Canada’s northernmost anatomy lab launches in Grande Prairie

From left to right: Richard Martin, Holly Handfield, Megan Stone, Liisa Wainman, Victor Han, Daniel Livy

On March 20, 2026, the University of Alberta and Northwestern Polytechnic celebrated the grand opening of a new anatomy lab in Grande Prairie, Alta.

The new lab is the northernmost of its kind in Canada. It is a gateway for students across northern Alberta to receive world-class health education close to home. By bringing state-of-the-art learning tools to the region, the lab ensures that students in the North have the same access to anatomical learning as their peers in major urban centres. 

A centerpiece of the lab is the Virtual Anatomy Table, generously funded and donated by the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital Foundation. This large, interactive touchscreen combines traditional anatomy education with cutting-edge digital technology. It allows students to explore the human body — including visualizing organs in motion and seeing how different body systems interact.

The lab will support medical students in the Northern Alberta Medical Program, a regional site of the University of Alberta’s Medical Doctor program hosted on Northwestern Polytechnic’s Grande Prairie campus. The program welcomed its first cohort of students in Fall 2025. The lab will also support hundreds of students in health-related programs at Northwestern Polytechnic, such as nursing, paramedicine and kinesiology.

The opening celebration featured guided tours of the lab and remarks from Dr. Richard Martin, assistant dean of the Northern Alberta Medical Program, and Dr. Vanessa Sheane, president and CEO of Northwestern Polytechnic. 

The launch of a new anatomy lab marks a crucial step forward in expanding medical education in rural and regional communities, giving students the tools and training to become future health-care leaders in the North.