Anatomy faculty accepted hand-crafted gifts from the Class of 2028 as tokens of gratitude for guiding the students through their anatomy lab.
Photo: Photo by Tarryn Nichols
Aug. 31, 2026 –– As Gina Tran dissected the body in front of her, the heavy aroma of formaldehyde stinging in her nose, she imagined the life her donor had led. Occupation, age and cause of death –– these were the few bits of information the physician assistant students were provided about the donors before beginning their intensive training in the anatomy lab, said Tran, vice-president of the University of Florida School of Physician Assistant Studies Class of 2028.
In a ceremony held Aug. 27 in the George T. Harrell, M.D., Medical Education Building, students and anatomy faculty had an opportunity to honor the individuals who had provided the future medical professionals a deeper understanding of the human body.
“Sometimes, you get hung up on learning all the structures, and you forget that it was a living person who made that decision to donate their body for us to learn,” said Camilo Victoria-Alarcon, president of the Class of 2028.
Students representing their lab groups reflected on their experience in anatomy lab.
Photo: Photo by Tarryn Nichols
Students representing their lab groups took turns reading letters of reflection about their experience. One donor had been a professor, and became a teacher to them for the last time. Another group nicknamed their cadaver “Penny” and gushed about her nail polish, thinking they all would have been great friends. Another group’s donor had the largest anatomical heart in the room, which seemed to reflect the generosity of her final gift.
Taking a step back from the science to value the lives that inhabited the bodies they learned from was a full-circle moment, said Victoria-Alarcon, and one that would guide their perspective as PAs moving forward.
“We’re not just treating symptoms,” he said. “We’re treating a person.”
The students thanked the anatomy professors and teaching assistants who helped them navigate their hands-on training and presented a hand-made gift to the faculty: a framed drawing of a brain held by one live and one skeletal hand, surrounded by a halo of pressed flowers.
PA students in the Class of 2028 presented a framed drawing that will live in the lab.
Photo: Photo by Tarryn Nichols
UF is one of the few PA programs in the country that offers anatomy labs with human cadavers due to the significant cost of preparation, maintenance and burial. The weight of this unparalleled opportunity was felt by the entire class. They collectively vowed to take what they had learned and pay it forward as this chapter in their medical education came to a close.
“Thank you for your sacrifice,” Tran said. “And thanks for being my first patient.”