Charlotte Verstappen
Bachelor of Science with Honours (Anatomy)
“At first I wasn't sure which direction I wanted to go in, so I took the first year Health Science course to keep my options open. Over the year, I developed a real interest in the science behind the human body, and how all the components fit together and interact to make a functioning being.
“I was also fascinated by the concept that the body can adapt over the course of a lifetime, and how the changes in muscle, tendon and bone are able to reflect different aspects of an individual's life. So I chose to study anatomy, while also including biological anthropology papers.”
Charlotte enjoyed being able to build her degree, picking subjects that she was specifically interested in.
“This meant that I was able to include arts papers as part of my degree, which was a completely different style of learning and I really enjoyed that.”
Charlotte now uses the knowledge she gained through her degree in her work as a tissue bank technician at the University of Auckland, where she liaises with surgical patients who have consented for their tissues or biopsies to be donated.
“The medical terminology and understanding of human anatomy has allowed me to interact with clinicians, and has given me a good grasp of what we are trying to achieve through tissue banking.
“I feel like I'm making an important contribution to future medical research.”