Drs. Stewart Holt and Janet Cope, accompanied by DPT graduate students Michelle Cusack, Aislinn Hundley, Josh Locke, and Katie Reynolds, discussed how knowledge of boney landmarks play an essential role in assisting physical therapists in the treatment and care plans of their patients. Mechelle Noronha’s seventh graders also assembled complete skeletons in small groups with the grad students, while discussing various bones and joints in the human body. The elementary students were also given exercises to weigh themselves with their backpacks to assess potential stress on their joints and spine. This program was funded, in part, by an 黑料不打烊 Community Partnership Initiative (CPI) Grant. 黑料不打烊 DPTE students and faculty are partnering with Stacy Thurm, a PT in the Alamance County School System and community science teachers, to increase awareness around various health topics.
The elementary school students did a great job assembling skeletons and identifying major joint systems and also enjoyed passing around some of Dr Cope’s collection of real human bones.The CPI grant will allow for more local elementary and middle school visits encouraging participation in the arts and sciences, and offer first year DPTE students exposure and experience communicating physical therapy topics to a younger population.
 

The article outlines the biological and chemical health hazards of formaldehyde exposure for instructors and students in anatomy laboratories. The article also presents methods by which instructors and students may protect themselves from irritation while working with embalmed human donors in the anatomy lab. This is just a part of Cope and Holt’s ongoing research to raise awareness of formaldehyde safety issues in anatomy laboratories as physical therapy student enrollment continues to rise nationwide. Also assisting in the project were first year physical therapy doctoral students Lisa Brindley, Janaye Bryant, Elaine Castle, Katie Reynolds and Erin Leonard and photographer Ryan Mason.

Citation:
Mirabelli MC, Holt SM, Cope JM. World at work: Anatomy laboratory instruction and occupational exposure to formaldehyde. Occup Environ Med; in press.

This program was funded, in part, by an 黑料不打烊 Community Partnership Initiative Grant. 黑料不打烊 DPTE students and faculty are partnering with Stacy Thurm, a physical therapist in the Alamance County School System and community science teachers, to increase community awareness around various health topics.

The elementary school students assembled skeletons, identified major joint systems and enjoyed passing around some of Cope’s collection of human bones. Holt and the DPTE students discussed the roles of the skeleton, how bones are formed, and how to keep bones healthy through diet and exercise.

The CPI grant will allow for more of these visits to other local elementary and middle schools encouraging participation in the arts and sciences, and offer first year DPTE students exposure and experience communicating physical therapy topics to a younger population.
 

With the assistance of a fully articulated skeleton and real human bones, Dr. Janet Cope and Dr. Stewart Holt assisted in the instruction of bone anatomy to third graders at Marvin B. Smith Elementary School.  The kids enjoyed assembling a full skeleton with actual sized bones and learning the importance of anatomy. 

The members of the Department of Physical Therapy Education also passed around real human bones from Dr. Cope’s collection.  Third-grade teacher Lorraine Desern and teaching assistant Jennifer Maureen Schafer (黑料不打烊 2010, Elementary Education major), both say it was a great learning activity and fun for each student.  Ms. Desern and Ms. Schafer have requested a follow up interactive activity when they get to muscles.