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Conservators will soon be putting on their lab coats in a completely renovated building

After several years of problematic working conditions, the conservators in the Donation Unit at the Department of Biomedicine can look forward to working in a completely renovated complex from November.

[Translate to English:] Medicinstuderende i færd med at dissekere lig i den nybyggede dissektionssal. Konservator Esben Thorup Boel: »De studerende skal have en fornemmelse for helheden. Derfor får de den hele krop, så de selv skal finde strukturen (dissekere liget – og undersøge de forskellige dele, red.). De får nogle tynde som mig, og de får nogle, som er noget større end mig, så kan de se variationen i det. Også i forhold til mænd og kvinder og i forhold til alder.« Foto: Lars Kruse

"The conservators have had problematic working conditions for many years. The last time the Danish Working Environment Authority visited us, they made no secret of the fact that it was high time to begin a thorough renovation," says manager of the Donation Unit, Associate Professor Peter Holm-Nielsen.

The Donation Unit is part of the Department of Biomedicine South, located in buildings 1230, 1231 and 1233, which are currently filled with the noise of workmen putting the finishing touches to an extensive renovation of the unit's facilities. This includes a 700m2 extension of the unit below ground level in building 1236, and it is here that the workshop, cold store and embalming facilities are located.

Heavy lifting

The three conservators in the unit, Esben Thorup Boel, Carina F. O. Leerhøy and Michael Severin Haslund, are looking forward to moving into the modern facility, as they have been working under difficult conditions. 

"We’ve had major problems with heavy lifting and moving heavy objects in general. We’ve also had problems with fumes from the chemicals we use for embalming because the location had become too small," explains Conservator Esben Thorup Boel.

READ MORE: You have died and donated your body to science – what next?

Better utilisation

Better utilisation of the existing capacity is also a result of the renovation and new building, including more optimal use of the dissection hall, where 500 medical students are taught each year.

READ MORE: Surgeons need to sharpen-up

A total of DKK 42 million has been earmarked for the renovation and new building. The money comes from the faculty, the department, the Danish Building and Property Agency and Unilab. The latter is a state fund for the modernisation of laboratories at the Danish universities. 

Translated by Peter Lambourne