A Unique Medical Education Program: the International Human Cadaver Prosection Program at the Indiana University School of Medicine-Northwest-Gary
The Indiana University School of Medicine-Northwest-Gary (IUSM-NW-G) has an innovative approach to human cadaver prosection.
The world-renowned International Human Cadaver Prosection Program (IHCPP) at IUSM-NW-G has received significant acclaim during its 19-year history for its compassionate “first patient” philosophy.
The hands-on program allows participants to ”prosect” anatomical donors, or prepare them for use in human anatomy research and education, thereby gaining detailed knowledge of human anatomy, medical imaging, and wound suturing, as well as a greater understanding of tissue histology, embryology, prosthetics, orthotics, and orthopedics medical specialties.
But beyond the rigorous academic preparation and curriculum, the program also teaches gratitude, respect and professionalism and celebrates dignity in life and in death, said Associate Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology Ernest Talarico, PhD, the IHCPP program’s director and creator.
A Compassionate Approach
In accordance with the “Talarico Protocol for Human Gross Anatomy” (Clinical Anatomy Journal), cadaver donors in the laboratory are treated with the same dignity and consideration that living patients would expect to receive from their physician. Participants are reminded that the donors have essentially become “first patients” for them. This means that donors should be referred to by their names and participants should have a full understanding of their lives, both their medical and non-medical history.
At the start of the summer program, participants reach out to cadaver donors’ families and establish a relationship with them. “The interaction between the grateful students for their learning and the families of the donors is inspiring,” Talarico said. “It is an experience that can have a fundamental impact on participants’ future interaction with patients.”
The program concludes with a Service of Remembrance at the university’s First Patient Memorial. The service, which often includes readings, songs and other expressions of gratitude, is attended by the first patients’ families and friends. At the conclusion of this service, prosectors meet with the families and learn more about their patients. It’s also an opportunity for closure for donor families and friends, Talarico said.
A One-of-a-Kind Program Open to All
Another unique aspect to IHCCP at IUSM-NW-G is that it recruits not only medical or pre-medical students but also working professionals, including non-healthcare professionals. “It is the only program in the country that allows non-physician and non-medical-student volunteers to become active participants in a human gross anatomy laboratory,” Talarico said.
Prior participants have included students from a variety of fields, including pre-med, pre-vet, nursing, radiological technology, and mortuary-science students, and undergraduate and graduate students from other disciplines, as well as teachers, attorneys, lab technicians, veterinarians, and emergency medical technicians (EMTs), just to name a few.
The maximum number of candidates admitted to the program each year is 55 and participants are selected through a rigorous application process from a pool of hundreds of applicants from all over the world. The application process includes a personal statement, essay questions, references and an interview with a course director.
Once accepted, participants can expect comprehensive experience with five full days of cadaver prosection, didactic and online sessions, and deep exploration into the human body’s structures and systems. They work alongside medical students and faculty, practicing physicians and other professionals to ready the body donors for the fall gross anatomy classes. The physical process of prosection includes the removal of donors’ skin and body fat to expose organs, muscles and other anatomical structures.
The IU School of Medicine has begun taking applications for the Summer 2019 IHCPP via the university’s website. The application opened on November 26 and will close March 22, 2019. Tuition is $475 plus a $25 application fee.
The 2019 program will take place on IU Northwest’s campus in Gary with biweekly sessions beginning May 28 and concluding with two weeks of workshops and cadaver prosection through August 2.
For more information or to download the application, visit the IHCPP page here or email cadaver@iun.edu
Another unique aspect to IHCCP at IUSM-NW-G is that it recruits not only medical or pre-medical students but also working professionals, including non-healthcare professionals. “It is the only program in the country that allows non-physician and non-medical-student volunteers to become active participants in a human gross anatomy laboratory,” Talarico said.
Prior participants have included students from a variety of fields, including pre-med, pre-vet, nursing, radiological technology, and mortuary-science students, and undergraduate and graduate students from other disciplines, as well as teachers, attorneys, lab technicians, veterinarians, and emergency medical technicians (EMTs), just to name a few.
The maximum number of candidates admitted to the program each year is 55 and participants are selected through a rigorous application process from a pool of hundreds of applicants from all over the world. The application process includes a personal statement, essay questions, references and an interview with a course director.
Once accepted, participants can expect comprehensive experience with five full days of cadaver prosection, didactic and online sessions, and deep exploration into the human body’s structures and systems. They work alongside medical students and faculty, practicing physicians and other professionals to ready the body donors for the fall gross anatomy classes. The physical process of prosection includes the removal of donors’ skin and body fat to expose organs, muscles and other anatomical structures.
The IU School of Medicine has begun taking applications for the Summer 2019 IHCPP via the university’s website. The application opened on November 26 and will close March 22, 2019. Tuition is $475 plus a $25 application fee.
The 2019 program will take place on IU Northwest’s campus in Gary with biweekly sessions beginning May 28 and concluding with two weeks of workshops and cadaver prosection through August 2.
For more information or to download the application, visit the IHCPP page here or email cadaver@iun.edu
