Dear Editors,
I read with great interest the article “Perceived value of student-led near-peer teaching in anatomy education within a problem-based learning medical curriculum” by Moussa et al.,1 From my perspective as an anatomy teacher, I believe that this experience with the Anatomy Club constitutes an important contribution to pedagogical innovation in the learning of a subject as structural and complex as human anatomy.
The model described by the authors interestingly shows higher-level students taking on the role of facilitators, combining virtual workshops, interactive clinical cases, and formative questionnaires. The results report improvements in anatomical knowledge, greater commitment, and self-confidence in students, suggesting that this model is feasible and reproducible in other learning environments.
This type of initiative benefits not only students but also tutors, as teaching allows them to consolidate and deepen their own knowledge, as well as develop teaching, communication, and organizational skills.2 This is in line with other successful expectations of peer education in anatomy, such as the “near-peer” program, which uses summaries prepared by students and reviewed by anatomy faculty, reducing the teaching time burden while maintaining the “near-peer” effect.3 It would be interesting to supplement these perceptions with quantitative measurements of academic performance in the subject of Anatomy, to determine how much of the effect translates into actual performance. In this way, this model could be elevated to a standard that could be replicated in multiple medical schools.
Conflicts of Interest
None
Edited by
Marcel D’Eon (editor-in-chief)
References
- 1.Moussa S, Islam N, Datta A, Hassan A, Hassan A. Near-peer mentorship as a welcome ritual: exploring the what and how of McGill’s “Buddy program.” Can Med Educ J. 2025. May 5; 10.36834/cmej.78902 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed]
- 2.Medveczky D, Mitchell A, Leopardi E, Dawson A. Benefits of a near-peer program from the tutors’ perspective: a survey of Australian junior doctors in a regional teaching program. BMC Med Educ. 2025. Dec 1;25(1). 10.1186/s12909-025-06762-2 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- 3.Buch R, Tran M, Hinojosa J, Wooten D, et al. Harnessing the near-peer effect in anatomy education. Med Sci Educ. 2023. Oct 1;33(5):1033–4. 10.1007/s40670-023-01841-9 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]