ALBANY, NY—As part of Maria College’s continued emphasis on health sciences education, the College applied for a grant from the Troy Savings Bank Foundation to purchase two Anatomage tables and create a state-of-the-art anatomy lab. Maria College is one of about 100 organizations in the country to own Anatomage tables and the first in the New York Capital District region.
Leslie A. Cheu, Executive Director for the Troy Savings Bank Charitable Foundation stated, “The Foundation was excited to fund Maria College’s proposal and bring this technology and learning tools to Maria health sciences students.”
“We are very grateful for the Troy Savings Bank Foundation’s vision and generosity in helping us create an advanced anatomy lab. This medical touchscreen technology will give Maria health and occupational sciences and nursing students an educational advantage. We can also envision creating future partnerships in the region for other organizations to work with the College in developing educational health science programs. ” stated Joseph G. Salamack III, Chairman, Maria Board of Trustees and Transitional Leader.
The advanced anatomic visualization system resembles an operating table but is similar to a life-size iPad. Students can study what is beneath the skin—muscles, blood vessels, the nervous system, organs or a particular bone in the body and put everything back together by the flick of a finger, flipping the cadaver from front to back in seconds. Users can zoom in on an area and also project what is on the examination table to an entire classroom.
Dr. John Kowal, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean, stated, “The Anatomage Table is the most technologically advanced anatomy visualization system for anatomy education. The table’s data is from human cadavers where the developers used, ‘slicing imagery’ to take photos of the body, allowing students to choose a male or female body and then change an image from a front view to a side view with the swipe of a finger as they learn.”
A new course, Gross Anatomy, was developed using the innovative virtual dissection technology to support the College’s new bachelor’s degree program in Health and Occupational Sciences approved last year by New York State. In addition, Maria’s Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Nursing program students are using the tables’ 3-D visualization to study patient cases in diseases and rare disorders to help them identify pathophysiology changes in patient conditions for enhanced learning and understanding.
Instructor Christal Saffee DNP, MSN, RN, FNP-C who designed the Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Nursing case studies for her course in Pathophysiology stated, “The students can also see a rare genetic disease that they may not experience in clinical practice such as Pierre Robin Syndrome. The 3-D visual of glossoptosis (tongue positioned in back of skull) helps the students’ understand the airway and feeding problems for these patients. “
Maria College Assistant Professor Dr. Stephanie Hutchins, who traveled to Anatomage headquarters to learn about the tool and ways to use it in the classroom stated, “There are so many ways we can use this as a teaching tool; we’re really just getting started.” Her students are excited too.
“I feel so lucky to be a part of the first class to use the Anatomage for the Gross Anatomy class at Maria College. I graduated from Maria’s OTA program in 2013 and the required course, Anatomy & Physiology, used 2D software called, ADAM, but it does not compare to being able to control the dissection of the human body including layering the various systems, such as the vascular system and the skeletal system together. And if I make a ‘cut’ and it’s a mistake, then I can easily undo it with a touch of a button. The Anatomage truly brings the human body to life and makes learning interactive and fun!” stated Carissa France ’13 and candidate for Maria’s BS degree in Health and Occupational Sciences.
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About Maria College
Maria College is a baccalaureate nonprofit, independent, co-educational institution, founded in 1958 by the Sisters of Mercy, and is one of 16 colleges and universities in the United States sponsored by the Conference for Mercy Higher Education. The College serves traditional and non-traditional students.
About Anatomage Inc.
Anatomage Inc. is a leading 3D medical imaging software company located in downtown San Jose, California, the heart of Silicon Valley. Founded in 2004, Anatomage offers full scale solutions in software, digital service, image guided treatment devices, and imaging equipment to thousands of clinics worldwide.
For Immediate Release
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