We hope this mailing provides a helpful preview of summer quarter and the year to come.

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1 From the Academic Co-Chairs Welcome to Pritzker, and congratulations on the beginning of your medical career! As your Academic Co-Chairs, we re here to help you navigate the Pritzker Curriculum and put you in touch with the resources that will help you be successful here. The courses each quarter are different, and we hope to help you transition between them. At the beginning of each quarter, we ll organize a panel of our classmates to provide an overview of what to expect from upcoming classes and give you the opportunity to ask questions. During orientation, you will meet Dr. Halina Brukner, the Associate Dean for Medical School Education. She will present an overview of the Pritzker Initiative and explain how the curriculum is designed to guide you on your road to becoming a physician. She will also set the tone for what will be expected of you as medical students and what you can expect from your peers and the faculty. In addition, we have a panel of students lined up for a Q&A discussion about what to expect in The Human Body course. We ll also provide some general advice for navigating academics during the rest of the first year at Pritzker. In this mailing there are materials to introduce you to your summer classes. Enclosed you ll find a letter from Dr. Monica Vela, the course director of Health Care Disparities in America, and Dr. Vineet Arora, and Dr. Rachel Wofson, the course directors of Scholarship & Discovery. You ll also find a letter from The Human Body course director, Dr. Callum Ross. Additionally, we ve included a list of required and recommended texts for The Human Body. The official course materials include: Gray s Anatomy for Students, Grant s Dissector, Wheater s Histology, embryology.ch, and an atlas of your choice (many students like Netter s and Rohen s). Take the time to check out the comments for each book to get a feel for what our classmates the class of 2019 found to be most helpful. When reading these comments keep in mind that everyone has his or her unique learning style and different books appeal to different people. The Human Body, our anatomy course, is fast-paced but very well-organized. We ve included a handout of tips and tricks for anatomy lab and lectures. What s most important now, though, is to relax and enjoy your summer! Rest assured, there will be plenty of time for studying once you start medical school. We hope this mailing provides a helpful preview of summer quarter and the year to come. Please us with any questions or concerns regarding academics or the curriculum. It s our job to make your transition into MS1 s as fun and seamless as possible! Enjoy your summer and see you in August! Balaji Jothishankar jothish2@uchicago.edu Nora Taranto etaranto@uchicago.edu

2 Anatomy Book List We surveyed our class about the resources they found most helpful for the Human Body course to help you consider what books and flashcards you may want to use. Keep in mind, though, that this is the first of many times other students will tell you what works best. Please remember that everyone has his or her own preferred study method and there is no best way to study. We recommend that you use these comments to just get a sense of the different strengths and weaknesses of the resources that are out there. (Dr. Ross s book list includes a Thieme s Atlas of Anatomy that is not mentioned here since it s a new addition). If you know you re interested in particular books, you may want to check out the Pritzker Book Sale Website tinyurl.com/pritzkerbooks. This site has details about free books in the hospital lounge and student computer lab, as well as books being sold by upperclassmen, so hopefully you can find some great deals here. It s currently being updated, so check back on this website when you get on campus! Now, here s what we found when we talked to our class: We asked the class of 2019, What resources did you use for anatomy and find helpful? Netters Flashcards 80% of last year s M1s used these to study for anatomy SO USEFUL. Someone turned Netter's atlas into a study guide that you can use on the bus. I'm keeping my set for Step 1 next year! I found these best to spend time with at the start of each unit, to get a foundation before really diving into the details. They don t have everything you need to know. For example, they re missing important information about functionality and relationships that s taught in lecture.

3 Netter s Atlas 45% of last year s M1s used this to study for anatomy Useful illustrations for study/review. A must-have! Great way to review once you're familiar with structures/names. Amazing for visualizing relative positions. No narrative, only good as supplement to lectures. Only shows the idealized body, so it may differ from cadavers. Gray s Anatomy 10% of last year s M1s used this to study for anatomy Lecture slides are largely based on images from this book, which helps to describe where things are and what they do. Good at clarifying concepts from lecture. It can be helpful to read through explanations of how the body fits together instead of just looking at bullet points Too detailed for me. Reading Grey s was very time consuming. Grant s Dissector 8% of last year s M1s used this to study for anatomy Reading Grant s prepares you for lab and allows you to lead dissection group. Practical exam questions come from bolded words, so Grant s is helpful for making sure you know all the structures you re expected to know. TA dissection instructions did not always align with Grant s, so I didn t find reading it especially helpful. Embryology.ch 23% of last year s M1s used this to study for anatomy Great embryo diagrams and animations that were useful in visualizing complicated development pathways. Helps with understanding what the embryology figures in lecture actually mean. The website can be confusing to navigate and too time consuming to read.

