New anatomy lab opens at Waterloo Regional Campus

Waterloo anatomy lab opens

Listening to Bruce Wainman, director of anatomy for the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine (right), who is showing a specimen, is (clockwise): Russell Sterrett, second-year medical student; John Kelton, dean and vice-president, McMaster Faculty of Health Sciences; a photographer; Ken Seiling, regional chair of the Region of Waterloo; Patrick Deane, president, McMaster University; Carl Zehr, mayor of the City of Kitchener and John Milloy, minister of Training, Colleges and Universities.


McMaster and the University of Waterloo are deepening their collaboration with the opening of a brand new anatomy laboratory.

The $1.3 million teaching and learning facility opened Tuesday at the Waterloo Regional Campus‘ Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine will be used for the study of human anatomy. This training is a basic part of the learning for the 84 students of the medical school and 40 medical residents in family medicine, psychiatry, internal medicine and pediatrics, all at McMaster University’s Waterloo Regional Campus of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, and the 467 students at the University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy.

One of the main features in the 3,200 square foot, state-of-the-art laboratory is the high-definition video system that allows the viewing of anatomic specimens captured by HD cameras. These extraordinarily-detailed images are showcased in higher resolution than ever before.

Collaborations have been ongoing between McMaster’s Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine and the University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy and School of Optometry & Vision Science since the establishment of the regional campus. These include: joint curriculum development discussions; McMaster medical students learning in the University of Waterloo optometry clinic; all health students being involved at the Centre for Family Medicine at the campus; and the establishment of interprofessional student groups between the two universities.

“We welcome these opportunities to work more closely with the University of Waterloo. Building collaboration between our universities will of course lead to efficiencies, but more importantly it will enrich our education programs and open new opportunities for research,” said McMaster President Patrick Deane during a reception at the Waterloo campus.

Feridun Hamdullahpur, president of the University of Waterloo, added: “As a world-class innovation university, the University of Waterloo is deeply and permanently committed to martialing our strengths as a global research powerhouse, and putting those talents at the service of communities in Canada and around the world through innovative health sciences solutions. And we recognize the lifting power of partnership to achieve these goals, and there could be no better partner in this initiative than McMaster University and its Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine.”

John Kelton – dean and vice-president of McMaster’s Faculty of Health Sciences, and dean of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine – also commented on the new lab.

“For the better care of our patients, it’s important that we train health care professionals who appreciate the knowledge and perspectives of the whole health care team, and that starts here,” said Kelton.

John Milloy, Ontario Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities and MPP for Kitchener Centre, echoed his sentiments.

“The opening of the new anatomy laboratories, which will be shared with the students at the University of Waterloo’s School of Pharmacy, represents the kind of collaborative initiative that helps modernize our postsecondary education system and train our future doctors.”