By JESSALYN KIRCHHOFF
Tiger Media Network
Fort Hays State University prides itself on all of the real-world offerings it provides to students in preparation for their future careers. One such advantage is the FHSU Biology program’s Cadaver Lab students have access to on campus.
Assistant Professor of Anatomy & Physiology David Tarailo has been one of the two instructors responsible for the cadaver lab since the Fall of 2020.
Tarailo said the department was looking to expand the offering of the cadaver lab course (BIOL 345 Human Anatomy) to two semesters per year, so he was because of his previous experience with cadaver dissection
“I’m actually a vertebrate paleontologist who studies crocodiles and animals that lived before the dinosaurs, but a lot of paleontologists get specifically trained to teach human anatomy and that’s what gave me this opportunity,” he said.
Tarailo says the lab has been a staple at FHSU “long enough for my dentist to have taken the Human Anatomy class at FHSU.”
Additionally, Tarailo provides some background information on the logistics of the lab, saying the cadavers are purchased from the KU Medical Center in Kansas City.
“They run a willed body program through which individuals can choose to donate their bodies for medical education,” Tarailo said. “Twice a year, we deliver old cadavers back to KU for disposal and pick up new ones for the upcoming semester.”
As the cadavers are such valuable assets to Fort Hays, access to the cadaver lab is heavily restricted in order to protect the cadavers and equipment.
“Students are only allowed in when in the presence of authorized FHSU staff,” Tarailo said. “This would include students enrolled in classes that make use of the lab, as well as individuals taking tours of the department, which often includes the cadaver lab.”
On top of the strict access policies, Tarailo also speaks on the consequential rules that individuals must abide by at all times while utilizing the lab.
“Certainly, our biggest and most important rule is to always be respectful of the cadavers, and never do anything to them that is not required for the purposes of studying or the specified dissection,” he said. “Safety is also always stressed to ensure we don’t have any injuries from the use of scalpels or autopsy saws (used for bone cutting).”
Tarailo said the lab is an incredible asset to students who aim to go into a health profession and while there are an increasing number of technological assets that can supplement a human anatomy course like this, nothing can prepare a student for what actual human anatomy is like better than dissecting a cadaver.
“The lab not only helps with their learning of the anatomy but prepares them for future courses that will also be anatomy and/or dissection-based,” he said. “I always try to stress with students methods that they can use in the future to relearn the material when that need eventually arises, because it’s ultimately their performance in medical or PT school that will be most important to them.”
Tarailo said the cadaver lab also serves as an important recruiting tool for the Biological Sciences department and other health-related programs at FHSU.
“A lot of students who want to go into health fields need to treat their undergraduate years as preparation for later schooling in their specific field,” he said. “There is no better preparation they can receive for future anatomy courses than a cadaver lab, and that’s why it gets included on most tours we give prospective students.”
Outside of FHSU students, the cadaver lab hosts frequent tours from high schools and community colleges across Kansas and nearby states. In this way, the lab increases the visibility of FHSU and attracts students who may not otherwise hear about the university.
Tarailo said the department and university are currently in the planning and fundraising stage for a complete renovation of the cadaver lab.
“This would entail the replacement of much of the equipment, like the tables we keep the cadavers on, and an emphasis is being placed on enhancing the accessibility and digital capabilities of the space,” he said. “Our hope is that we’ll be able to do some amount of future-proofing for the class, preparing it ahead of time for a progression towards more digitized learning.”
General information on the FHSU Cadaver Lab and info on how to book a potential tour, can be found on their webpage at https://www.fhsu.edu/biology/visiting-the-biology-department or by contacting the department email at BioSciences@fhsu.edu.