Philip Fabrizio, PT, DPT, EdD, a professor of Physical Therapy at PCOM Georgia, is teaching anatomy outside of the box, literally.
In his classroom, Fabrizio combines traditional teaching methods with analog games to enhance first-year physical therapy students' understanding of musculoskeletal anatomy. His game-based learning approach is hands-on and requires peer to peer participation, differing from AI/digital methods.
He has developed various interactive games to help students understand the complex systems that make up the human body, turning anatomy lessons into puzzles. One popular activity has students line up as if an “arrow” passed through the spine, from front to back, with each student representing tissues, nerves, joints, and muscles that would have been pierced by the arrow.
“I find that students learn better when they are involved,” Fabrizio explains. “These games help solidify the concepts. I’ve been teaching and lecturing for 40 years, but I like my lessons to be a conversation, sparking discussions and actively engaging students.”
Another way Fabrizio is utilizing gaming in his anatomy lessons is similar to the card game, Gin Rummy. Through his proprietary card-based games Lower Extremity Anatomy Review Game and the Upper Extremity Anatomy Game, players have to match their knowledge to create movement patterns by combining cards of muscles, nerves and joints. Movement patterns can be challenged by other teams as players have to demonstrate their knowledge of anatomy. To support his teaching methods, he has also developed supplemental videos on YouTube to reinforce these concepts.
His gaming philosophy as a teacher? “If students are more creative, they create ownership of the material and remember it better.”
With a high pass rate in his Anatomy class, Fabrizio’s approach is not only fun, but is driving academic excellence in the Physical Therapy department at PCOM Georgia.
PCOM Georgia has been serving students and the community for 20 years as a branch campus of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), a private, not-for-profit, accredited institution of higher education established in 1899. Located in Suwanee (Gwinnett County), PCOM Georgia offers doctoral degrees in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy and physical therapy. Graduate degrees are offered in biomedical sciences, medical laboratory science and physician assistant studies. The campus joins PCOM South Georgia in Moultrie in helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state. Emphasizing "a whole person" approach to care, PCOM Georgia focuses on educational excellence, interprofessional education and service to the community. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 678-225-7500. The campus is also home to the Georgia Osteopathic Care Center, an osteopathic manipulative medicine clinic, which is open to the public by appointment. For more information, visit pcomgeorgiahealth.org.
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