In 2002, a widely publicized report projected an anatomy educator shortage based on department chairpersons' perceptions. Now, 17 years later, the question lingers: "Does an anatomy educator shortage persist and, if so, how severe is the shortage?" Trends in the number, type, and fill rate of anatomy educator job openings were explored by analyzing United States (U.S.) job postings over the past two years. A survey was distributed to leaders of anatomyrelated departments in the U.S., Canada, and European Union. Most departmental leaders who responded (65% or more) from the U.S./Canada (n = 81) and the European Union (n = 52) anticipate they will have 'moderate' to 'great' difficulty hiring anatomy educators in gross anatomy, histology, and embryology over the next five years. Within the U.S., the number of anatomy educator job postings at medical schools more than doubled from at least 21 postings in 2017 to 52 postings in 2018. Twenty-one percent of postings between 2017 and 2018 were never filled. While the number of anatomy educator openings within the U.S./Canada is perceived to remain in a steady state for the next five years, the European Union estimates a five-fold increase in the number of openings. Departmental leaders prioritize anatomy educator applicants who have teaching experience (mean = 4.64 on 5-point scale), versatility in teaching multiple anatomy disciplines (mean = 3.93), and flexibility in implementing various teaching pedagogies (mean = 3.69). Collectively, these data suggest the shortage of anatomy educators continues in the U.S./Canada and the European Union.

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Humanization of donors in gross anatomy courses has been reported to facilitate professional behavior in healthcare students. However, there is a lack of research investigating if students' knowledge of donor information is associated with humanization of whole body donors. To address this gap, the current study aimed to (1) determine if knowledge of donor information is associated with greater humanization of donors and (2) investigate student perceptions of receiving donor information. Donor information was provided to students at the beginning of the course (Cohort A) or mid-semester (Cohort B). Questionnaires utilized quantitative and qualitative methods to assess humanization and student perceptions at the beginning, middle, and end of the semester. Independent t-tests demonstrated that there was no statistically significant difference in mean humanization scores between Cohorts A and B prior to the first dissection (t(37) = 0.449, p = 0.656), mid-semester (t(35) = -1.546, p = 0.131), or end of the semester (t(28) = 0.004, p = 0.997). Thematic analysis demonstrated that as the semester progressed, students' view of dissection as an invasion of privacy and the donor as a patient decreased. Themes delineated from students' open-ended responses revealed that students felt a connection with their donors; that the donors' consenting information gave permission to dissect; and that the information gave students an invaluable learning experience. Students demonstrated detached concern towards their donor, viewing the donor as a learning tool or educator rather than a patient. However, their responses also indicated the development of a deeper, personal connection to donors.

Whole body donation is important to science and education because dissection of human cadavers provides an interactive anatomical tool for healthcare education, research, and training. Literature suggests that whole body donation does not keep up with the increasing demand of donors of medical centers. Because Mississippi has a high number of preregistered donors, investigation of our donor configuration could assist other states and programs in the recruitment of prospective donors. However, current research is limited about the characteristics of prospective donors. It is critical to ensure an adequate number of donors who bequeath their bodies in order to support the healthcare mission. This study aimed to investigate the demographics of donors who have donated their bodies within the state of Mississippi. The demographics examined by descriptive statistics were: gender, ethnicity, age, educations status, occupation, marital status, geographic location, year of body donation preregistration, and if the donors wanted their cremated remains returned. Data for this study pertained to those individuals who donated their bodies during the years 1986, 1987, 1996, 1997, 2016, and 2017. The donors (N=788) within the past 3 decades were white (85.53%), males (52.79%) with a mean age range of 70–75 years (20.05%) with other demographic data being more variable across decades. Further analysis will aim to compare the demographics across the decades to determine potential changes. Results of this study may contribute to the efficiency of donor recruitment to continue healthcare education, research, and training.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.