Our Mission

Through the Anatomy Outreach Program (AOP), the OSU Division of Anatomy embraces its mission to enhance anatomical knowledge and appreciation of the human body. Since 2011, the continually growing program has been hosting hands-on lab experiences with our anatomical donors for local and statewide high school anatomy classrooms, community groups, summer camps, and other university clubs/organizations. For the 2021-2022 academic year we hosted meetings with 36 individual groups and nearly 900 participants. With anatomy educational outreach we hope to increase student interest in anatomy and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math) through participation and engagement in group discussion and hands-on experiences.

Our Objectives

The Anatomy Outreach Program has outlined the objectives below that guide the planning, programming, operations, and evaluations of anatomy-focused educational outreach.

1. Improve accessibility to anatomical resources for school and community groups.
2. Creation of relatable and thought-provoking anatomy content for various education levels (e.g., high school, undergraduate, etc.).
3. Exploring the similarities and differences between healthy and unhealthy tissues, including discussion of pathophysiology, relevancy to everyday life, and spreading awareness of various disease states (e.g., cardiomegaly, alcoholic cirrhosis, and lung cancer).
4. Collaboration with other institutional departments to create and operate outreach opportunities that overlap with AOP’s current programming to offer a more robust and diverse experience for participants (e.g., Anatomy + Ultrasound).
5. Through research and networking, we draw attention to the field of anatomy educational outreach.
6. Sharing of resources and knowledge with institutions and outreach programs to expand anatomy outreach capabilities across the globe.