Anatomy Now 07.05.23

Anatomy Now - July 5, 2023

LEADERSHIP CORNER

Message from the President: 100 Days of Progress and Exciting Initiatives

Dear AAA members,

Can you believe it? It has already been 100 days since we gathered in Washington, DC, and I was honored to lead our esteemed organization. In this message, I would like to share with you some of the notable activities and achievements that have taken place during this time, with the invaluable assistance of the board and our dedicated AAA staff.

I engaged five task forces comprising board members and volunteers to ensure our organization operates smoothly and effectively. These task forces have been diligently reviewing critical processes that impact all of us at AAA. These task forces insights and recommendations have been awe-inspiring, from annual award planning and prioritization to the efficient coordination of committees and onboarding processes. I was thrilled by the thoughtful suggestions they presented during our strategic board meeting last month. Over the coming weeks, these task forces will continue their work and raise their comprehensive recommendations to the board at the end of September. I eagerly await the results of their outstanding efforts.

Speaking of the board, I had the pleasure of chairing my first board meeting. Conducted virtually, it was an occasion that allowed me to wield my gavel for the first time! The discussions were fruitful, focusing primarily on the work of the task forces. We also ventured into "out of the box" thinking as we contemplated the future of AAA. Be prepared, as I will soon be seeking your "out of the box" ideas as well.

In thinking about the big picture, one of my aspirations for our association is to foster an outward-facing approach. Recognizing that many of us are visual learners, educators, and avid users of powerful images, I took the initiative to strengthen our budding collaboration with the Association of Medical Illustrators (AMI). I joined their association and will attend their annual meeting, AMI2023, in July. They have spoken highly of us, and I eagerly anticipate hosting them as guest society at our Annual Meeting, Anatomy Connected, in March 2024. Additionally, I extended words of support to the first graduates of the Anatomy Club of the University of Guadalajara in Mexico, which happens to be the only Medical School in Mexico with the certification to prepare their graduates to sit for the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) and practice medicine in the United States.

On a sad note, last month, we were all shocked by the news of unethical behavior within the Harvard Medical School Deeded Donor Program. As the leading association for Anatomy, AAA holds the utmost respect for the donors who contribute to the education of the next generation within academic institutions. I, my colleagues, and our association strongly condemn these actions and pledge to strengthen regulations to prevent misconduct.

On a lighter note, the Anatomy Forum has been buzzing with discussions on the fascinating intersection of Gaming and Anatomy. It is truly a delightful and interactive way to enhance learning. I thank our staff for creating a new community catering to all interested in this captivating topic. In addition, I am thrilled to announce the planning phase of the Anato-Bee, a new program sponsored by a AAA innovation grant. This is a competition designed to inspire high school students to learn more about the anatomical sciences. The Anato-Bee Team is especially motivated to spark this interest in students that are underrepresented in STEM majors and careers. We are currently seeking participation from various institutions. It promises to be an exciting and fun-filled approach to learning anatomy.

In addition, I am delighted to share the exciting news that this week marks the grand unveiling of our first predoctoral awards and the DEI dissertation completion award. It brings me great joy to recognize and celebrate the remarkable individuals who have earned these distinguished honors.

Lastly, July is dedicated to raising awareness about Cleft Lip and Palate. This structural congenital disability, affecting 1 in every 1,000 live births in the United States, holds a special place in my heart as it is the focus of active research in my lab. It is also significant for AAA, as our affiliate association, SCGDB, centers its efforts on understanding and treating this complex disorder. Their annual meeting is scheduled for October, and their call for abstracts is now open. It presents a beautiful opportunity for trainees to present and discuss their most recent findings.

Thank you all for your continued support and engagement as we work together to advance the field of Anatomy. I look forward to the remarkable journey ahead.

Warm regards,

AAA President

Martine Dunnwald, PharmD, Ph.D., FAAA

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

From the Cell to the Head: AAA Fellow Seeks to Better Understand Human Disease and Normal Development

As the head of a lab that studies craniofacial development, AAA Fellow Lisa Taneyhill spends her days overseeing a team that investigates the cellular mechanisms and signals that regulate the anatomical development and functional integration of neural crest and placode cells.

“Upon their differentiation, neural crest and placode cells form a wide variety of derivatives in the head -- ranging from cranial bone and cartilage to the sensory nervous system. We’re interested in not only how these cells are generated but also how, in some instances, these cells must interact together to give rise to an entirely different structure, like the cranial sensory ganglia, said Taneyhill, a professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Taneyhill is a cell and developmental biologist with considerable expertise in the fields of early embryonic patterning and craniofacial biology. She started as a chemistry and biochemistry major as an undergraduate and got her PhD in molecular biology from Princeton University.

When Taneyhill was a graduate student, she took a developmental biology class with Robert K. Ho and Jean E. Schwarzbauer and was captivated from the start. While her thesis research explored aspects of cancer biology, Taneyhill still remembers that class as lighting the spark that fueled her interest in developmental biology and desire to get more training in this area.