4 Rohen s Color Atlas of Anatomy 13% of last year s M1s used this to study for anatomy This atlas has actual pictures, rather than drawings, so it s very close to the real human bodies we work with. It gets you in the habit of distinguishing body parts based on their true appearances, unlike Netter s, where things are colored brightly to make them stand out. This atlas SAVED MY LIFE. It was the perfect tool to study for the practical. I honestly got more out of using this than going through the practice practical. Dissections are a bit too perfect and not representative of what you ll see in the practical. Rohen s Flashcards 3% of last year s M1s used this to study for anatomy Lecture Slides 53% of last year s M1s used this to study for anatomy We asked asked the class of 2019, How would you study for anatomy differently? They told us: Be more intentional in examining where different structures are, relative to one another (instead of just looking at the cadaver and getting a general sense of what things look like ). Study consistently throughout anatomy instead of cramming (which is hard since some modules are only one week), so you don t forget everything after anatomy- some anatomy actually comes back in physio and beyond. I would focus only on lecture slides and Netter s flashcards and be confident in that decision. It s all you need to do extremely well. I would probably study less. We asked asked the class of 2019, Any tips for the incoming Class of 2020? They told us: You deserve to be here, and you are just as intelligent as your classmates. You don t have to prove that to anyone-- so don t be afraid to ask for help when you need it! Do not become overly stressed on the resources. Use what works for you. The lectures slides are definitely enough. The resources are extra to help you learn whichever way it is that you learn. Also, breathe. It is a lot of information that can feel overwhelming very quickly, but you are not expected to know all of it. Remember that. Do your best, and it actually will be just fine. Look at old exams FOR SURE, go to practice practicals, go to TA reviews! Try the practice exam at least 24 hours before the test - they re super similar and will give you a rough gauge of how you re doing while you still have time to course correct.

5 Tips & Tricks to Get You Through 11 Things to Know About Anatomy Lab 1. Don t use nice, new scrubs for anatomy lab! The human body has a lot of unique substances and smells that accompany it, so you ll want to throw out the scrubs you use for anatomy lab at the end of the course. If you buy pretty scrubs from the SNMA scrub sale advertised in this packet, don t use them for anatomy! 2. Use a pair of old sneakers that you won t mind throwing out. Like your scrubs, your shoes are going to be getting gross things on them that you won t want to keep around. It s also not really sanitary to wear shoes in the lab all the time and then track things out into the BSLC and outside world. Find an old pair of sneakers that you won t mind throwing away or go to a cheap store and buy a pair if you don t have any old shoes. 3. Bring old or cheap undergarments to leave in your anatomy locker and bring to lab. Even though you ll have scrubs on, the smell goes through to your skin and clothes and you won t want your expensive items to smell like the lab! 4. Hair advice: if it pertains to you, find something to cover your hair a bandana, a shower cap, whatever to prevent the smell of the lab from getting into your hair. Usually this is most important if you have longer hair, but any hair picks up the smell so it s up to you plus, you have to get used to wearing caps for the OR anyway so it s stylish, right? 5. Do not bring your copy of Grant s dissector to lab: copies will be provided for you so you don t have to get your copies all yucky. You want to keep your copy nice for reading ahead at home! 6. If you get cold easily, you may find the lab to be a cold place: a ratty, long sleeve t-shirt or sweatshirt is just fine to wear under your scrub top. Just plan on throwing it out at the end! 7. Don t wear jewelry into the lab that s on your hands or wrists: it gets in the way of your gloves and you wouldn t want to drop anything anywhere All of your gloves and tools will be provided for you so don t worry, you don t have to buy any of that. 9. If you want to protect your street clothes from the smell in the locker rooms, bring a plastic bag to put your things in while you re in lab and then tie the bag before putting it in your locker. Like the hair tip, a physical barrier is the best smell defense. 10. Some people have sensitive eyes, and the chemical preservative can be irritating to them. If you have a pair of goggles from organic chemistry, they may come in handy, but they also have less intense (read: less nerdy looking) plastic eyewear available in the lab. If you wear contact lenses, it is highly recommended that you bring a pair of glasses to wear in the lab. Although the chemicals that are used to preserve the cadavers are not harmful to the eyes, there have been cases where students experience irritation or adverse reactions when wearing contact lenses in the lab. You will be given an introduction to lab safety when you arrive, which will cover all of this in greater detail. 11. Have fun! Anatomy Lab is a unique experience, and one you won t necessarily ever have again so make the most of it!

6 10 Anatomy Lecture / Lab Study Tips 1. Hit the ground running and do your best to keep up with the information! It s easy to fall behind and tests are given very frequently. 2. For the most part, lectures and notes are sufficient to study from for exams. Don t feel bad if you don t read Grey s from cover to cover. 3. Identify organs and structures on different bodies. Organs in other bodies may have a slightly different appearance, and the more you are familiar with the different bodies, the better prepared you will be for the test. 5. Go to the practice practicals and TA reviews. 6. For practicals, learn structures by relationships. Knowing the general location of a structure and what structures are near it can help in situations where the answer may not be immediately clear. Studying with radiographs, CT s, and other medical imaging tools is a great way to do this. 7. There are much cheaper options than buying the books at the bookstore. Many of the books are available at the library either for two hour periods or entire quarters. Some editions of books can also be read for free online, and if you re old school and like having your own hard copy of the texts, they re ALL available on Amazon both used and new. Upperclassmen also put their books up for sale during orientation and throughout the year. 8. Take a look at old exams before tests. Even though exams are now taken online instead of with pencil and paper, old exams can give you a helpful sense of the flavor of the questions you will be asked. 9. Remember this course is pass/fail. 10. The bottom line: anatomy is a difficult course, but it is also fun. You will be amazed at how much you will learn during these 11 weeks. This is also a time for you to get to know your classmates and work alongside them. As long as you put in the time and effort, you will reap the rewards!