Milestones in the Pedagogy of Anatomy Instruction in Medical and Graduate Education
Main Article Content
Abstract
A brief description is presented of an integrated approach in the emerging pedagogy of human anatomy instruction that incorporates elements of both classical didactic classroom and small group virtual instruction in human anatomy, neurobiology and pathophysiology and culminates in an advanced cadaveric dissection exercise using fresh, unembalmed cadavers in a small group, surgical theatre setting. The small group cadaveric demonstrations and discussions focus not only on classical structural and diagnostic nomenclature but also include patient oriented medical and surgical techniques and procedures, in addition to topics of pathophysiologic and biomedical significance. The integrated sequence, where class size is necessarily progressively staged downward from larger classroom settings to the small group mentored cadaveric setting capitalizes on the strengths of each instructional component, and encourages greater instructor-student interactions at each level. The structured approach fosters effective student retention of anatomic concepts programmed toward essential later modules in basic and clinical science years and assures physician and scientist competency to standard upon completion of their academic studies. Thus, the purpose of the current review was to improve the effectiveness and student comprehension of anatomy instruction by incorporating emerging technological advancements including virtual, computer assisted modules and focused, small group cadaveric dissections from a pathophysiology perspective into the instructional format. This modernized pedagogical approach was universally well accepted by medical and graduate students in attendance.
Keywords:
Anatomy, cadaveric dissection, prosection, virtual dissection, clinical integration, COVID-19 pandemic, fiberoptic examination, surface anatomy, historical perspectives
Article Details
How to Cite
TULP, Orien L. et al.
Milestones in the Pedagogy of Anatomy Instruction in Medical and Graduate Education.
Medical Research Archives, [S.l.], v. 13, n. 5, may 2025.
ISSN 2375-1924.
Available at: <https://esmed.org/MRA/mra/article/view/6517>. Date accessed: 21 june 2025.
doi: https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v13i5.6517.
Section
Research Articles
The Medical Research Archives grants authors the right to publish and reproduce the unrevised contribution in whole or in part at any time and in any form for any scholarly non-commercial purpose with the condition that all publications of the contribution include a full citation to the journal as published by the Medical Research Archives.
References
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28. Drake RL, McBride JM, Lackman N, Pawlina W. 2009; Medical Education in the anatomical sciences: The winds of change continue to blow. Anat ScI Educ. 2(6):253–259.
29. Bowsher D. 1976; What should be taught in anatomy? Med Educ. 10(2): 132–134.
30. Louw G, Eizenberg N, Carmichael SW. 2009; The place of anatomy in medical education: AMEE Guide no 41. Med Teach. 31(5): 373–386.
31. Bickley LS, Szilagyi PG, Hoffman RM, Soriano RP.2020; In: Bate’s Guide to Physical Examination and History taking. 12th edn. Lippincott Pubs. 2020.
32. Fergus, H.A. 1996; Eruption: Montserrat Versus Volcano. Publisher, Peepal Tree Press.
33. Tulp, O. L., Sainvil, F., Branly, R., Sciranka, A., Guibert, R., & Einstein, G. P. (2023). Micronutrient Mineral and Nutrient Content of Volcanic Soils and Creeks from the Montserrat Soufriere Hills Volcano. Nature’s Fertilizer: Mineral Nutrient Content of Volcanic Soils. European Journal of Applied Sciences, Vol - 11(2). 143-156
34. Tulp, O.L., Sainvil, F., Branly, T and Einstein, G.P. 2023; Geochemistry and mineral content of ash flow from the Montserrat Soufriere Hills volcano. Int J Adv Res. (Environmental Science). 11(01):1084-1089.
35. Miami Anatomic Research Institute, 8850 NW 20th St, Doral, FL 33172, previously known as the Miami Anatomic Research Center.
36. Tulp, O.L., Sainvil, F, Wu, H., Einstein, G P and Branly R. 2023; The anatomy lesson of Dr Tulp: Integrating advances in the pedagogy of gross and clinically-focused anatomy laboratory. In: Current Progress in Medicine and Medical Research Vol. 1.
