A New Resource for Integrated Anatomy Teaching: The Cadaver’s Kidney PG (Pathology Guide) Guenevere Rae1 *, William P. Newman III2 ,Supriya Donthamsetty2 ,Robin McGoey2 1 Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana. 1 Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana. 2 Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, Louisiana *Correspondence to: Dr. Guenevere Rae, Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, School of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 1901 Perdido Street P6-2 New Orleans, LA. 70112. USA. grae@lsuhsc.edu Funding for this project was provided by Academy for the Advancement of Educational Scholarship at LSUHealth- New Orleans. This article is the second of a three-part series. Abstract The purpose of this study was to create a guide to assist students in evaluating an embalmed cadaveric kidney for pathologic lesions and to assess the guide as an effective teaching tool. Seventy-six kidneys were screened grossly and histologically for pathology. The most common pathologic incidences discovered during the screening were: neoplasms, nephrosclerosis, chronic pyelonephritis, cysts and acute kidney injury. Based on the anatomic screening, an educational resource was created and validated for content. Then, an educational intervention was performed with nursing and medical students using the guide. In both student populations, the student group that used the guide significantly outperformed the control group in evaluating organs for pathology (p< 0.01). These results suggest that the pathology resource can be an effective way to teach students to identify pathologic lesions in an embalmed cadaveric kidney. doi: 10.21692/haps.2017.051 Key words: kidney pathology, cadaver, gross anatomy, pathology, anatomy education Introduction Gross anatomy courses in health professional schools commonly involve cadaveric dissection. During these dissection activities, students often discover pathologic lesions and artifacts that are caused by the embalming process. Currently, educational resources that teach the identification of pathologic lesions are constructed from photographs of fresh (unembalmed) tissue at time of autopsy (Cooke and Stewart 2004, Riede and Werner 2004). Also, the gross characteristics that are described in pathology atlases refer to fresh tissue only, which casts doubt as to whether these resources are accurate when describing pathologic lesions in embalmed cadavers. Although pathology is not usually taught in gross anatomy courses, the cadaver is becoming a source for integrative learning opportunities based on the pathologic lesions that are found during dissection (Chun et al. 2007, Alyafi et al. 2012, Zhang and Fenderson 2014, Eisenstein et al. 2015, Wood et al. 2015, Geldenhuys et al. 2016, Rae et al. 2016). To complete these types of educational integration activities however, it takes a multi-disciplinary knowledge base from the standpoint of the faculty members. Faculty members who teach anatomy at health-related professional schools in the United States commonly hold a PhD or an MD degree (McCuskey et al. 2005). If a faculty member has a MD, they have completed training in pathology. However, training in pathology is not usually included in doctoral level training programs for anatomists (Lawrence et al. 2008, Brokaw and O’Loughlin 2015). Therefore, if pathology discovered in the gross anatomy laboratory is to be used for integrative learning opportunities, there may be a gap between what an anatomist knows and the resources that are available to identify and discuss pathologic lesions in an embalmed cadaver. The purpose of this study was to identify the pathologic lesions that are present in an embalmed cadaveric kidney and create an effective educational guide to assist users in identifying pathologic lesions. Methods The Institutional Review Board (IRB) of Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center deemed the protocol exempt from IRB oversight (IRB# 8406). Seventy-six cadaveric kidneys were obtained from the gross anatomy laboratory after completion of the dissection process. Collection of Data for the Construction of the Pathology Guide Gross evaluation of the organs A scale was used to measure the weight of each kidney in grams. The cortical surface of the organ was examined for lesions. Any discolorations, cysts, hard or soft regions were continued on next page 33 • HAPS Educator Journal of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society December 2017 Winter Edition photographed and recorded. Any granularity or scarring of the cortical surface was noted. The renal arteries were sliced every 0.5 cm to check for the