The EVMS Contemporary Human Anatomy master's program is an accelerated curriculum of 3 semesters designed to be flexible for each individual's unique career goals. Graduates gain a comprehensive understanding of the human body while acquiring teaching and research skills using cutting-edge technologies. Due to the accelerated nature of this program, students are expected to attend ALL classes. Vacations should only be taken between semesters.
Course sequence
Summer
- MCHA500 Clinical Gross Anatomy (5 credit hours)
- MCHA501 Instructional Methods (2 credit hours)
- MCHA502 Medical Imaging (2 credit hours)
Fall
- MCHA510 Histology of Cells and Tissues (2 credit hours)
- MCHA504 Teaching Assistant (2 credit hours)
- MCHA518 Essential Physiology (4 credit hours)
- MCHA520 Introduction to Research (3 credit hours)
Spring
- MCHA503 Embryology (2 credit hours)
- MCHA507 Capstone Project (3 credit hours)
- MCHA513 Teaching Assistant II (3 credit hours)
- MCHA516 Neuroanatomy (2 credit hours)
- MCHA530 General Mechanisms of Disease (2 credit hours) (Elective)
- MCHA509 Plastination Training in Germany (2 credit hours) (Elective)
Course Descriptions
MCHA500 Clinical Gross Anatomy
The study of anatomy (from the Greek word anatomē, ana = apart, tomē = cutting) is concerned with describing the form, structures, and functions of an organism. In learning anatomy, we approach the study of the human body by integrating anatomical knowledge into a case-based approach. Students will use this knowledge to recognize variation and anatomical mechanisms to describe and explain clinically relevant abnormalities. This course provides a comprehensive overview of human anatomy while also allowing students to engage in interactive lectures, participate in case-based group activities, collaborate in dissection-based laboratories, and interact with practicing clinicians to gain clinical anatomical competence.
MCHA501 Instructional Methods
The course prepares students with theoretical foundations and practical techniques to plan, apply and design appropriate instructional methods while serving as a teaching assistant. It introduces a wide range of instructional methods and discusses techniques of writing good examination questions.
MCHA502 Medical Imaging
This course applies basic foundational anatomy principles to medical imaging including X-ray, MRI, CT and ultrasound. Students are expected to apply their cross-sectional knowledge to the interpretation and acquisition of medical images.
MCHA503 Embryology
This course consists of lectures devoted to the student’s understanding of how the human body develops. Topics covered will include early embryogenesis, organogenesis and clinical embryology.
MCHA504 Teaching Assistant
This course allows students to serve as teaching assistants for medical, physician assistant or graduate courses in gross anatomy or histology. Responsibilities would include prosection of specimens, laboratory instruction, small group facilitation, course reviews and design of innovative study materials.
MCHA507 Capstone Project
All students participate in a capstone experience through a synthesis and integration of knowledge gained through their coursework and other learning experiences, with the application of anatomical specimen preparation, medical education, clinical trainers/phantoms, service learning or simulation. The project must be an original work of scholarship or research.
MCHA510 Histology of Cells and Tissues
The overall goal of this course is to provide students with an understanding of how cells become specialized to form tissues and how those tissues form organs. The course provides an essential foundation for understanding structure-function relationships in normal organs and how those relationships are affected by pathogenic mechanisms.
MCHA513 Teaching Assistant II
Students will be servingas teaching assitants in the gross anatomy lab for graduate-level health profession students. TAs will complete advanced dissections and develop correlating content centered around the region or systemof focus. This includes developing higher-order thinking questions and lecture content to contribute to building a professional anatomy educator portfolio to demonstrate synthesis and integration of the knowledge acquired from the entire master's program.
MCHA516 Functional Neuroanatomy
This course presents an overview of the human nervous system so that a student can understand the function of its complex parts as they relate to each other, to normal brain function and to major neurologic and psychiatric problems. This is an integrated neuroscience course that includes molecular, developmental, anatomical, metabolic, physiologic and pathologic concepts. Learning methodologies include lectures, wet labs, special dissections, small group problem-based learning and peer-to-peer teaching.
MCHA518 Essential Physiology
This is a comprehensive introductory course to integrative organ system physiology and homeostatic regulatory mechanisms where interrelationships of structure and function are reinforced. The flow of the course is intended to interphase closely with the topic material being taught concurrently in Histology (MCHA510). Together with anatomy, embryology and histology courses, this course gives an impeccable and solid understating of the basis of any medical education.
MCHA520 Introduction to Research
This course provides the knowledge necessary to understand the purpose and process of educational research and help learners become informed consumers of research literature in the field of medical and health professions education. It will survey the major types of educational research in this area including qualitative and quantitative forms of analysis to better answer questions which cannot be studied in laboratory settings, particularly in the social sciences and education. This course will also prepare students for their Capstone projects.
MCHA530 General Mechanisms of Disease
The General Mechanisms of Disease module serves as a transition from the foundational modules to the organ systems modules. It focuses on the general mechanisms of disease, introducing students to microbiology and infectious disease, principles for discriminating healthy from unhealthy conditions and predicting clinical manifestations. The course consists of face-to-face lectures by basic science faculty focusing on major principles and their biomedical applications. Exams are used to assess foundational knowledge and facilitate knowledge integration and are designed to facilitate student review and self-assessment. T The course will have three major non-comprehensive multiple choice exams each covering approximately 6 to 8 hours of lecture content. The course will assess topic-specific foundational knowledge and facilitate disease knowledge integration.
MCHA509 Plastination Training in Germany
Students would travel to learn plastination techniques from world experts at the Plastinarium in Guben, Germany. In conjunction, students would prepare dissections for plastination. This course requires an additional fee.