37. Tulp, O.L. et al. Integrating advances in the pedagogy of gross and clinically-focused anatomy: A lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp. Ch 16, In: Current Progress in Medicine and Medical Research, BP Intl Publs 2023.ISBN 978-81-19491-66-7 (PRINT) and ISBN 978-81-19491-66-4 9ebook)
38. Hoyek N, Collet C, Di Rienzo F, De Almeida M, Guillot A. 2014; Effectiveness of three–dimensional digital animation in teaching human anatomy in an authentic classroom context. Anat Sci Educ. 27(6): 430–437.
39. Asad MR, Nasir N. 2018; Role of living and surface anatomy in current trends of medical education. Acad Radiol. 25(11):1503–1509.
40. Finn GM. 2010; Twelve tips for running a successful body painting teaching session in freshman gross anatomy. Med Teaching. 32:887–890.
41. Finn GM, McLachlan JC. 2010; A qualitative study on the student responses to body painting. Anat Sci Educ. 3:33–38.
42. Nanjunundaiah K, Chowdapurkar S. 2012; Body painting: a tool which can be used to teach surface anatomy. J Clin Diagn Res 6(8);1405-1408.
43. Collett T, Kirvell D, Nakorn A, McLachlan JC. 2009; The role of living models in the teaching of surface anatomy: some experiences from a UK medical school. Med Teach. 2;31(3): e90–e96.
44. Stibbs, P., Woo, J., and Brody, T. 2023;. “Utilization of AI-based tools like ChatGPT in the training of medical students and interventional radiology residents.” ScienceOpen. DOI: 10.14293/P2199-8442.1.SOP-.PFTABJ.v1.
45. Hoyek N, Collet C, Di Rienzo F, De Almeida M, Guillot A. 2014; Effectiveness of three–dimensional digital animation in teaching human anatomy in an authentic classroom context. Anat Sci Educ. 7(6): 430–437.
46. R43 Tulp, O.L. 2024; Enhancing the pedagogy of global medical education with a blended SPOC program: The anatomy lesson of Dr Nicholaes Tulp revisited. Presented at the 4th International Conference on Vaccine Research/Global Medical Education, UK Conference Series, Madrid, Spain, February 8-9, 2024.
2. Ferraris, Z.A., BA A, Ferraris, V.A. The women of salerno: contribution to the origins of surgery from medieval Italy. 1997; The Annals of Thoracic Surgery. Volume 64(6);, Issue 6, Pages 1855-1857. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0003-4975(97)01079-5
3. Tulp, O.L., Einstein, G.P., Sainvil, F., Wu, H., Branly, R. 2024; Historical Perspectives in the Pedagogy of Anatomy Instruction in Medical and Graduate Education: From Salerno to Montserrat. Journal of Contemporary Medical Education, Vol 14(2), pp 01-09
4. Versalius, A. Studio of Titian, De Humani Corporis Fabrica, Illustrated Textbook of Anatomy, , Joannes Oporinus, Publisher, Basel , June 1543
5. Hajar, R. Medicine from Galen to the present: a short history.2022; Heart Views. 22(4):307–308. doi: 10.4103/heartviews.heartviews_125_21
6. Ribatti, D. William Harvey and the discovery of the circulation of the blood. 2009; Chapter in: J Angiogenes Res. ;1:3. doi: 10.1186/2040-2384-1-3 PMCID: PMC2776239 PMID: 19946411
7. Harvey, W. 1628; Exercitatio Anatomica de Motu Cordis et Sanguinis in Animalibus, (1628, in Latin). Frankfurt. Germany.
8. van Rijn, R 1632; The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, by Rembrandt.
9. Kemp, A, and Masquelet, A.C. 2005; The anatomy Lesson of Dr Tulp. J J and Surg Br 30(4):379-381.
10. Grauer, A. (1995). Bodies of Evidence: Reconstructing History through Skeletal Analysis. New York, NY: Wiley-Liss
11. Bergman EM, Prince KJ, Drukker J, van der Vleuten CP, Scherpbier AJ. 2008; How much anatomy is enough?. Anatomical sciences education. 1(4):184-188.
