Des Moines University » Anatomy

Des Moines University’s 114th commencement ceremony to award 486 degrees

Jordan Bahnsen — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:16:26 +0000

Des Moines University will grant 486 degrees at its 2013 Commencement Ceremony, the 114^th in the university’s history, on Saturday, May 25, at 10 a.m. at Hy-Vee Hall in the Iowa Events Center, 730 Third Street, Des Moines. The dean from each of the three DMU colleges will present their classes and DMU President Angela L. Walker Franklin, Ph.D., will confer degrees.

Continuing a tradition started in 1900, the College of Osteopathic Medicine will award the doctor of osteopathic medicine degree to 221 graduates. The college will also confer the master of science in anatomy and master of science in biomedical sciences degrees to nine graduates. The College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery will award the doctor of podiatric medicine degree to 44 graduates. The College of Health Sciences will recognize 209 graduates from five programs – doctor of physical therapy, post-professional doctor of physical therapy, master of science in physician assistant studies, master of public health and master of health care administration. Some students earned dual degrees.

Former White House physician to the president Eleanor Concepcion “Connie” Mariano, M.D., FACP, will deliver the commencement address. A retired Navy rear admiral, Mariano was the first military woman to serve as White House physician to the president. She held the title for a decade, providing care for Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. She is the founder of the Center for Executive Medicine, a medical concierge practice that provides presidential-quality medical care to chief executive officers and their families.

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Des Moines University (DMU) is the only private medical school in Iowa, offering graduate-level, professional degree programs in osteopathic medicine, podiatric medicine, physical therapy, physician assistant studies, biomedical sciences, anatomy, health care administration and public health. Founded in 1898, the institution offers superior academics in a collaborative environment. DMU students' pass rate on national examinations and board certifications is consistently higher than the national average and the rates at similar institutions.

Annual memorial service to honor body donors and their families May 17 at DMU

Jordan Bahnsen — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:28:34 +0000

On Friday, May 17, Des Moines University will honor 62 people who donated their bodies to further medical education in the past year. This year’s service recognizes donors from across the state, as well as Illinois and Missouri.

The family of each donor, the DMU community and the public are invited to remember and recognize each generous gift.

The non-denominational service will begin at 1 p.m. in the Olsen Medical Education Center, 3200 Grand Avenue. The body donor memorial service has been held annually for more than 40 years. Military honors will be performed for the veteran donors. Family members at the service will be given a lapel pin that honors the gift their loved ones made.

“Thanks to the incredibly selfless gift made by these individuals, we are able to uniquely educate and train our DMU students in anatomy, as well as educating students from local schools about how to take care of their bodies,” said Donald Matz, Ph.D., chair of the DMU anatomy department.

The Body Donor Program at Des Moines University has been contributing to medical investigation and student education for as long as the University has. Since detailed recordkeeping began in 1955, more than 2,600 people have donated to DMU. Studying the body’s systems and organs contributes to a thorough understanding of human anatomy. When an individual donates to the program, the University pays a portion of the transportation costs and provides for the memorial service and entombment.

Making death preparations is not something most people like to talk about, but planning ahead ensures the option of donating your body to science. For more information about the Body Donor Program at DMU, call 515-271-1481 or visit www.dmu.edu/body-donor.

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Stimulating Saturday in neuroanatomy

Barb Boose — Tue, 07 May 2013 10:00:27 +0000

Dr. Matz, left, has more than one awesome brain.

While interactive learning is happening pretty much all the time at DMU, a particularly engaged group of clinicians came to campus last Saturday for a neuroanatomy review course. Designed for participants to review, dissect and discuss gross anatomical structures of the brain related to rehabilitation of cerebral and cerebellar pathologies, the course was a collective effort by the University’s anatomy and physical therapy departments under the auspices of the continuing medical education office.

Participants included DMU’s clinical faculty and a variety of UnityPoint-Des Moines clinicians. These physical therapists, occupational therapists, certified occupational therapist assistants and speech language pathologists represented several disciplines, including acute rehabilitation, acute care and outpatient services. Their diverse areas of expertise and experiences made it a lively group of learners. So did the enthusiasm for anatomy knowledge and dissection displayed by Donald Matz, Ph.D., anatomy department chair, and Muhammad Spocter, Ph.D., assistant professor of anatomy, during the two-hour session.

