The mysteries of the human body are being revealed to University of Queensland health students in an innovative way thanks to an Australian-first pathology learning centre housing thousands of specimens.
The $1.5million Integrated Pathology Learning Centre, which was officially opened today, brings together the extensive James Vincent Duhig Pathology Museum, including more than 2,500 specimens, artefacts from the Marks Hirschfield Medical History Collection, the Nursing Museum and the latest electronic teaching resources.
宅男导航鈥檚 Professor of Pathology, Sunil Lakhani said the size and the presentation of the collection in a state-of-the-art facility was a unique development for Australia and comparable with leading facilities of this kind around the world,
鈥淭he collection has grown over many years, probably as long as 宅男导航 has had a medical program, which is more than 70 years. It has played a critical role in the education of 宅男导航 medical students, staff and allied health workers during this time.
鈥淭his is a unique and unprecedented venture as most medical schools in the world are shutting their facilities, but at 宅男导航 there is a strong commitment to pathology,鈥� Prof Lakhani said.
The centre integrates historical, clinical, radiological and pathological processes. It takes students on a journey from past to present and from cells to patients, so they can gain a complete understanding of disease, he said.
The development of the facility was supported by financial donations of more than $135,000 - many from medical school alumni.
The Centre was officially opened by philanthropist and distinguished medical graduate, Dr Ron Thomson. It was a dual event with the opening of the Health Sciences Building, in which the pathology centre is housed.
The Health Sciences Building is located in the heart of the Royal Brisbane & Women鈥檚 Hospital campus and is an education facility for health students from a range of disciplines.
Formerly named the Clinical Sciences Building, it has undergone a $27.8million refurbishment and now includes state-of-the-art teaching rooms, mock hospital wards and clinical bedside coaching rooms. The pathology centre takes up an entire floor of the building.
Other features of the Integrated Pathology Learning Centre include:
鈥� Interactive stations to test students on clinical-radiological-pathological correlations
鈥� Stations for video feeds 鈥� such as watching valve prolapse on echocardiography
鈥� Audio visual presentations on topics such as global aspects of immunisation, the history of medicine, and malnutrition and disease
鈥� A curator and technician to manage the collection in conjunction with medical staff of the Discipline of Molecular & Cellular Pathology.
Media inquiries:
Faculty Communications Officer, Marlene McKendry - 0401 99 6847.
