Victoria Roach, Ph.D., Research Assistant Professor and Director of Evaluation and Assessment, WWAMI Institute for Simulation in Healthcare (WISH). Department of Surgery, University of Washington
Candidate Statement: My unwavering commitment to the core values of the American Association for Anatomy (AAA) – Community, Respect, Inclusion, Integrity, and Discovery – is deeply rooted in my leadership experiences, particularly as the former Chair of the Committee for Early Career Anatomists (CECA). I am eager to extend this commitment as I seek a position on the board, with a specific focus on providing a voice for early career anatomists. My prior role within CECA exemplifies this dedication, as I successfully led an initiative to ensure that the expertise of our committee members accurately reflected the broader student population of the AAA. This initiative allowed us to maintain a rigorous and unbiased judging process, which ensured that trainees received fair and constructive feedback from judges who could not only evaluate the quality of their science, but also relate to their lived experience; thus, promoting a culture of fairness, inclusion, mutual respect and a feeling of community between AAA’s trainees, and CECA.
In seeking a board position, I draw on my experience as a former Student/Postdoctoral Representative on the Board of Directors, coupled with my leadership within CECA. My candidacy is driven by a specific goal: to champion the concerns and aspirations of early career anatomists, ensuring their voices resonate within the strategic decisions of the AAA. I envision a future where the AAA continues to flourish by embracing diversity, fostering respect, and valuing the contributions of those at the early stages of their careers. Your consideration of my commitment to these values, particularly in providing a dedicated voice for early career anatomists, is sincerely appreciated as I aspire to contribute meaningfully to the future success of the AAA.
PhD. Institution: Ph.D. in Anatomy and Cell Biology (Clinical Anatomy), University of Western Ontario, 2016.
Earlier Positions: Assistant Professor (2016-2021), Department of Foundational Medical Studies, and Department of Surgery, Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine. Instructor (2015-2017) Continuing Studies at Western, The University of Western Ontario.
Teaching: [Courses Currently in Development for 2024/25] Educational Research Methods for Healthcare Simulation Science 1-6 (Graduate Students), Advanced Assessment Techniques in Healthcare Simulation (Graduate Students), Leadership in Healthcare Simulation (Graduate Students); [Past] Anatomical Foundations of Clinical Practice 1 & 2 (Medical Students), Musculoskeletal, Connective Tissue and Skin (Medical Students); Renal and Urinary (Medical Students), Gastro Enterology and Hepatology (Medical Students), Cardiovascular Organ System (Medical Students), Respiratory Organ System (Medical Students), Endocrinology Organ System (Medical Students), Embark 3: Techniques in Research Communication (Medical Students), Embark 4: Effective Scholarly Presentation (Medical Students), Embark 5: Focused Research (Medical Students), Embark 6-10: Directed Research (Medical Students), Integrated Clinical Anatomy (Medical Students), General Surgery Bootcamp (Medical Students), Grants, Audits and Budgets in Clinical Trials (Graduate Students).
AAA Committee/Roles: Anatomy Connected Symposium Invited Speaker (2024), Chair of the Committee for Early Career Anatomists (CECA) (2020-2023); Program Committee (2020-2023); Symposium Chair (2022); Member of the Committee for Early Career Anatomists (CECA) (2017 – 2020); Member of the London Ontario AAA Regional Meeting Task Force (2015-2016); Member of the AAA Online Community Task Force (2014); Student Director, AAA Board of Directors (2012-2014).
Other Professional Activities: Member of the Faculty Development Committee, American College of Surgeons – Division of Education, Accredited Education Institutes; Member of the Simulation and Technology Committee, American College of Surgeons – Division of Education; Accredited Education Institutes. Editorial Board Member for BMC Medical Education.
Awards and Research Funding:
Research Funding:
- Co-Investigator, “Comprehensive Repair of Ureteral Trauma”, funded by Department of Defense U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs, $1,794,954 (2022-2024)
- Co-Investigator, “Training Infection Prevention through Simulation (TIPS) Course”, funded by the US Center for Disease Control $287,687 (2022-2024)
- Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Doctoral Research Grant $40 000 (2014-2016).
Awards: Anatomical Sciences Education’s Early Career Anatomist Publication Award for “YouTube-based course orientation videos delivered prior to matriculation fail to alleviate medical student anxiety about anatomy”, written by Attardi SA, Gould DJ, Pratt RL, and Roach VA (2022), Department of Foundational Medical Studies' Excellence in Educational Research Award Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine (2019), The Francis Chan Award for Outstanding Extracurricular Involvement, for mentorship of junior students and humanitarian conduct, University of Western Ontario (2015).
Research Interest: Dr. Roach is the author of over 20 peer reviewed manuscripts published in the field of anatomical and medical education research. Her research focuses on four domains of human factors science, each of which impact individual and team performance, as well as learning. These domains include Physical Considerations (such as environmental design and layout, equipment design, information displays), Cognitive Considerations (including learning, memory, judgment, decision making, and cognitive workload), Emotional/Motivational Considerations (including burnout, and stress), and Sociocultural Considerations (including teamwork, communication, production pressure, and the interactions between healthcare workers, and their environment).
Other Professional Memberships Currently Maintained:
- American College of Surgeons, Affiliate Member of the American College of Surgeons
- Society for Simulation in Healthcare, Member
- Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Member
- AMSUS (Association of Military Surgeons of the United States): The Society of Federal Health Professionals. Member
Web Links:
- https://crest.washington.edu/vr-bio
- https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4020-2224