Anatoviva: Latin/Greek Root-Based Anatomy Curriculum for First Year Medical Students

Context: Latin and Greek roots form the foundation of anatomical and medical terminology, providing a structured, universal language that enhances student’s understanding. Studies show that teaching etymology modestly improves medical students' performance while enhancing learner confidence with complex terms, particularly when paired with active, hands-on methods. Early integration of hands-on Latin-based instruction appears most effective, yet few supplemental resources apply this approach to anatomy content. At JABSOM, no structured resource exists to prepare students for anatomy coursework using linguistic principles. This project addresses this gap by piloting a root-based anatomy learning tool focused on thorax-related terms. Objective: To design and pilot-test Anatoviva, a linguistically informed anatomy resource, and evaluate its impact on medical students’ knowledge, confidence, and reflective understanding of anatomical terminology. Description of Innovation: Anatoviva organizes anatomy terms by linguistic root, paired with visual mnemonics and flashcards on a student-built interactive website. The pilot was conducted with first-year medical students who voluntarily completed a pre- and post-assessment of 11 multiple-choice knowledge questions and Likert-scale (1-5) items assessing confidence and perceived helpfulness of each feature. Qualitative feedback was collected to evaluate usability, engagement, and reflective learning. Evaluation of innovation: Of 66 students who completed the pre-assessment, 42 voluntarily completed both the pre- and post-assessment without the use of outside resources. Most students (62%) had prior anatomy exposure mainly from undergraduate coursework. Baseline confidence in Latin/Greek roots was low (2/5 [IQR 2,3]). Sensitivity analyses showed no baseline differences between completers and noncompleters, except for slightly higher initial confidence among completers (p = 0.047). Median knowledge scores rose from 7 [IQR 6-9] to 10 [IQR 9-11] after using Anatoviva (p < 0.001). Reflective confidence improved from 2 (“slightly confident”) to 4 (“confident”) on a 5-point scale (p