Arcadia University is proud to announce that it has received a grant of $342K from Congressionally Directed Spending funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to establish the new Arcadia Anatomy Resource Center (AARC) at 125 Royal Avenue.

Complete with state-of-the-art equipment and technology, the AARC will provide more than 300 students in Arcadia’s nationally ranked Physician Assistant (PA) and Physical Therapy (PT) programs with a hands-on, cutting-edge anatomy education. It will also serve select undergraduates and high school students, offering them rare access to study anatomical specimens.

The AARC will be housed at 125 Royal Ave. along with an Anatomy Lab, a simulation laboratory monitoring station, laboratories, classrooms, and lecture halls, student collaboration and learning spaces, and faculty preparation spaces, all on the third and fourth floors.

The AARC Anatomy Lab will provide students with training and instruction in clinical and visual reasoning, structure/function relationships, and an in-depth knowledge of anatomy. While dissection remains at the heart of the courses, there is also an expanded use of handheld ultrasound devices and computers, where 3D images of the human body may be isolated, rotated, and viewed in cross-sections. The AARC includes two laboratory spaces: one dedicated to real specimens and the other to bones and anatomical models.

In the Simulation Laboratory Monitoring Station, students will be filmed as they practice procedures so that they along with their instructors can later review their techniques. This provides faculty with new opportunities for coaching and evaluation and helps students see where they are effective and what needs improvement in their practice.

“Through the Arcadia Anatomy Resource Center, hundreds of students–at the graduate, undergraduate, and high school levels–will be exposed to unique and valuable hands-on learning opportunities,” said Dr. Margaret Longacre, dean of the College of Health Sciences at Arcadia. “One of our goals is to expose high school students to STEM fields and foster an early interest in healthcare careers. The next generation of healthcare leaders and innovators will get their start right here in this beautiful space.”

Arcadia will continue its partnership with Cheltenham School District, along with 13 high schools in Philadelphia and Montgomery County, particularly those serving traditionally underserved communities. 

Arcadia expresses its gratitude to Senator Bob Casey and his office for securing this funding and to all the community leaders who supported this project including Cheltenham Township Commissioner Matt Areman, Cheltenham School District Superintendent Brian Scriven, and Pennsylvania State Senator Art Haywood.