Memorial University Faculty of Medicine Learners
Med Lab Facilities
The Preparatory Lab is fully equipped to support traditional laboratory work. It includes a deionized water source, ice machine, fume hoods, chemical storage, glassware, and a dishwasher.
The embalming suite is a restricted area and is not accessible to learners. It features an autopsy downdraught table, a dedicated station for the safe mixing of embalming solutions, a fume hood with chemical storage, and cold storage.
The Anatomy teaching laboratories are equipped with state-of-the-art, safety-conscious downdraught ventilated tables designed for instructional demonstrations of formaldehyde-fixed specimens and tissues. Surgical lighting with integrated cameras allows for real-time digital displays of anatomical structures. Fume hoods provide a safe environment for handling smaller specimens.
Anatomy Suite
Embalming Facilities to Support the Anatomical Gift Program
The Medical Anatomy Laboratory features advanced embalming facilities, designed to provide a safe, efficient, and ethical environment for the preservation of human specimens. The lab is equipped with specialized tools and equipment that support the process of embalming, ensuring that specimens are preserved with care and precision. The embalming process is conducted by a licensed member of the PEI Funeral Board to ensure all ethical guidelines and standards are followed, while maintaining respect for the human body. By combining these resources and practices with the Anatomical Gift Program, the Medical Anatomy Laboratory offers an exceptional learning experience for medical learners
Cadaveric Specimens
Cadaveric specimens are a cornerstone in teaching anatomy to medical learners because they provide real, hands-on experience with the human body that textbooks and models can’t fully replicate. Cadaveric specimens link anatomy to clinical practice, helping learners understand surgical approaches, and identify landmarks for procedures. Importantly, working with cadavers also introduces students to professional behavior, respect and dignity for human donors, and ethical considerations in medical practice. At UPEI, cadaveric specimens are supported by the Anatomical Gift Program that allows PEI residents to willfully donate their remains to medical education.
Downdraft Technology
In the Medical Anatomy Laboratory, we prioritize learner, staff, and faculty safety through the use of advanced downdraught tables, designed to enhance the safe handling of preserved specimens. These tables utilize perimeter downdraught ventilation systems that efficiently capture odours and chemical gases during specimen examination, dissection, and embalming. This ensures a safe working environment by reducing exposure to hazardous materials in order to protect the health and well-being of learners, faculty, and staff. Additionally, our laboratory adheres to strict safety protocols, including comprehensive training, proper specimen handling, the use of personal protective equipment, and responsible waste disposal. These measures work together to create a safe, respectful, and conducive environment for anatomical study.
Teaching Laboratories
Teaching laboratories are dynamic, hands-on learning environments where learners are able to explore the foundational science behind medicine.
Our teaching labs are specially designed spaces where medical learners:
- Conduct experiments and practical exercises.
- Apply theoretical knowledge to real-world biological and clinical scenarios.
- Develop essential skills in anatomy, physiology, pathology, microbiology, and immunology.
Anatomical Teaching Models
Anatomical Models in Medical Education support hands-on learning and deepen understanding of human anatomy. The teaching laboratory displays a wide variety of plastic and plastinated models for detailed anatomical study.
The robust plastic models allow learners the opportunity to:
- Explore anatomy through touch and manipulation.
- Assemble and disassemble parts to see how systems connect.
- Practice identifying structures in a 3D format.
- Identify anatomical structures clearly.
- Understand spatial relationships between organs and tissues.
- Visualize complex systems.
Plastinated Models provide an authentic look and feel of real anatomy with unmatched accuracy in structure and texture
The plastinated models in our facility come from von Hagens Plastination, founded by Dr. Gunther von Hagens, who invented the plastination process in 1977. Unlike traditional methods that embed specimens in plastic, plastination replaces water and fat in the body with silicone. This preserves real human anatomy while allowing for clear, detailed observation.
All specimens are created from bodies donated voluntarily, with full, informed consent. The company works with the Institute for Plastination (IfP), a donation program specifically for those who wish to contribute to medical education. The program currently includes over 20,000 registered donors.
