OUWB 2025 Anatomy Memorial honors individuals who donate their our bodies to medical training – Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine

Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine held a particular memorial ceremony to honor donors who selflessly contributed their our bodies to medical and bodily remedy training.

The 2025 OUWB Anatomy Memorial was held Jan. 27 in Oakland University’s Oakland Center. More than 100 folks attended the occasion co-hosted by college students from OUWB and the Oakland University School of Health Sciences’ Physical Therapy program.

Both applications depend on such donors as a part of their curricula. Students start working with the donors in the beginning of the varsity yr. They are thought of important to offering college students with hands-on studying experiences and the power to see the varied variations of the human physique. The donors are also thought of the scholars’ first sufferers.

In honor of these people, the ceremony featured reflections and artwork shows and performances. Christopher Carpenter, M.D., Stephan Sharf Dean, was amongst these to talk.

“You will never know all of the reasons the donors wanted to be in your lab with you, but I’m pretty sure that they wanted to help you be the best at your profession…they wanted you to succeed,” he stated.

“No other gift can compare to this one.”

Carpenter stated he remembers “vividly” his first day in an anatomy lab and “feeling humbled and filled with respect for the person in front of me who donated their body for my education as a student.”

“It’s inevitable that one day you will find yourself at a patient’s bedside searching for an answer, when suddenly, in that moment, your educational journey will come to you and you will find your solution,” he stated.

Jickssa Gemechu, Ph.D., affiliate professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies, offered the OUWB school reflection. He known as the ceremony a “profound, meaningful occasion.”

“Teaching anatomy through donor dissection goes beyond delivering knowledge,” he stated. “It fosters respect, empathy, and an appreciation for humanity.”

“This transformative experience shapes students into skilled health care professionals while nurturing the compassion that is essential for patient care,” he added.

Student reflections and performances demonstrated that they understood the magnitude of the present made by the donors.

M1 Shreya Srivatsan offered a bit of digital art work known as “Silent Legacy.” The artwork relied on a picture of a girl meant to symbolize donors with flowers and different symbols integrated, all meant to specific appreciation for “the gift of knowledge that these donors provided.”

Srivatsan advised the viewers that she put lots of thought into every element of the piece. 

“It’s incredibly difficult to do justice to how much the donors have positively impacted our learning and, in turn, our capacity to positively impact the lives of our future patients,” she stated. “I only hope that in depicting them in this way, they are honored in the way they deserve.”

M1 Gabrielle Abdelmessih offered a story reflection. She famous that she didn’t know something concerning the donor she labored with, however got here to affectionately name the individual “Gary” in honor of different particularly influential mentors she’s had in her life with the identical identify.

“This sense of familiarity and connection encouraged me to push through my apprehension and embrace the privilege of the gift he was giving me…the opportunity to learn,” she stated.

“Completing the anatomy lab not only deepened my awe and appreciation for the human body but also reinforced the profound responsibility we carry as future physicians to honor the sacrifices made in the name of advance knowledge and care,” she added.

M1 Rogina Ibrahim was a part of the four-student planning committee for the anatomy memorial. In welcoming attendees to the ceremony, Ibrahim known as the donors “our greatest teachers.”

After the ceremony, she shared why she needed to be concerned in planning it.

“I wanted to be an organizer for this event because I did connect from an emotional standpoint with my donor and this was the best way to honor (the donor),” she stated.

She stated artwork is an efficient solution to categorical these emotions.

“Art is emotional and being in the laboratory with the donors is also very emotional,” she stated. “There is a connection between the two.”

M1 Jared Gong performed electrical guitar and sang “Bridge Over Trouble Water” by Simon and Garfunkel. He stated he picked the tune due to its “respectful tone” and that “it feels like a sendoff.”

“I wanted some way to honor — in front of all my classmates here today — the people who donated their bodies,” he stated.

M1 Julia Freeman learn an authentic poem she wrote known as “Praise of Preservation.” The poem paid tribute to the donors’ our bodies in life and the present they gave to college students in demise.

Freeman stated she has been writing poetry her entire life and has “always loved the humanities as a way to express myself and express my emotion.”

“From the first day in the anatomy lab, I knew that as soon as I had an opportunity to really express my appreciation for the donors, I was going to take it,” she stated after the ceremony.

The reflections and shows through the ceremony left a huge impact on these in attendance. Steve Collard, CMA, vice dean, Business and Administration, known as it “really moving.”

“The students are genuinely touched by the fact that people care enough to donate their bodies,” he stated. “So much thought went into their works of art, poems, and reflections. I was especially touched by Freeman’s poem.”

Collard additionally stated he favored the collaboration between college students from OUWB and OU’s bodily remedy program.

“It gives you such a deep respect for how important the body donation program is,” he stated.

Mariana Allushuski, Ph.D., director, Academic Success, additionally attended for the primary time. She stated she typically talks with college students about anatomy research methods.

“It was nice to take a step back and be reminded of why students spend countless hours in the anatomy lab and just how invaluable their experiences with the donors are,” she stated. “Hearing them describe their donor as their ‘first patient’ was incredibly meaningful.”

Allushuski known as it “incredible to see the diverse talents our students bring to the table — we have artists, poets, musicians, and writers, not just students studying medicine.”

“Most of all, I was very touched by the amount of gratitude and reverence our students have for those who donated their bodies so they could study anatomy,” she stated. “It was very apparent the deep impact this experience had on them.”

That’s precisely the sort of factor Malli Barremkala, M.D., affiliate professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies, stated he hopes folks take away from the ceremony.

Specifically, the hope is that individuals acquire higher understanding of how a lot the donors imply to the scholars and maybe even are inspired to think about donating themselves.

“Students voluntarily attend (the anatomy memorial) and they’re wearing their white coats,” he stated. “This level of professionalism shows how much they value the donor in their medical education, especially in the first semester of medical school.”

For extra info, contact Andrew Dietderich, senior advertising specialist, OUWB, at [email protected].

To request an interview, go to the OUWB Communications & Marketing webpage.

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