Anatomy Programs
Cell Biology and Anatomy 

  Medical Anatomy

A complete understanding of the human body and its three dimensional relationships is essential for any physician.  The mission of the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine is to "educate tomorrow's patient-centered physicians and scientists by advancing medical knowledge and providing the highest quality primay and specialty care to the citizens of Texas".  Anatomy education plays a crucial role in physician training, and has done so since the college's founding in 1970.  The medical school admits about 200 new students every year, selected from thousands of highly competitive applicants.

Medical students work in groups to learn and study anatomy in a full dissection, cadaver-based anatomy course. The best way to learn about the human body is to study real human bodies, which our medical students are able to do thanks to generous gifts made to the Willed Body Program.

  Physician Assistant / Physical Therapist Anatomy

Both Physician Assistants and Physician Therapists help meet the increasing need for front line medical care. Along with their complete education, anatomical training for the Physical Therapy students will help them achieve their goal of teaming up with the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine to "offer unparalleled training in musculoskeletal and orthopedic practices, and osteopathic manipulative therapy techniques".  The Physician Assistant Program, founded in 1997, is in the top 35 PA programs in the US (US News and World Report) and is especially geared towards primary care and under-served populations.  UNTHSC's PAs may be the primary health care provider for many of their patients, making their training, including anatomy education, even more valuable.

Master of Physician Assistant Studies and Doctor of Physical Therapy students learn anatomy together.  A large portion of their instruction is carried our by faculty in the PA and PT Departments, for specialized instruction necessary for each field.  Students learn musculoskeletal anatomy in part by studying prosections - professionally dissected cadavers - completed by faculty, or under faculty supervision.  Cadavers studied by PA and PT students are body donors from the Willed Body Program.

  Masters of Science Program in Medical Sciences

The Medical Science program is a specialized master's program designed to provide additional opportunities to individuals that would like to enhance their credentials for entry into medical school.  This program offers a strong, challenging curriculum in biomedical sciences that includes a cadaver-based human anatomy course taught by faculty in the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy.  The program's structural anatomy course offers a very unique look at the human body, covering all body systems throughout two semesters.  In addition, the course covers human histology and begins to develop student's understanding of neuroanatomy. After completing the Medical Science program, students will be well prepared to enter a medical school curriculum.  For more information on this program, please contact the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at UNTHSC.

  Bio-Skills Lab

The Biomedical Sciences Research and Educational Laboratory (BSREL), or BioSkills Lab, is a unique, state of the art educational facility used to promote biomedical research and anatomy education at the UNTHSC. Graduate students in the structural anatomy Ph.D. program, medical students, clinicians and residents in the north Texas area use the facility for clinical training/workshops to learn both basic and complex surgical techniques.  Graduate students and faculty within the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy use the facility for specific anatomical research projects, as well as anatomy outreach programs such as teacher workshops, science camps, field trips and anatomy video conferences.  The BioSkills Lab accommodates up to 40-50 individuals at 6 separate workstations for guided training in a variety of clinical and surgical procedures, from intricate orthopedic procedures to suture clinics for Physician Assistant students.  The BioSkills lab, along with qualified UNTHSC staff and faculty, will enable participants to acquire necessary continuing medical, educational and research training for today's challenging medical and health professions.

For more information, or to schedule an event in the BioSkills lab at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, please contact Ms. Angelica Ramos, who will help direct your inquiry.

Angelica Ramos
Administrative Specialist
Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy
Phone: 817-735-2045
E-mail: angelica.ramos@unthsc.edu

Outreach Tours

Outreach tours are one aspect of community education and involvement in which the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy engages.  School groups and education professionals are invited for an educational tour of our Gross Anatomy Lab facility, where they will have the chance to learn about the human body by studying organs available via the Willed Body Program.  Tour season is January - July.  Other teaching obligations make scheduling of tours at other times of the year difficult.  For more information on setting up an Outreach Tour, please contact our tour coordinator, Ms. Angelica Ramos.

Through these outreach tours, the Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy strives to make higher education more accessible to students of all walks of life by exposing them to a university campus, meeting our diverse faculty and graduate/professional students, and allowing students to experience the fascination of the study of the human body.  Anatomy is for everyone who has a body!