Microscopes, ADI , Point of Care Ultrasound
Histology
Microscopy helps bridge the gap between basic science and clinical application. High-resolution light and digital microscopes within the teaching labs will enable learners to:
- Examine slides of healthy and diseased tissues.
- Learn to distinguish between normal and abnormal cellular structures.
- Practice techniques used in clinical diagnostics and research.
Using microscopy and the associated technology, our future clinicians will be trained to:
- Recognize early signs of illness by identifying disease markers through histological and pathological samples.
- Develop diagnostic skills by examining real clinical specimens.
- Understand how cellular changes relate to symptoms and treatment.
- Appreciate the complexity and beauty of the human body at every level
Physiological tools:
The teaching laboratories are equipped with PowerLab units, a cutting-edge educational tool used to help learners explore the inner workings of the human body in real time.
PowerLab is a system that connects sensors to the body to monitor physiological signals such as heart rate, muscle activity, and breathing. This data is displayed on a computer screen, allowing students to see how the body responds to different conditions—live and in detail.
Understanding human physiology is foundational to clinical practice. PowerLab helps learners:
- Visualize complex biological processes as they happen.
- Practice clinical skills in a safe, hands-on environment.
- Build confidence in interpreting physiological data—skills they’ll use throughout their careers.
PowerLab can also be used in biomedical research, supporting studies in cardiovascular health, neuroscience, respiratory function, and more. Its precision and flexibility make it ideal for both classroom learning and cutting-edge medical research.
Point of Care Ultrasound (POCUS):
The Anatomical suite also hosts FujiFilm Sonosite PX Ultrasound Systems to allow learners to integrate the fundamental structures of human anatomy with point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) imaging. With a variety of transducers, learners can develop an understanding of abdominal, musculoskeletal, respiratory, ocular, gynecological, and obstetrical anatomical imaging. In addition, Doppler and M-mode allow for a variety of cardiac, vascular, and trans-cranial anatomical and physiological imaging. Finally, the structural basis of focused assessment with sonography in trauma (FAST/eFAST) can be explored within our suite.
Digital Resources
The Digital Resource Laboratory features advanced educational technologies, including HoloAnatomy® 3D mixed reality anatomical software viewed on Meta Quest® headsets, the Anatomage Table®, and Leica Aperio® histology software.
HoloAnatomy® by AlensiaXR is an innovative mixed reality software that immerses learners in meticulously crafted 3D anatomical models, developed in collaboration with physicians, anatomists, and medical educators. Mixed reality enables users to engage with virtual content, while interacting with their peers and educators in real time. They can explore over 7,000 structures from every angle, explore highly magnified tissues, and view intricate and difficult to examine anatomical details—enhancing both spatial understanding and comprehension of system functions.
The Anatomage Table offers a comprehensive catalog of digitized human cadavers, real patient cases, and simulations of real-tissue physiology. The displayed images are constructed from frozen cadaver sections from donated remains. Through an intensive reconstruction process, these sections are digitally assembled to recreate the cadaver’s pre-mortem form in a fully interactive 3D format. These digital bodies demonstrate physiological functions comparable to those of living humans. Simulation features include cardiac motion, kinesiology, ocular motion, dental arches, anatomical pathways, and pregnancy and delivery processes.
Aperio Histology Software is a suite of digital pathology tools developed by Aperio Technologies®, part of Leica Biosystems®. This software is used to analyze and view digital histology images, which are high-resolution scans of tissue samples typically stained and prepared on microscope slides.
This software converts traditional glass slides into high-quality digital images (whole slide imaging) and is increasingly being adopted in the clinical practice of pathological diagnosis.
Acland’s Video Atlas
Our leaners can also access Dr. Robert Acland Video Atlas of Anatomy®, which displays human structures in their natural colors and presents realistic structures and movements similar to real-life. The video series shows complex structures, from surface anatomy, osteology, to soft tissue and organ anatomy, providing a foundational understanding of structure and function.
