subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Wed, Feb 10 2010 

Published: March 31, 2008 11:09 pm    print this story  

MSU holds memorial for eight who donated bodies

Bill Billeter
Register-Herald Reporter

Mountain State University held a ceremony in Carter Hall Monday evening to honor eight individuals who had donated their bodies to the study of medical science, and in so doing contributed greatly to the learning of a class of physician assistants.

Sandy Toensing is one of the PA students who studied anatomy during a comprehensive class during the fall semester. Toensing explained that the course was far more effective and meaningful because of the individuals who donated their bodies to help the students learn.

“To understand where the organs and muscles are in a human body — to see it and understand it — is truly an amazing and wonderful gift to have been given,” she said. “Think of how much that person has given us.”

During the ceremony, Toensing sat in the audience with several dozen of her classmates, all wearing white lab coats.

Eight of the students came to the front of the auditorium where each took a turn lighting a white candle that represented one of the donors.

After the candle-lighting ceremony, guest speaker Dr. Patricia Jarvis addressed the group and expressed her gratitude and appreciation for the eight donors.

“There are those among you that will be healers,” Jarvis said. “You will be more effective healers because of those who have donated their bodies to science.”

Jarvis quoted a former student who had also benefited from the opportunity to study the body of a donor. The student had attempted to express the feelings of her classmates about the person they had studied, saying, “We did not know anything about her. We didn’t know her name, but we just felt so connected to her that we didn’t want her to be nameless. We named her Grace.”

Dr. James Owston, the senior academic officer for instructional technology at MSU, concluded the ceremony with a final prayer.

“They (donors) were anonymous, but not anonymous to us,” Owston said. “Thank you for those who gave that last gift so that others may live later.”

Although the study of human anatomy is a standard part of the PA curriculum, not all PA programs offer such an effective way to study the human body, explained Debra Campbell, director of MSU’s PA program.

“This ceremony shows our appreciation and respect for those people who donate,” Campbell said.

— E-mail:

bbilleter@register-herald.com

print this story  



autoconx

Premier Guide
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide

Find a job! Find a Home! Find a car!

Premium Jobs

LOVE THE OUTDOORS? NATURE?
LOVE THE OUTDOORS? NATURE? HUNTING? FISHING? PEOPLE? SALES?Expanding, established land development co. in the Clarksburg...>MORE

FIELD SERVICE TECHNICIANS
Immediate openings available. Field Service Technicians, Bluefield and Pineville. Carter Machinery Company, the authoriz...>MORE

CERTIFIED WV UNDERGROUND COAL MINER OPERATORS
GMS Mine Repair and Maintenance is seeking experienced Certified West Virginia Underground Coal Miner Operators. Immedia...>MORE

UNDERGROUND COAL MINING POSITIONS - MAMMOTH
MAMMOTH COAL, a subsidiary of Massey Energy is accepting experienced underground applicants. Our expanding operations ar...>MORE

ELK RUN JOB FAIR 2/12 - OAK HILL
Job FAIR. Massey Energy is accepting experienced underground applicants. Our expanding operations are located in Raleigh...>MORE

NURSES - CARELINK
NURSES Quality Improvement Coordinator / HEDIS. Nurses needed for HEDIS project February through May. Make appointments,...>MORE

COAL MINING POSITIONS - SPEED MINING
Speed Mining, LLC, an operating affiliate of Patriot Coal Corporation, has immediate openings at its American Eagle Mine...>MORE

COAL PROCESSING COMPANY - VARIOUS POSITIONS
Coal Processing Company has immediate openings for a Preparation Plant Control Room Operator, Plant Attendant, Electrici...>MORE

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT - NORTHERN GREENBRIER HEALTH CLINIC
Northern Greenbrier Health Clinic, Inc., headquartered in Williamsburg, WV has the following employment opportunity avai...>MORE

INDUSTRIAL TIRE / MINE TIRE PRESSMAN
Industrial Tire / Mine Tire pressman needed - skilled tire tech to operate press equipment used to service underground m...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Jobs

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index