12. Craig S, Tait N, Boers D, McAndrew D. 2010; Review of anatomy education in Australian and New Zealand medical schools. ANZ journal of surgery 80(4):212-216.
13. Older J. 2004; Anatomy: a must for teaching the next generation. The Surgeon 2(2):79-90.
14. Hodge CJ. 2013; Non–bodies of knowledge: Anatomized remains from the Holden Chapel collection, Harvard University . Journal of Social Archaeology.13(1).
15. Pretterklieber, M.L. Nomina anatomica-unde venient et quo vaditis? 2024; Anat Sci Int. 5;99(4):333–347. doi: 10.1007/s12565-024-00762-w
16. Whitmore, I. 2002; Terminologia Anatomica: New terminology for the new anatomist. The Anatomical Record, Volume 257(2) p. 50-53. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0185(19990415)257:2<50::AID-AR4>3.0.CO;2-W
17. Halle, M.W., Ron Kikinis, R., and , P.E. (2024) TA2 Viewer: A web-based browser for Terminologia Anatomica and online anatomical knowledge. Clin Anat. 37(6):640–648. doi: 10.1002/ca.24162
18. Habicht JK, Kiessling C, Winklemann A. 2018; Bodies for Anatomy Education in Medical Schools: An overview of the sources of cadavers worldwide. Acad Med. 93(9):1293–1300.
19. Periya SN. 2017; Teaching Human Anatomy in the Medical Curriculum: A Trend Review. IJAR 5(4):445–448.
20. Tulp, O.L. 1984. Observations of the introduction of the personal computer to academia at Drexel University, 1983-1984. Unpublished observations of the author.
21. Hunter, A. ADAM Interactive Anatomy · The Anatomy Project. BMJ. 2000 Feb 19;320(7233):521Feb 19;320(7233):521.
22. Tulp, O.L. 2024; Enhancing the pedagogy of global medical education with a blended SPOC program: The anatomy lesson of Dr Nicholaes Tulp revisited. Presented at the 4th International Conference on Vaccine Research/Global Medical Education, UK Conference Series, Madrid, Spain, February 8-9, 2024.
23. Tulp OL, Sainvil F, Wu H, Feleke Y, Einstein GP, Branly R. 2021; Modernization of anatomy and graduate medical education from the past to the present. The FASEB J. 35(S1).
24. Tulp OL, Sainvil F, Einstein GP, Scrianka A, Branly R, Wu H, et al. 2022; Incorporation of virtual enhancement in anatomy, physiology and clinical pathology instruction in medicine and veterinary medicine basic sciences. FASEB J. 36(S1).
25. Tulp OL, Ortiz–Bustillo M, Einstein GP, Sainvil F, Konyk CM, Branly RL. 2018; Innovation in functional anatomy Education: The anatomy lesson of Dr Tulp from the past to the Present. The FASEB Journal. 2018;33(e): 505.4–505.4.
26. Tulp, O.L. Sainvil, F, Wu, H, Einstein G P., and Branly R. 2023; The role of pathophysiology, biomedical physics and body mechanics application to clinical medicine: applications of the Anatomy Lesson of Dr Tulp in the 21st Century. In: Advanced Concepts in Medicine and Medical Research, Vol 4, BP International Pubs, London/West Bengal. IBSN 978-81-967636-4-0 / IBSN 978-81-967636-8-8 (ebook).
27. Shiffer CD, Boulet JR, Cover LJ, Pinsky WW. 2019; Advancing the quality of medical education worldwide: ECFMGs 2023 Medical School Accreditation Requirement. J Med Reg. 105(4): 8–16.
28. Drake RL, McBride JM, Lackman N, Pawlina W. 2009; Medical Education in the anatomical sciences: The winds of change continue to blow. Anat ScI Educ. 2(6):253–259.
