Dental students' selfie with severed cadaver heads prompts crackdown at Yale

By BILL HUTCHINSON
Feb 6, 2018, 12:50 PM ET
Yale University today vowed to ensure that donated cadavers are treated with respect in its
laboratories after a dental graduate student from the University of Connecticut took a selfie with
two severed heads during a workshop at the Ivy League school and posted it in an online private
chat room.
"The photograph taken at a symposium at Yale was disturbing and an inexcusable deviation from
anything Yale would expect to occur," Karen Peart, a spokeswoman for the New Haven,
Connecticut, school, told ABC News in a statement today.
Among changes the school is implementing is a requirement that people participating in events in
its medical laboratories sign an ethical standard of conduct agreement, Peart said.
The incident occurred in June at the Yale School of Medicine. Graduate dental school students
from the University of Connecticut and their orthodontics professor were attending a symposium
at the school when one of the students snapped a selfie while the professor was using two cadaver
heads to demonstrate how to place in dental screws, officials said.
"There is clear signage forbidding photography at each door to the laboratory," Peart said.
The professor, Dr. Flavio Uribe, the orthodontics program director at UConn Health, did not
immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment. The student who took the snapshot
caught him off guard, Uribe told The Associated Press Monday.
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"Somebody, unfortunately, took a photo," Uribe said. "It was so quick. I wasn't sure of the
surroundings or scenery at that point."
The selfie was later posted on a private online chat group. The AP recently obtained a copy of the
photo from one of the participants of the chat group. Describing the image, the newswire service
reported that it shows several graduate students wearing surgical masks and staring into the
camera, while others continued to work.
“UConn Health was made aware of the matter at the time it happened and took appropriate internal
steps,” Chris Hayers, UConn Health's chief communications officer, said in a statement but did
not elaborate.
A spokeswoman for UConn Health declined today to comment further on the incident.
Dr. Uribe was not disciplined by UConn for the episode, he told the AP.
"The School of Medicine took this issue very seriously and has undertaken steps to ensure that
this type of occurrence could not happen again at Yale," Yale’s Peart said in her statement, adding
that the symposium was not part of Yale's anatomy program.
Yale is developing a centralized coordinating function "to ensure adequate oversight is provided
for use of anatomical parts in any training conducted at the school,” she added.
"It is expected that any faculty member coordinating a training event and all participants will be
required to agree in writing to ethical standards of conduct so that appropriate respect is afforded
to the individuals who donated their bodies to science," Peart said.
"The faculty member who was involved in the training at which the photograph was taken has
been informed of Yale’s expectations in this regard."
Name:
1. Salsabila Septiana Yuwarni (XII MIPA 3/ 27) as Dr. Uribe.
2. Syaiful Hukamah Ihcan (XII MIPA 3/ 28) as reporter.
3. Utvia Damayenti (XII MIPA 3/ 29) as Peart.
Reporter : " Good morning ladies and gantlemen, with me again Syaiful In our great show....
Now I will reveal the issues about dental student's selfie with severed cadaver
heads prompts crackdown at yale. Lets give applause for our resource today, mrs.
Karen peart a spokenwoman for the new haven, connecticut school and Dr. Flavio
Uribe, the orthodontics program director at UConn health."
Peart : " hello .... Nice to meet you."
Dr. Uribe :" hi....."
Reporter :" Thanks for coming to my show today, first I want to ask Dr. Uribe, how
kronology the incident happened?"
Dr. Uribe :" The incident occurred in june at yale school of medicine, I and graduate dental
school student from UConn were attending a symposium at school. One of student
snapped a selfie when l was using two cadaver heads to demonstrate how to place
in dental screws. Then that student posted it in an online privat chat room."
Reporter :" .. Why the student can do it?
Dr. Uribe : " The student who took the snapshot caught my off guard."
Reporter :" so, what do you think about the incident?"
Dr. Uribe : " hmm.... I can't comment it. It was so quick, I wasn't sure of surroundings or
scenery at the point."
Reporter :" okey... Thank you Dr. Uribe.... Now I want to ask mrs karen peart, what do you
think about the problem from univetsitas sides."
Peart :" The photograph taken at a sysmposium at yale was disturbing and inexcusable
deviation from anything yale would expect to occur."
Reporter :"I think so, can you tell the detail what are you saying."
Peart : " Among changes the school is implementing is a requirement that people
participating in events in its medical laboratories sign an ethical standard of
conduct agreement and There is clear signage forbidding photography at each door
to the laboratory."
Reporter :"Then, what the respond from school of medicine, dr uribe?"
Dr. Uribe :"The School of Medicine took this issue very seriously and has undertaken steps
to ensure that this type of occurrence could not happen again at Yale,"
Reporter :"l heard that symposium was not part of Yale's anatomy program. But it is a
centralized coordinating function, is there the rule it?"
Peart : "to ensure adequate oversight is provided for use of anatomical parts in any
training conducted at the school, It is expected that any faculty member
coordinating a training event and all participants will be required to agree in writing
to ethical standards of conduct so that appropriate respect is afforded to the
individuals who donated their bodies to science, The faculty member who was
involved in the training at which the photograph was taken has been informed of
Yale’s expectations in this regard."
Reporter :" ok… well, thanks for Dr. Uribe, mrs peart for your time and thanks to audience
for attention….that’s all for today, see you with different issue week…God blest
you all…. Bye….. "