“The content was so different than anything I had studied before because I wasn’t trained like that as an undergraduate or graduate student,” Taneyhill explained. “Before that my life revolved around having a tube with liquid or something in it, and certainly with molecular biology, there is a lot of that. But with developmental biology you are really addressing questions not just from a standpoint of a tube, but cells and then tissues and then tissue-tissue interactions and forming the whole organism. That for me was the eye-opening experience that I had, really an epiphany of sorts, ‘Oh, this is how it all fits together.’”

While the Taneyhill Lab still does basic research, over the last five years, Taneyhill has pivoted to exploring “the more translational aspect of that research. So how does what we do in the lab translate to our understanding of human disease and normal development? Can we go from what we do at the bench in the lab to really pioneering some ways to ameliorate the dysfunction and phenotypes that manifest in some of these human diseases and disorders?”

Taneyhill still gets excited over the possibility of finding something new, something she tries to instill in the six-to-12 graduate and undergraduate students who come through her lab each year. “I still get so excited about developmental biology, that excitement and intrinsic curiosity will always be there,” she said.

Being a Steward for Science and AAA

Taneyhill joined AAA in 2011 after fellow developmental biologist Paul Trainor asked her to help him with a symposium he was conducting at an AAA Annual Meeting. “It’s an excellent society, particularly for a young assistant professor, which I was at the time,” she said. “I was able to meet people in the field in a forum that was non-threatening (non-competitive) and in an environment that was very comfortable.”

Since joining, Taneyhill has served as a member of the Program Committee, chair of the Task Force on AAA Regional Meetings and as a session chair of three symposia at different AAA Annual Meetings. Today, Taneyhill has a seat on AAA’s Board of Directors through 2024. Most recently, she was named an AAA Fellow, a designation that honors distinguished members who have demonstrated excellence in science and in their overall contributions to the anatomical sciences.

“For me being a fellow just speaks to all my trainees over the years, from the high school students to the postdoctoral fellows. Working with them helped me get to where I am today,” Taneyhill said. “Being a steward of science is really important and it’s critical that I continue to communicate with members and non-members alike.”

When she’s not mentoring, teaching or in the lab, Taneyhill can be found on the running trails near her home base in Maryland -- a hobby that bolsters her philosophy of having a life outside of the lab. “I get a lot of good ideas out on long runs. I also coach my kids’ teams, which uses a part of my mind in a whole different manner and has reinforced the importance of working as a team, both in and out of the lab, to achieve a common goal. Having those other outlets not related to work also provides perspective, which, I’ve found over the years, is one of the keys to being successful in academia, allowing me to remain persistent and resilient,” she said.

Recognizing an Anatomy Pioneer – Elizabeth Dexter Hay

Did you know that around 7,000 babies a year are born in the U.S. with a cleft lip or palate? That’s 1 in every 600 babies.

July is National Cleft & Craniofacial Awareness & Prevention Month. In recognition of this month, we’re highlighting Dr. Elizabeth Dexter “Betty” Hay (1927-2007), a pioneer in the field of cell biology and embryology. Hay was also the American Association for Anatomy's third woman president, serving in that position from 1981 to 1982.

Hay’s research “formed the foundation of an entire field in cellular biology,” according to her biography on National Library of Medicine (NLM)'s Changing the Face of Medicine series. An expert in electron microscopy, one of Hay’s greatest scientific achievements was her breakthrough understanding of the extracellular matrix. In her later work, she researched cell-matrix interactions in cell migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transformations in embryos and in palatal and corneal development in the chick embryo.

Hay was drawn to the field of medicine through her first biology course as an undergraduate student at Smith College. With her mentor’s encouragement, she pursued a medical degree at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where she was only one of four women in her class. Upon graduation, she joined the anatomy faculty at both Johns Hopkins and Cornell Medical College.

Throughout her career, Hay accomplished several “firsts.” She was the first woman to earn a position as full professor and head of Harvard Medical School’s Department of Anatomy, the first woman to be elected president of the Society for Developmental Biology (SDB) and receive their Conklin Medal in Developmental Biology, and the first woman to be elected president of The American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB).

●Hay's 1982 oral history is also available through Harvard’s Center for the History of Medicine at Countway Library.

Call for Abstracts for 2023 AAA Regional Meeting: Anatomy & Osteopathic Medicine

Join us at the 2023 AAA Regional Meeting: Anatomy & Osteopathic Medicine in San Antonio, TX on October 7, 2023! We invite abstract submissions on various topics, including Anatomy Education, Developmental Biology/Embryology, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Gross Anatomy, Histology, Imaging, Interprofessional Education, Neurobiology, Pathology, and Physiology.

