UNE’s Frank Daly shares surgical training expertise at international conference

Frank Daly, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences in the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNE COM), presented his work at the 9th International Conference on Nephrology: Kidney & Therapeutics in Orlando, Florida on September 29, 2016.

In the keynote forum, Daly presented recent advances in surgical training using lightly embalmed body donors to simulate surgical conditions. This is significantly more realistic training for residents and continuing medical education workshops than either computer simulators or typical body donor preparation would allow.

Although the focus of this talk was on the musculoskeletal system, which is typical of most of UNE COM's resident training, this conference presented an opportunity to move into more invasive abdominal surgical techniques.

Daly also presented on the current integrated educational training that first year Osteopathic medical students receive as they study the renal system in the first year Osteopathic Clinical Skills course. Faculty members teach the renal system in coordination with the cardiorespiratory system, prior to study of the gastrointestinal system. This order presents a physical problem in the body donor laboratory for the students' dissections. By approaching the kidney from the back, students are able to preserve the remainder of the abdominal contents for future study.