw Community College shared her excitement for the new Anatomage table that will be available for WCC students to use during the Spring/Summer semester.
“We actually have had a cadaver lab here at the college for a number of years,” Schwab said. “It’s working with a strong agreement with the University of Michigan,” she added.
The nationwide cadaver shortage led WCC to consider other options to ensure students will continue to receive the educational experience that WCC holds itself up to.
“There is a national cadaver shortage, so we’re not able to possibly secure future cadavers for our courses,” Schwab said.
“And so the Biology Department made the really hard and difficult decision to kind of pivot away from the cadaver and look at other resources to use in lieu of the cadavers, and one of them is this Anatomage table,” Schwab said.
What exactly is an Anatomage table?
“It is a really, really high-end, elite digitized table that is life-size,” said Susan Dentel, faculty member and chair of life sciences and coordinator for the STEM and scholarships program.
The WCC Anatomage table has five real human cadavers, as well as some animals including frogs, cats, dogs and primates.
“You can separate structures out from other structures. It can mimic the dissection experience pretty closely without the actual tactile experience,” Dentel said.
“They also have pathology, you can view structures that are abnormal or diseased,” Dentel said.
Schwab expressed her gratitude for the funding of the Anatomage table, which she said was over $100,000.
“The WCC foundation is the one who provided this financial support for the table, and we are very grateful to the WCC foundation for supporting this,” Schwab said.
Are digitized cadavers the future?
“I think that the biology department would have kept using cadavers if we had the resources to keep obtaining them. I mean, that’s obviously the most optimal, because it’s a real person, real hands-on kind of technology,” Schwab said.
The national cadaver shortage is causing long-term shifts in students’ learning experience with the technological advancements included in today’s educational systems.
“I think the days of cadavers in classes other than medical school are going to be very rare,” Dentel said.
Schwab highlighted that the decision wasn’t made overnight.
“The Biology Department did a lot of research, kind of looking at other schools, because we weren’t the only school that pivot(ed) away from cadaver labs,” Schwab said.
Discovering the power of the Anatomage table
The Anatomage table accurately and effectively represents digitized cadavers.
“All of the information in this table comes from real cadavers. These are not artistic renderings,” said Schwab. “All of that work was digitized, and actually…put back together and reconstructed,” Schwab said.
The donated bodies of the Anatomage table offer students a one-of-a-kind learning experience.
“These are people who donated their bodies that were preserved fixed. They were fully imaged with CT and MRI scans and then sliced,” said Schwab. “All the arteries, veins and capillaries are completely, fully traced as they were in that cadaver, pre mortem, from head to toe.”
Students will have the opportunity to get up close and personal with the Anatomage table to maximize their learning experience.
“Some of those tissues were stained to show different parts of the cell, histological differences between cells,” said Schwab. “They can show how a muscle moves, what muscles are needed to move the elbow, and cardiac–so it’s super cool. Bodies can be flipped upside down, moved around.”
The Anatomage table offers a unique and advanced learning experience.
“That’s going to be a real advantage. So I think this is going to just be such a phenomenal, phenomenal resource for our students to use,” Schwab said.
Advice for students
“Use it. Use it to the best of your ability. Don’t be afraid,” said Schwab. “Don’t be afraid to experience the table. I always, always really encourage students to use whatever resource they have available to them, to use them. This is just another resource, another tool in the students’ tool kit to help them learn anatomy, learn physiology, how all of these organ systems work together in a human body. I think it’s just going to be phenomenal, and I cannot wait to get up there and watch students interact with this. I am so excited for our students here at WCC.”
A true appreciation for learning
“We’re just so excited to have this wonderful resource here,” said Schwab. Free upcoming events will be available for students and community members to get a hands-on experience of using an Anatomage Table.
“I’m really hoping to kind of get that out and get the community involved. I’m just ecstatic,” Schwab said.
