On Tuesday, May 3, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) hosted a Celebration of Remembrance Ceremony. The event was held to honor and remember
the many individuals who have donated their bodies to medical and educational research
on the PCOM campus. Students in the Class of 2025 Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program, performed songs, readings and reflections.
“Those who donated their body did so for your education, because, simply put, the quality of your education would suffer without them,” shared Michael McGuinness, PhD, professor in the Department of Anatomy, who spoke at the event. Dr. McGuinness also shared a statistic that, on-average, a family medicine doctor will see between 1,200 and 1,900 patients per year. Because of these donor’s selfless gift, students across the nation can learn the skills they need to go on and treat tens of thousands of patients in their lifetime.
During the ceremony, students read the names of the eighty-six individuals that donated their bodies. White roses, one for each donor, were placed in vases that will sit outside the anatomy lab. These roses are a daily reminder for students, faculty and staff of the tremendous sacrifice these donors have made for their education and research.
Sara Sabatino, MS, manager of the Human Anatomy Lab and adjunct anatomy professor
in the Department of Bio-medical Sciences also spoke at the event. Ms. Sabatino is
the coordinator for PCOM’s Body Donor Program and works closely with Human Gifts Registry donors, their families and friends to
make the program possible. In reflecting on the sacrifice of PCOM’s donors, Ms. Sabatino
shared that people who have decided to donate their bodies all have one thing in common:
“They just wanted to help people learn.”
This annual event, usually open to all medical schools in the Philadelphia area and hosted on the University of Pennsylvania campus, was brought onto the PCOM campus for the second time due to COVID-19. The hope is to continue the event annually and extend the invitation to the family members and friends of PCOM’s donors in the future.
For the past 125 years, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) has trained thousands of highly competent, caring physicians, health practitioners and behavioral scientists who practice a “whole person” approach to care—treating people, not just symptoms. PCOM, a private, not-for-profit accredited institution of higher education, operates three campuses (PCOM, PCOM Georgia and PCOM South Georgia) and offers doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, educational psychology, osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, and school psychology. The college also offers graduate degrees in applied behavior analysis, applied positive psychology, biomedical sciences, forensic medicine, medical laboratory science, mental health counseling, physician assistant studies, and school psychology. PCOM students learn the importance of health promotion, research, education and service to the community. Through its community-based Healthcare Centers, PCOM provides care to medically underserved populations. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 215-871-6100.
Brandon Lausch
Executive Director, Strategic Communications
Email: brandonla@pcom.edu
Office: 215-871-6312 | Cell:
717-371-0609
© 2024 Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine