A new multimillion-pound addition to the University of Sunderland is beginning to take shape.
Once completed, the new Cadaveric centre will play a key role in training the next generation of medical professionals.
Construction work is now well underway on the facility which will form part of the newly-established School of Medicine, while also providing world-class training for other students within the Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing.
The centre will also offer some training opportunities for many of the region’s current surgeons and surgical trainees.
Debs Patten, Professor of Anatomy at the University said: “We are delighted to see the progress being made on the new centre which only further enhances the state-of-the-art facilities we have here at the University.
“We deliver anatomy teaching to a range of healthcare education programmes across the Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing using a blended approach of virtual dissection, digital and clinical imaging, portable ultrasound and living anatomy as well as using anatomical models.
“These learning resources are greatly appreciated by our students and staff, but undoubtedly, the inclusion of cadaveric anatomy will be of huge benefit to our institution and indeed the region.
“Anatomy is widely appreciated as being one of the most significant elements of medical education.
“Digital resources are highly effective educational tools but cannot reproduce the variability and complexity of the human body and for this reason, medical students and their educators consider cadaveric anatomy to be the gold standard for anatomy education.
“Most UK medical students will study cadaveric anatomy – in fact only a handful of UK medical schools do not offer cadaveric anatomy – but cadaveric provision for allied healthcare students is often limited. Our facility will offer cadaveric provision for our medical students and our allied healthcare students.”
As well as the University’s medical students the centre will also be used by those on other programmes including paramedicine, physiotherapy, nursing and others.
The Centre has been established with the help of generous funding from the Sir James Knott Trust and the Garfield Weston Foundation.
Andrew Bumfrey, Associate Director of Space Architect, who designed the new centre, said: “The project provides a great future for the teaching of anatomy and further enhances the School’s facilities.
“The new building will support a range of dedicated, state-of-the-art learning environments for staff and students, influencing the education of future generations of doctors, nurses and other key healthcare workers.”
Labour Party MP Matt Western was able to see the latest developments at the centre when he visited the University of Sunderland last week.