Anatomical Outreach is within Reach: Contemporary and Diverse Approaches

Community outreach and service-learning are common components of medical and health profession programs. Outreach programs can provide diverse service-learning opportunities for students to work collaboratively with their communities. Many educational accrediting bodies require service-learning activities for students. The discipline of anatomy is uniquely suited for outreach as it engages students with the community and provides relevant, health-related educational materials and information. Anatomy is often a general interest to many and can aid in the promotion of students pursuing health professions careers. The objective of this work is to describe three unique anatomical outreach programs that integrate components of community service, service-learning, and/or pathway program initiatives in innovative ways. These programs are presented to inspire and/or be adapted in other medical or health professions programs. Variety in these programs range from duration, target audience age, resource and financial requirements, and necessary collaborations. The authors provide tips for success and potential pitfalls to consider. These three examples serve as successful, contemporary, and diverse approaches to anatomical outreach that can be implemented into medical or health professions education programs.