DMU’s Dr. Muhammad Spocter shares his excitement for neuroanatomy.

“The physical therapy clinical faculty enjoyed being back in the anatomy lab as much as the participants,” said April Newton, D.P.T., assistant professor and director of clinical education and one of the review course instructors. “For some, it has been decades since reviewing a brain dissection.”

Learn more about future continuing medical education opportunities at DMU by clicking here.

Anatomy word of the month: mastoid

Bill Dyche — Mon, 06 May 2013 10:04:08 +0000

Would you believe that the name for the little bony prominence behind your ear means “like a breast” referring to its shape? The name was more familiar to the public before the advent of antibiotics as mastoiditis. Inflammation in this area can erode through the bone into the cranium and become meningitis (inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain) and even encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). Before antibiotics, mastoiditis had a high mortality rate among children who typically developed the inflammation as an extension of a middle ear infection. The same word root is found in the term mastectomy (removal of a breast). Using the Latin root gives us mammogram (an x-ray of the breast).

Would you believe that the same word root is found in Amazons? Part of the myth of this legendary race of warrior woman is that they amputated their right breast in order to pull their war bows unhindered in battle. Hence, the ancient Greeks named them a mazos, literally, without a breast.

Anatomy word of the month: Pudendal nerve

Bill Dyche — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 10:40:16 +0000

Pudendal comes from a Latin word meaning, “to be ashamed”. Interesting that this term is an archaic reference to the external genitalia. Obviously, the association of “shame” to “private parts”, those areas that should be hidden from view whether with a fig leaf or clothing, stems from ancient times. However, the term is still used to identify the artery, vein and nerve that primarily supply the genital area: internal pudendal artery, vein and pudendal nerve. Pudendal is also attached to a medical procedure used during delivery, a pudendal block, to anesthetize the area surrounding the vagina before passage of the baby’s head.

Anatomy word of the month: Crista galli

Bill Dyche — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 11:10:35 +0000

The “cock’s comb” is a wedge of bone found on the anterior floor inside of the skull in the midline. The meninges (protective membranes surrounding the brain) are anchored anteriorly at this point. The Latin name for the group of animals including chickens and turkeys is galliformes. Those imaginative ancient anatomists thought that the vertical, curved wedge of bone resembled the comb on a rooster’s head.

Girls to scrub in for surgery, perform science experiments March 2 at DMU

Jordan Bahnsen — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 22:01:42 +0000

Metro area girls will don surgical gowns, handle human organs and partake in exciting chemistry experiments at Des Moines University’s annual Girls in Science Day on Saturday, March 2. More than a hundred fourth-, fifth- and sixth-grade girls from Des Moines area elementary and middle schools will convene on the DMU campus for a fun-filled morning of science and medicine activities.

“This year marks the eighth annual Girls in Science Day,” says Ashley Simpson-Nedved, event co-organizer and D.O. student in the class of 2015. “The campus will be abuzz with over 100 girls experiencing the many realms of science through hands-on activities.”

The interactive, action-packed event gives girls a firsthand look at science by rotating them through six stations, exploring anatomy, chemistry, microbiology, osteopathic manual medicine and physical therapy, podiatry and surgery. From learning how to properly scrub in for surgery and sterilize instruments in the mock operating room to analyzing organs in the anatomy lab, the girls will experience different aspects of the medical field.

“Research shows that girls lose interest in science between the ages of nine and 12,” adds Simpson-Nedved. “It is fun for us to have the girls on campus and show them that science can be fun and doesn’t have to be just for boys.”

Girls in Science Day is open to girls in fourth, fifth or sixth grade. Registration is required by Wednesday, February 20. For more information about the event or to register, contact Chris Mohr at chris.mohr@dmu.edu or 515-271-1440.

