Rate My Professor Djuna Elkan

Djuna Elkan serves as Prosector for the Gross Anatomy Team in the Department of Anatomy, Division of Health Sciences, at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. She joined the department in May 2018, relocating from California, U.S.A., to address the growing demand for high-quality anatomical preparations driven by increasing student enrollments and research requirements. As the department's sole prosector, Elkan plays a pivotal role in supporting undergraduate teaching and research activities within the Division of Health Sciences. Her precise dissections of donated human cadavers produce detailed prosections used in anatomy courses and by researchers studying human structure and function.

Elkan's professional background is rooted in anatomy and forensic sciences. Her passion ignited during a high school anatomy course, leading to undergraduate studies in forensic anthropology and criminal justice at Humboldt State University from 2010 to 2014. She advanced her expertise with a Master of Science in Anatomy and Advanced Forensic Anthropology from the University of Dundee, Scotland, completed between 2015 and 2016. Prior to Otago, Elkan volunteered at the Humboldt County Coroner’s office, assisting with autopsies, and worked as a forensic autopsy technician at a private autopsy service in California. These experiences honed her skills in human dissection and tissue preservation. At Otago, her work includes prosecting lower limbs to demonstrate leg and gluteal muscles, superficial facial dissections, arms, legs, and torsos, methodically removing minute tissues to expose underlying anatomical structures. Elkan collaborates with Gross Anatomy Team colleagues such as Ellie Stevens and Elise Wolfgram, contributing to embalming, quality control, and undergraduate teaching support. Her ResearchGate profile lists interests in forensic anthropology, dissection, and embalming, reflecting her specialized practical knowledge in anatomical sciences.