UNMC history: Summer anatomy course shows generosity

In the late 1990s, UNMC extended a helping hand to students in a neighboring state who lost their gross anatomy labs and essential class time due to severe weather disruption. 

After a wet autumn, the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota, knew as early as January 1997 that the Red River would flood in the spring. The 1996-1997 winter saw eight blizzards that dumped more than eight feet of accumulated snow. Crews began organizing personnel, filling sandbags and stockpiling supplies in preparation for the eventual flooding.   

Mother Nature had one more surprise for the Red River Valley. Blizzard Hannah on April 5 through 7 brought snow, wind and freezing temperatures. Many lost power, including the University of North Dakota campus. The sandbags that had been ready to deploy were frozen, useless for building dikes until thawed.

By April 15, the Red River had risen above 46 feet, and volunteers descended on the UND campus to save buildings and their contents. On April 16, UND canceled classes so that students could help to fight the rising waters, but the dikes could no longer hold back the water. The city lost access to drinking water, sewer services and water for the UND steam heating system.

The flood damage forced UND to close the campus and cancel the remainder of the semester. On April 19, a sewer backup began to fill the lower level of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences building. Eventually, five to seven feet of floodwater and raw sewage destroyed the state-of-the-art facilities. 

The Red River crested at 54.11 feet, 26.11 feet above flood level.

The Grand Forks community and UND were resilient. Tireless hours were spent cleaning and restoring the campus. All UND medical students passing their classes at the time of the flood moved on to the following year.

Still, the students lost out on important class material and practical experience.

The father of first-year student Keri Hill was Gary Hill, MD, UNMC associate professor of anesthesiology. Moved by the concerns of his daughter and her classmates, he contacted Thomas Rosenquist, PhD, the chair and professor of cell biology and anatomy at that time.

By a remarkable coincidence, Dr. Rosenquist was a medical school classmate of the UND chair of anatomy. After conversations with the UND and UNMC College of Medicine deans, UNMC invited all UND medical students to attend a gross anatomy summer remedial course at UNMC free of charge.   

On July 14, a group of UND students traveled to UNMC to attend the course. UNMC provided scrubs, lab coats, books and dissection equipment free of charge. Dr. Hill even organized free housing and meals. UND students stayed with faculty members. 

Thanks to the UNMC basic science faculty and UNMC College of Medicine administration, a new generation of physicians learned not just gross anatomy, but the importance of generosity and community spirit.