Cadaver Biopsies Positively Impact the Medical Student Educational Experience

Cadaver biopsies during anatomy laboratories were explored as a preclinical learning tool to integrate anatomy, histology, pathology, and clinical medicine. Medical students performed these biopsies during their first-year anatomy dissection labs on perceived gross abnormalities in their cadavers. Students then reviewed the corresponding histologic sections with a faculty pathologist during their second year to determine diagnostic information by integrating the gross morphology, histologic findings, and available clinical information about the cause of death. During a capstone activity at the end of their second year entitled “Tankside Grand Rounds” (TSGR), anatomy dissection teams presented their collective findings to an audience of peers and faculty members. Students were asked to complete a voluntary survey during their third year about their perceptions of the effectiveness of cadaver biopsies as a learning tool. Student feedback was very positive with the majority agreeing that cadaver biopsies improved their understanding of pathology, were helpful in making connections between different basic sciences, and were helpful in learning clinical connections.