Earlier this week, on Monday 22 April, the Canterbury Christ Church University (CCCU) Anatomy Learning Centre team hosted a service of thanksgiving dedicated to those who donated their bodies for the teaching of anatomy and the furtherance of medical education.
The service was held at the University Chapel at CCCU, and was opened with a speech from CCCU Deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor Alison Honour. Kent and Medway School (KMMS) staff and students and CCCU Radiology students attended and contributed with speeches, poems, readings and musical performances to celebrate this most selfless of gestures.
This was followed by a speech given by Dr Ana Correia de Oliveira, Interim Undergraduate Programme Director at KMMS. ‘Emotions can be mixed when in the dissecting room, as the students now realise that they have their first patient. A patient that freely and altruistically has donated themselves to their hands’, said Ana of the learning process. She went on: ‘all embark on a wonderful journey of responsibility, development and learning together, and I can assure you all, that this learning, this space, these people, have all touched and changed our students.’
The service offered an opportunity for students and staff to reflect on their medical experiences and included a variety of contributions. Year 1 medical student Cassandra George read her own poems ‘The Anatomy Teacher’ and ‘Our Meeting’, and there were musical contributions from Hellen Yuan, Year 1 medical student, Fred Duncan, Year 2 medical student, Dr Jeremy Law and the Chaplaincy team.
There were also contributions from teaching staff, including Dr Melissa Jones, Head of Anatomy, and Dr Ghazala Aziz, Teaching Fellow at KMMS.
The service concluded with a chance for everyone present to write a short thank you notes and to light a candle to commemorate and remember those who had dedicated their bodies for the advancement of medicine, to ultimately help those in need of healthcare.
A photo gallery of the event can be found on the KMMS Facebook page.