JOIN USDepartments of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Melaka Manipal Medical College, Manipal, conducted a workshop on ‘Understanding the human body-Part 1’ for school teachers. As many as 57 teachers mostly from high schools and a few from pre-university colleges of Udupi district participated in the day-long workshop.
The workshop was inaugurated by Dr H Vinod Bhat, Vice Chancellor of Manipal University. In his address he said that the initiative of social outreach was one of the highest functions of any university and Manipal University was a pioneer since six decades.
For the teachers, most of them fro m Biology, it was a learning experience with a difference. To learn from a cadaver in the Anatomy Dissection Hall with faculty members explaining various body parts was new for all of them.
One teacher exclaimed: “It was an eye opener to actually see the bicuspid and tricuspid valves of the heart which we usually teach from textbooks.”
Sessions on Nutrition and Physiology were also held. The session on nutritional science was conducted by the Department of Biochemistry in the Digital Laboratory of MMMC. The faculty members used role play to explain various concepts of nutrition in health and in disease and addressed common concerns about nutritional value of different food groups with regard to which oil to use, food for diabetics and the rise in obesity.
In the Physiology session, the participants witnessed a short role play followed by video shows explaining the basic concepts of vital functions of the heart and the lungs. The participants were then divided into small groups for hands-on demonstrations to assess vital functions of heart and lungs by measuring pulse, blood pressure and lung function tests using the peak expiratory flow meter.
The teachers were given participation certificates at the valedictory function held later in the day by Dr Poornima Baliga, Pro Vice Chancellor. Teachers from Little Rock Indian School and St Mary’s School gave a feedback appreciating the unique workshop. Dean of MMMC, Dr Ullas Kamath promised the teachers that more such programmes would be conducted.