29. Bowsher D. 1976; What should be taught in anatomy? Med Educ. 10(2): 132–134.
30. Louw G, Eizenberg N, Carmichael SW. 2009; The place of anatomy in medical education: AMEE Guide no 41. Med Teach. 31(5): 373–386.
31. Bickley LS, Szilagyi PG, Hoffman RM, Soriano RP.2020; In: Bate’s Guide to Physical Examination and History taking. 12th edn. Lippincott Pubs. 2020.
32. Fergus, H.A. 1996; Eruption: Montserrat Versus Volcano. Publisher, Peepal Tree Press.
33. Tulp, O. L., Sainvil, F., Branly, R., Sciranka, A., Guibert, R., & Einstein, G. P. (2023). Micronutrient Mineral and Nutrient Content of Volcanic Soils and Creeks from the Montserrat Soufriere Hills Volcano. Nature’s Fertilizer: Mineral Nutrient Content of Volcanic Soils. European Journal of Applied Sciences, Vol - 11(2). 143-156
34. Tulp, O.L., Sainvil, F., Branly, T and Einstein, G.P. 2023; Geochemistry and mineral content of ash flow from the Montserrat Soufriere Hills volcano. Int J Adv Res. (Environmental Science). 11(01):1084-1089.
35. Miami Anatomic Research Institute, 8850 NW 20th St, Doral, FL 33172, previously known as the Miami Anatomic Research Center.
36. Tulp, O.L., Sainvil, F, Wu, H., Einstein, G P and Branly R. 2023; The anatomy lesson of Dr Tulp: Integrating advances in the pedagogy of gross and clinically-focused anatomy laboratory. In: Current Progress in Medicine and Medical Research Vol. 1.
37. Tulp, O.L. et al. Integrating advances in the pedagogy of gross and clinically-focused anatomy: A lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp. Ch 16, In: Current Progress in Medicine and Medical Research, BP Intl Publs 2023.ISBN 978-81-19491-66-7 (PRINT) and ISBN 978-81-19491-66-4 9ebook)
38. Hoyek N, Collet C, Di Rienzo F, De Almeida M, Guillot A. 2014; Effectiveness of three–dimensional digital animation in teaching human anatomy in an authentic classroom context. Anat Sci Educ. 27(6): 430–437.
39. Asad MR, Nasir N. 2018; Role of living and surface anatomy in current trends of medical education. Acad Radiol. 25(11):1503–1509.
40. Finn GM. 2010; Twelve tips for running a successful body painting teaching session in freshman gross anatomy. Med Teaching. 32:887–890.
41. Finn GM, McLachlan JC. 2010; A qualitative study on the student responses to body painting. Anat Sci Educ. 3:33–38.
42. Nanjunundaiah K, Chowdapurkar S. 2012; Body painting: a tool which can be used to teach surface anatomy. J Clin Diagn Res 6(8);1405-1408.
43. Collett T, Kirvell D, Nakorn A, McLachlan JC. 2009; The role of living models in the teaching of surface anatomy: some experiences from a UK medical school. Med Teach. 2;31(3): e90–e96.
44. Stibbs, P., Woo, J., and Brody, T. 2023;. “Utilization of AI-based tools like ChatGPT in the training of medical students and interventional radiology residents.” ScienceOpen. DOI: 10.14293/P2199-8442.1.SOP-.PFTABJ.v1.
45. Hoyek N, Collet C, Di Rienzo F, De Almeida M, Guillot A. 2014; Effectiveness of three–dimensional digital animation in teaching human anatomy in an authentic classroom context. Anat Sci Educ. 7(6): 430–437.
46. R43 Tulp, O.L. 2024; Enhancing the pedagogy of global medical education with a blended SPOC program: The anatomy lesson of Dr Nicholaes Tulp revisited. Presented at the 4th International Conference on Vaccine Research/Global Medical Education, UK Conference Series, Madrid, Spain, February 8-9, 2024.