Submission Deadlines:

Oral - September 11, 2023
Poster - September 25, 2023

Submit your abstract here.

Don't miss this opportunity to present your research and contribute to advancing anatomy and osteopathic medicine. Spread the word among your colleagues and peers! The pre-registration deadline for the 2023 AAA Regional Meeting is September 25, 2023. Register here.

SAVE THE DATE for the next SciComm Bootcamp

AAA’s Science Communication Bootcamp is back! This year’s SciComm Bootcamp will take place in Indianapolis, Indiana from October 19-20, 2023!! This popular three-day, hands-on professional development workshop in effective science communication strategies is organized by members Jason Organ and Krista Hoffmann-Longtin of the Indiana University School of Medicine and was a recipient of the AAA Innovations Program in 2017.

More information and registration coming soon!

Mark Your Calendar for SCGDB’s Annual Meeting

Registration is open for the Society for Craniofacial Genetics and Developmental Biology’s 46th Annual Meeting!

SCGDB's 46th Annual meeting will be held from October 10-12, 2023 at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. Plenary speakers include Drs. Lisa Taneyhill, Robert Cornell, Timothy Cox, and Mildred Embree.

Abstracts for a talk must be submitted by September 5 and abstracts for posters are due by September 18.

To learn more about how to submit an abstract as well as information on workshops, awards and special sessions, click here.

Get En-‘Raptored’ by Dinosaurs in AR’s Latest Special Issue

Be sure to check out the July issue of AAA’s The Anatomical Record, which explores dinosaurs of all ilk and pays tribute to “a titan of his science” and “giant among dinosaurs,” Peter Dobson, writes co-editors Jeffrey T. Laitman and Heather F. Smith. “His contributions to understanding the world of dinosaurs—from his paleontological findings, scholarly writings, museum exhibit creations, and birthing of superb progeny—have made him stand out in the world of dinosaur science,” Laitman and Smith write.

The special issue, which was guest edited by Anthony Fiorello, Cathy Forster and David Weishampel, includes 18 scientific papers on new species, evolutionary relationships, muscular reconstructions and more. The cover of the issue is also a tribute to Dobson’s research interests and was created by artist and Anatomical Record Associate Editor Adam Hartstone-Rose.

“We hope that you will explore the articles within and enjoy and learn from them as much as we have. And give a smile and thanks when you think of our most dear colleague, Peter Dodson,” Laitman and Smith write.

Read this AR special issue “Dinosaurs: New Ideas from Old Bones”

ASE’s Latest Issue is a Work of Art

The July/August 2023 issue of Anatomical Sciences Education is now available on AAA’s Journals Hub. This month’s issue includes reports on utilizing the metaverse in anatomy and physiology, using superheroes in an undergraduate human anatomy curriculum, the application of HoloLens-based augmented reality and three-dimensional printed anatomical tooth reference models in dental education, and so much more.

This issue’s cover art is (quite fittingly) based on paper on art-based learning and anatomy body painting. The research report presented by Leonard Shapiro of University of Cape Town (UCT), Cape Town, South Africa, Ian Keenan and Ella Hobbs of Newcastle University in Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom, describes haptic surface painting as “a flexible and engaging learning approach in musculoskeletal anatomy, which can achieve specific outcomes distinct from classical body painting.”

Read ASE’s July/August issue.

AAA’s 2023 DELTA Program Kicks Off

The first phase of the Developing and Elevating Leaders with Tools for Advancement (DELTA), one of the newest professional development opportunities for AAA members, was held in Boston, Massachusetts on June 26-28, 2023. Funded by a 2021 AAA Innovations Program Award, the DELTA program is focused on helping individuals gain leadership skills and knowledge to better prepare them for new leadership roles and career advancement.

Each DELTA participant is assigned a mentor to meet with monthly throughout the program as they work toward achieving their leadership goals. @JonathanWisco, a DELTA mentor and associate professor, anatomy & neurobiology at Boston University tweeted, “First phase of #2023DELTA is in the books! Thanks to Dr. Rebecca Lufler and Dr. Lela Giannaris for organizing such an enlightening 3-day leadership workshop! Looking forward to serving as a mentor for the program til #AnatomyConnected in 2024!”

Medical Student Calls Body Donor “the Most Sincere Gift I Have Received”

Brown University student Nidhi Bhaskar expressed her gratitude and emotions surrounding her experiences with her first body donor in an essay in MedPage Today. “The quintessential ‘anatomy lab’ experience of medical school is one laden with emotions -- both for students and families. Body donors occupy a liminal state in which, through death, they impart knowledge and wisdom into the lives of the next generation of physicians,” writes Bhaskar, a second-year medical student at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.

Read: “Breathing New Life Into ‘Body Donors’”

Anatomy Career Center

The Anatomy Career Center provides an easy way for job seekers to review and apply for available jobs and for employers or hiring agencies to post jobs in the anatomical sciences and related fields.