Education & Teaching
Bill Frank, DC
Associate Professor
Neurobiology & Anatomy
Drexel University College of Medicine (DUCOM)
Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, United States
Plastination, a process replacing water molecules with a plastic polymer, was pioneered by Gunther von Hagens in the 1970s. Despite its long history, few institutions have laboratories currently developing plastinated models due to challenges such as lab setup complexity, costs, ethical concerns regarding long-term model retention, and the effectiveness of plastinated prosections in education. With medical curricula shifting focus away from traditional dissection and reducing anatomy instruction time, many institutions now emphasize alternative teaching methods like virtual reality and cadaveric prosections. This shift presents an opportunity to reconsider plastination as a valuable educational tool. Additionally, ensuring plastinated models reflect diverse human anatomy and are accessible to all learners promotes a more inclusive and representative educational experience. Key areas of focus for this presentation include establishing an independent plastination lab, historical perspectives on preserved dissections, integrating plastinates with other educational technologies, and ethical considerations in their display.
Speaker: Stuart Inglis – University at Buffalo - Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Speaker: Laurice D. Nemetz, MA, BC-DMT, LCAT – Pace University
Speaker: Maureen Estevez Stabio, Ph.D. – Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
