The UNMC Department of Oral Biology in the College of Dentistry co-sponsored the 2026 Northwest Regional Anato-Bee, held in March on UNMC’s Omaha campus, alongside the Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy in the College of Medicine.
The event was co-hosted by Nancy Adams, PhD, assistant professor of anatomy in the UNMC Department of Oral Biology, in collaboration with UNMC College of Medicine’s Samantha Simet, PhD, and Matt Vilburn, DC, associate professors in the UNMC Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy.
The Anato-Bee welcomed high school STEM students from many mid-western states, including Nebraska, to UNMC. Participants qualified through local competitions to advance to the regional level. This free outreach initiative promotes education in anatomy, embryology and histology while encouraging students to explore careers in the anatomical sciences. The top two finishers received stipends to attend a summer STEM program.
“The weekend was a tremendous success, and I was so proud of the students and their commitment to excellence,” Dr. Adams said. “The Anato‑Bee inspires young learners to explore anatomy as a career, and it was rewarding to see our doctoral students share their own paths in the anatomical sciences. We’re thankful for the support of the UNMC College of Dentistry and the UNMC Department of Oral Biology. I hope to connect with more high school teachers in the area about participating next year.”
The event’s fun, collaborative competition format included:
- An anatomy lab practical consisting of 50 multiple choice questions involving clinical imaging, histological slides and donor pins.
- Standardized patient interactions and diagnosis.
- A written exam composed of 125 multiple choice questions demonstrating mastery of study guide objectives for anatomy, histology and embryology.
- Clinical applications oral quiz round consisting of 30 completion questions.
“Congratulations to Dr. Nancy Adams for her hard work and initiative in helping to bring about the successful Northwest Regional AnatoBee competition,” said Thomas Petro, DDS, interim chair of the UNMC Department of Oral Biology. “We also thank our partners at the UNMC Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Anatomy.”