For some, the word “kinesiology” may bring about visions of pull-ups on the high school gym yard, or aspirations of making first place in your class on the President’s Fitness Test. But, for those familiar with the LSU Department of Kinesiology, that old stereotype has been shattered. In fact, students wishing to enter professional medical programs account for the majority of students in Kinesiology.

In a collaborative effort between LSU Health Sciences Center and the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, the Department of Kinesiology is offering cutting-edge training for students by providing access to cadaver-based anatomy courses. Currently, the department is utilizing lab space at the LSU Veterinary Anatomy lab, and is sharing the cadavers with the LSU Dental School.

“The minute these students graduate and enter professional schools, the first thing out of the chute is gross anatomy,” said Wanda Hargroder, an instructor in the department and one of the visionaries behind the lab.

“There are other options. You can teach courses which use CDs and computer animated graphics to illustrate anatomy, but you cannot replace the detailed, in-depth, hands-on instruction that access to a cadaver lab provides students,” added Hargroder. “It gives our students a significant advantage.”

The course “KIN 1999” is a special topics prossection lab offered this spring and expected to serve up to 40 students per semester. In addition, a summer course “KIN 4501” will allow 10-15 students the opportunity to actively dissect cadavers. “We would love to allow more students access to this unique learning environment, but we are limited by funding and space issues,” said Melissa Thompson, an instructor in the department.

And, while these courses attract students from a variety of disciplines such as basic sciences, they also provide an opportunity for College of Education faculty to discover research opportunities with other health sciences faculty on campus and nationally. Along with Hargroder, fellow kinesiology faculty members Dennis Landin, Melissa Thompson, and Ray Castle drove to New Orleans for professional training on teaching cadaver courses and developed solid relationships with members of the LSU Health Sciences Faculty.

The formation of the cadaver laboratory was one example of the department’s expanded mission. Department Chair Amelia Lee summarized the breadth of the focus “to include the dissemination of knowledge on all aspects of physical activity and its effects on the human organism.”

Melissa Thompson noted, “Access to cadavers is critical to the development of 3-dimensional view of human anatomy that is the cornerstone of understanding injuries for our athletic training students.”

And, while the lab is critical for student preparation and could lead to forming collaborative faculty networking, this program is also important to the community. Through improving the quality of education for LSU students as they prepare to enter medical and allied health professional schools, many of these students return to the region after completing their degrees and therefore the lab will have a positive effect on healthcare and economic development in the state.

The LSU Department of Kinesiology has a cutting-edge, collaborative academic program that prepares students across several concentrations. These include preparing students in the field of traditional physical education and students interested in medicine, physical therapy, occupational therapy, athletic training, and other allied health professions.