Event Day Schedule:

7:30 a.m. – Continental breakfast & check-in
8:15 a.m. – Brief introduction of career options
8:30 a.m. – Surgery, chemistry, anatomy, microbiology, podiatry, OMM & physical therapy stations
Noon – Lunch
1:00 p.m. – Pick up

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Anatomy word of the month: retinaculum

Bill Dyche — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 11:09:43 +0000

A “cord or cable” in Latin. Retinacula are thickenings of tissue underneath your skin that serve to bind down tendons of muscles so they don’t “bowstring” at certain joints, meaning pop up when the joint is flexed or extended. For example, there is a retinaculum on the underside of your wrist that keeps tendons from popping up when you flex or bend your hand at the wrist. But, you may have noticed that there is distinct cord that becomes prominent when you bend your wrist. Hold on to the fingers of your right hand and attempt to bend your wrist against resistance. You likely will see a distinct cord pop up in the middle of your wrist. One of the muscle tendons at the wrist, the palmaris longus, “the long muscle of the palm”, is outside of the retinaculum, that is, not bound down. If you don’t see this cord in one or the other of your wrists, don’t be upset! It is missing in a portion of the normal population.

Anatomy word of the month: bursa

Bill Dyche — Tue, 01 Jan 2013 11:34:12 +0000

A bursa, Latin for a little bag or purse, is a closed fluid-filled sack that is typically found in places where a tendon crosses a bone or a muscle comes in contact with bone. It acts as a shock absorber and protection against friction damage to tendons, primarily. They are found in and around our shoulder and elbow joints among other places. Inflammation of a bursa is called bursitis, a term most people have heard of or may have suffered with at some time. Pain and limitation of range of motion of a joint can be caused by bursitis, although there can be other causes. At some universities the official responsible for paying out funds is called the Bursar, literally, “holder of the purse”. After the official has “disbursed” all funds, he or she has literally emptied the purse!

Anatomy word of the month: Epoophoron

Bill Dyche — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 11:23:12 +0000

“Upon the egg-bearer” (Greek) refers to a cluster of blind-ending tubules near the ovary of the adult female that are vestiges (remnants) of a male reproductive system, at least, potentially male. Fetuses of both sexes start out with all the basic structures to equip them to develop either a female or male reproductive system including two sets of sex ducts. Potentially female ducts may become a uterus with uterine tubes and potentially male ducts may become an epididymis and vas deferens. Through complex hormonal controls one set of ducts survives and develops appropriate to the sex and the alternate set deteriorates into a few remnants of what might have been. Such a complex apparatus also sets the stage for potential abnormalities in sexual development. The epoophoron is a vestige of an epididymis, entirely nonfunctional in the female, that would have become a structure in a male that is responsible for temporary storage of sperm while they undergo final maturation.

Anatomy word of the month: Carotid

Bill Dyche — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 10:18:58 +0000

Feel that pulse in the side of your neck, the one the paramedics on TV shows reach for to check if someone’s heart has stopped? The carotid arteries are the major blood supply to the head. Specifically, branches called internal carotids, one on each side of your neck, are the major blood supply to the brain. In ancient times people discovered that animals could be “put to sleep”, rendered unconscious, by pressing on both of these vessels. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the Greek word for these arteries means “to stupefy or make sleepy”.

Professor, painter and T.V. star

Barb Boose — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 10:53:26 +0000

Dr. Hoff’s works include portraits and still lifes.

Well, he wouldn’t say he’s a star, but Gary Hoff, D.O., was featured this Sunday on local station KCCI-TV8 for his significant talents as a painter as well as associate professor of behavioral medicine. News anchor/reporter Mollie Cooney interviewed Dr. Hoff for KCCI’s weekly “In the Artist’s Studio” program.

Described by Cooney as a man of “very many interests and very many talents,” Dr. Hoff is a former Air Force pilot and cardiologist as well as DMU faculty member. He says he’s enjoyed painting and other forms of illustrative art since age 13. He views art as more than a hobby, however: He notes that the keen observational skills required to draw or paint something or someone are invaluable to health care providers.

In fact, studies have shown that teaching medical students to observe closely as artists translates into expanded clinical observational skills. DMU students can hone these skills in the elective Introductory Figure Drawing.

Dr. Hoff has showed his works at many juried art shows, galleries and Des Moines’ annual ArtFest Midwest. You can peruse his art by visiting his website, Heartland Studio, Ltd. Enjoy!