NEWPORT BEACH, California | October 20, 2023
Students, faculty, employees, and trustees gathered at Coastline’s Newport Beach campus, in what Mary Hornbuckle, Coast Community College District Board of Trustees President, called “Chamber of Commerce Weather”, to celebrate the grand opening of the John Stauffer Anatomy Suite on October 20th. Guests were welcomed at 11:00 a.m. and got a tour after the ribbon cutting of the college’s newest facility and explored the lab space. The opening ceremony took place on the 2nd floor patio on Coastline’s beautiful Newport Beach campus.
Coastline dignitaries and leadership take part in the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new lab.
Attendees included faculty, staff, and students, as well as special guests Timothy Gosney, William Kruse, and Michael Whalen-Trustees from the John Stauffer Charitable Trust, Dr. Mark Linksey, Professor of Neurological Surgery at the UCI School of Medicine, and Darla Colohan from African Mission Services.
Coastline College President Dr. Vince Rodriguez said, “We are so pleased to be adding even more incredible authentic hands-on activities to the student experience. This lab will be an outstanding resource for students as they engage in the all-important study of the human anatomy as part of their health sciences education.”
In the upcoming spring semester, the new cadaver lab, made possible by the John Stauffer Charitable Trust grant, will provide Biological Sciences and Allied Health students with the opportunity to gain hands-on learning experience in a lab.
Coast Colleges Chancellor Dr. Yamamura says a few words during the ceremony
“There’s nothing more important than for faculty members to have what they need in order to do the best possible job they can for their students, and without cadavers, biologists are missing a little bit,” emphasized Dr. Yamamura, chancellor of Coast Community College District.
The tour began with a video from Coastline Professor, Dr. Mia Dobbs, who explored the mechanics of the new, innovative lab space, and the opportunities it offers students. Attendees then explored the lab space and had the opportunity to ask the Professor of Anatomy and Physiology at Coastline College, Dr. Deborah Henry questions about the lab.
Explore Coastline’s Biological Sciences and Allied Health Program
The lab contains two ventilated tables for the two donors provided to the college, ventilated cabinets to store specimens dissected from the donors, and a sink for students to dissect specimens from their donors to be used in future classes. If well taken care of, the donors will last five years.
Dr. Henry said the lab will give BIOL 220 students the ability to see what we look like on the inside, and some will be able to go on to take advanced courses. “For some students who have made an A in BIOL 220 and who petitioned successfully to take BIOL 296 and then BIOL 297, they will have the opportunity, under professional guidance, to dissect a human cadaver.”
Events guests get a guided tour of the new anatomy suite and its amenities
Students will greatly benefit academically and professionally from the lab. “Learning human anatomy on a human cadaver is paramount to understanding how we are made.” Dr. Deborah Henry said. “Cat anatomy, or especially rabbit anatomy, is very different. For a few students going onto professional schools, observing a cadaver dissection is part of the application process.”
Dr. Henry expressed her hope that through working on this lab, students will learn the intricacies of human anatomy, appreciate how similar we are, and take both beyond their education. “Treating a human cadaver with the respect it deserves is a great lesson to learn, and this respect is transferrable to the living.”
The majority of students in the college’s Biological Sciences and Allied Health program are working toward prerequisites for medical or dental schools or careers such as nursing, physical and occupational therapy, pharmacy or physician assistant. Such courses require the students to study human anatomy and physiology.
The John Stauffer Anatomy Suite at Coastline College
By offering these courses Coastline is providing students an option they may have a difficult time obtaining anywhere else. It gives them the opportunity to lay hands on a human body to perform a dissection and give them the unique experience that will prepare them ultimately for physical examination, diagnosis, and the clinical experiences.
Learning about normal anatomy is critical, but being able to preview pathology in the human body is also a real advantage to students in the healthcare field. Cadaver dissection allows students to find the pathologic processes that have happened on a large scale, things like tumor formations, enlarged organs or past surgical procedures. It can be truly eye-opening for students to see the effects of diseases within the human body beyond what a textbook can show. It is one thing to see a heart isolated from the body but a whole different perspective seeing how all parts work together.
The new human anatomy suite offers a perspective on humanity that few ever get the chance to see. Coastline Dean, Tom Neal spoke at the opening ceremony about how grateful they are of selfless individuals who have donated their bodies, allowing students to gain a deeper understanding of the complexities that make each of us unique. Thanks to these incredible gifts, students can learn and make advancements in scientific research. Having the lab at the undergraduate level is a rare benefit – one that most institutions don’t have on their campuses and that our students will really value.
ABOUT COASTLINE COLLEGE: Coastline College is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. For eight consecutive years, Coastline College was selected as one of the top 150 colleges by The Aspen Institute for Community College Excellence which is considered the most prestigious designation for community colleges. Coastline delivers flexible courses and services that cultivate and guide diverse student populations across the globe to complete pathways leading to the attainment of associate degrees, certificates, career readiness, and transfer to four-year colleges/universities.
CONTACT:
Dawn Willson
Director of Communications, PIO
dwillson1@coastline.edu