Meriden resident appointed first Human Anatomy Laboratory director at Quinnipiac University’s Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine

James C. Casso, of Meriden, has been appointed the
first director of the Human Anatomy Laboratory at the Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University.

In his new position, Casso will be responsible for
overseeing the medical school’s body donation program. Bodies donated to the medical school will be used to train students at the medical school which will open in August on Quinnipiac’s North Haven Campus.

“Body donation to medical schools is free so it’s a less expensive alternative especially during these difficult economic times,” said Casso, who worked as an embalmer at the University of Connecticut Health Center since 1992.

While the typical donor tends to be at least 70 years old, age is not usually a factor in accepting bodies for the program. However certain conditions, including obesity, low weight, edema, infectious diseases, dehydration and autopsy, can make a body unsuitable for the school’s educational purposes. Casso said he will examine each body at the time of death to determine if it’s suitable for donation.

The medical school will provide prospective donors with a laminated identification card with information about their wanting to donate their body. Prospective donors
also should inform their family members of their plans.

After a donor is officially pronounced dead, the family should contact the body donation program immediately. A licensed funeral director on the medical school staff will make arrangements to retrieve the body free of charge and bring it to the medical school, where it will be securely stored until it’s needed for educational purposes. The medical school has the capacity to accept nearly 100
bodies.

Aftercompleting its study of a body, the medical school will pay to cremate the remains and return the ashes to the family, according to the donor’s instructions. To honor its donors, the medical school will hold a memorial service that is attended by the donors’ family members, students and faculty.

Casso holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from Central Connecticut State University. He also is a licensed funeral director and embalmer, who earned a certificate at the American Academy of
Funeral Service.

Quinnipiac is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian institution located 90 minutes north of New York City and two hours from Boston. The university enrolls 6,200 full-time undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students in 58 undergraduate and more than 20 graduate programs
of study in its School of Business and Engineering, School of Communications, School of Education, School of Health Sciences, School of Law, Frank
H. Netter MD School of Medicine, School of Nursing and College of Arts and Sciences. Quinnipiac consistently ranks among the top regional universities in the North in U.S. News & World Report’s America’s
Best Colleges issue. The 2013 issue of U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Colleges named Quinnipiac as the top up-and-coming school with master’s programs in the Northern Region. Quinnipiac also is recognized in Princeton
Review’s “The Best 377 Colleges.” For more information, please visit www.quinnipiac.edu. Connect with
Quinnipiac on Facebook at www.facebook.com/quinnipiacuniversity
and follow Quinnipiac on Twitter @QuinnipiacU.