No ‘ick’ factor: JU’s 3D learning tables provide cadaver-free method to learning anatomy (Courtesy of the Florida Times-Union) — Imagine the game “Operation” on steroids.
The 8-foot Anatomage tables in the Health Sciences virtual reality lab at Jacksonville University provide doctoral occupational therapy students with a similar, but large-scale and high-tech, way to learn how muscles, tendons, bones, organs and nerve pathways work in the human body.
But they get interactive learning — in 3D, with the ability to redo, zoom in and out, label, color code and save images — without the “ick” factor of working with human cadavers.
“I do not like dissecting,” student Morgan Patton said. Learning about the human body electronically, she said, is “a cool take on being able to see the different muscles without the smells of an actual cadaver.”
Although “stoked” at the concept, she said she initially found the tables intimidating. After guidance, practice and studying, she found them “more and more fun because I understood what I was doing,” she said.
Fellow student Eryn Owenby said she was surprised at the level of detail.
“I felt like electronically it wouldn’t translate very well but it actually does,” she said. “It’s a great way to learn. With real cadavers, you can’t see all the little tiny things, but you can zoom in on here so you can see what the really tiny body parts look like.”
“It’s a lot more hands-on … active learning,” she said.
Shepherding the students into this newfangled world of electronic body parts is Sandra Brown, an assistant professor in JU’s three-year doctor of occupational therapy program. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she developed a program for them to access the Anatomage tables when they were studying remotely and won a national award for her effort.
“I’ll take on any challenge,” she said.
What is Anatomage?
The Anatomage table was developed by the California-based medical equipment company of the same name. It is a “technologically advanced 3D anatomy visualization and virtual dissection tool for anatomy and physiology education” and is also used in healthcare, according to the company.
The tables “provide the most diverse, complete and accurate digital anatomy of the human body, inspiring the next generation of health professionals across the globe,” according to the company.
JU initially had just one of the tables, which cost about $75,000 each. Later the university purchased four more, with a buy-three, get-one-free deal, Brown said.
How did JU students access them during the pandemic?
That all comes down to Brown, who arrived at JU in 2018 and won a JU Excellence in Teaching Award in 2022. She is board-certified in pediatrics and behavior analysis, has been a licensed occupational therapist since 1998 and received a doctorate in rehabilitation science from the University of Florida in 2017. She primarily specializes in pediatrics but has worked in a variety of settings.
She’s also passionate about her work and her students. So in March 2020, when Anatomage told her there was no existing method to remotely connect them to the tables during the pandemic, she decided to design a method herself.
“They said, ‘You can’t do that,'” Brown said. “Don’t tell me no. We’re going to make this work.”
When her anatomy class began in May 2020, she connected the table and her desktop, invited her students to a Zoom session and allowed them to remotely control her screen. They were able to “interact with the ‘cadavers’ and all of the table’s functionalities right at their homes,” according to the company.
What did students and Anatomage think of her achievement?
In post-class reviews, pandemic-era students told Brown that her anatomy class was one of the few where they did not feel their education was “compromised” by the forced remote learning. In other classes, they felt like they “missed opportunities,” but in anatomy they had a “hands-on experience” despite working remotely, she said.
Earlier this year, Brown was one of three educators across the country — at the high school, undergraduate and post-graduate levels — to receive the inaugural Anatomage Outstanding Teacher Award. The award recognizes “educators who have demonstrated exceptional dedication and innovation in teaching anatomy and medical sciences,” according to the company.
“Their dedication and innovative approaches have inspired countless students and advanced the way we teach and learn anatomy,” said Jack Choi, CEO of Anatomage. “By fostering a love of learning, inspiring careers in STEM, and actively contributing to the professional community, they have set a new standard for excellence.”
Each winner received a cash prize of $1,000, a complimentary pass to the 2023 Anatomage Conference and a commemorating certificate and trophy.
How do occupational therapists use anatomy?
Knowing anatomy — how the body works — is crucial to understand what therapy treatments and procedures to use.
“The study of human anatomy is an integral component in the education of future occupational therapists,” according to a 2017 research report on the American Association of Anatomy website. “Qualitative analysis … revealed the importance of anatomy knowledge in OT assessment and intervention strategies, determining the impact of injury or disease on occupational performance, client safety and communication with other health care professionals and families.”
The idea of teaching an anatomy course came as a surprise to Brown, who was hired as a pediatrics expert. But she took anatomy courses as an undergraduate and post-graduate, so when she was told the doctoral occupational therapy anatomy class was hers she “jumped in,” she said.
Brown’s anatomy course is taught in the doctoral students’ first semester at JU. The course is intended to get them all “on the same page” in their knowledge of anatomy, since when and what they learned about the subject earlier in their academic careers would have widely varied, she said.
They were quick studies on Anatomage.
“They grew up with phones in their hand … immersed in technology. It what they’re used to,” she said. “Once they learn they’re not going to hurt it [the table], they literally dive in with both hands.”
How does Anatomage compare to human cadavers?
Student Mark McGary, who had worked with cadavers, said he was initially “a little skeptical” of the tables but found them “user-friendly.”
One benefit of Anatomage over cadavers, he said, is “that you don’t have to worry about messing up.” On the tables, a wrong move can be undone, unlike a cut on a cadaver. Also, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels and other body parts are more easily identifiable on the tables, he said.
“You just click on a location … and it’s highlighted,” he said. “You can see the whole muscle or see the pathway of a vessel or the pathway of a nerve. So much easier to connect things, so much easier to learn.”
What’s all the buzz about AI?
Student Monicka Melendez said, “You can learn more on the table. It’s easier to remember things and locate things.”
The students developed study guides using the tables’ color coding, labeling and image-saving abilities. And those guides helped them do well on exams, she said.
Also, cadavers can be “kind of scary,” McGary said. “It’s a person lying there, you’re trying not to be disrespectful.”