E-News September 13, 2023

Anatomy Now 09.13.23

Anatomy Now - September 13, 2023

Board of Directors

Interested in joining AAA’s Board of Directors?

Serving on the Board of Directors is a rewarding (dare we say fun) way to learn more about and to contribute to our Association. As a Board member you have the opportunity to develop and strengthen leadership skills and build professional and personal ties. If you’re wondering if Board service is a good fit for you or a colleague, here’s what to know.

A high-performing Board of Directors makes strategic decisions to advance the vision, mission, and values of their Association. Accordingly, the success of the Board depends heavily on the composition of its members. At AAA, we have found success when members of our Board demonstrate a common set of key values and competencies while also contributing diverse and complimentary experiences and skill sets that represent the breadth of our Association’s membership. AAA’s core values are: 1. Commitment 2. Dedication 3. Effective Teamwork 4. Communication Skills, and 5. Strategic Thinking. While sharing these values and competencies allows the Board to work together successfully, the most effective Boards are those whose collected experiences demonstrate diversity.

Over the past few months, the Board has revised the application process to ensure transparency, diverse representation reflective of AAA members, and the collective skill set necessary to drive our Association successfully forward. We have also surveyed our current Board to determine demographic and professional representation, allowing us to assess strengths and gaps in our membership.

What does this mean for interested applicants? It means that candidate experience does not need to be tied to previous service to AAA; we welcome fresh perspectives. Rather, candidates will be assessed based on the suite of skill sets they can bring to the Board. It is important for candidates to know that desired skill sets will change from year to year based on the social, scientific, political, and economic environment. An unsuccessful application does not reflect the candidate’s suitability for Board service, rather it may mean that their expertise does not fill a gap in the Board’s current composition. In such cases, applicants will be asked if they are willing to put their hat in the ring in the future. We also hope to encourage folks who don’t see themselves represented by the current Board to apply. Diversity is the key to our success!

If you have any questions about the role of Board members, the application process, or the selection of candidates, please contact the Chair of the Nominating Committee, Dr. Valerie DeLeon. We hope you will nominate a colleague or yourself for this important position.

Katherine E. Willmore, PhD

AAA Board Director


	Nominate

AAA Early Career Publication Award Winner Dr. Christopher Percival

Creating New Knowledge With an Interdisciplinary Approach.

The work produced by Dr. Christopher Percival is unique and diverse in its approach. As an Assistant Professor at Stony Brook University, Dr. Percival has dedicated his career to unraveling the mysteries of craniofacial variation. Blending morphometric quantification, genetic analysis, and an understanding of tissue-level developmental biology, he hopes to gain a deeper understanding of the form and function of the skull throughout development and evolutionary history, but his journey has been driven by a desire to understand the complex systems that produce evolutionary variation and an ability to include an interdisciplinary perspective to his work.

Form and Function: A Journey Through Craniofacial Variation

Dr. Percival's overarching research goal is both elegant and ambitious: to understand the complex systems that form the genetic and developmental basis for variation in skull morphology. He delves into the very core of our existence, exploring how our craniofacial features come into being and why they differ from person to person, and species to species.

At the heart of his research lies the use of mouse models, which serve as invaluable tools for generating large samples with known genotypes within controlled environments. This allows Dr. Percival to quantify the genetics of normal variation in craniofacial structures, offering a glimpse into the intricate dance between genes and form. By manipulating gene expression patterns during early head development in these models, he can pinpoint the changes in craniofacial form associated with specific mutations, shedding light on the etiology of craniofacial defects.

But Dr. Percival's work doesn't stop with the mice. He has a keen eye for understanding the broader implications of his findings. Because many fundamental developmental processes are shared between humans, primates, and mice, his research illuminates potential bases for morphological and functional variation within populations, between primate species, and across recent human ancestors. It's a holistic approach to understanding the form and function of our craniofacial features, one that bridges the gaps between species and time, bringing us closer to understanding the essence of our humanity.

Bridging the Gap: Integrating Genetics, Development, and Morphology

All of Christopher Percival’s work is from an anatomical perspective, he remarked “If you ask someone at the Society for Developmental Biology if I’m a developmental biologist they might init say no…because I don’t do the types of experiments that they’d typically do. I found it really fulfilling to collaborate with people that do more traditional developmental biology…coming from an anatomical perspective…meeting in the middle.” With this perspective, Percival’s work blends the traditional approach from different fields: genetics, development, and morphology to produce new knowledge and gain a deeper understanding. He recognizes that a comprehensive understanding of craniofacial variation requires the integration of these three levels of analysis. By combining genetic insights, cellular-level investigations, and detailed morphological studies, he strives to create a more complete picture of craniofacial development.

Through his collaborative efforts, Dr. Percival has pushed the boundaries of craniofacial research. He has forged partnerships with experts from diverse fields, fostering an interdisciplinary approach that promises to unlock new insights into the form and function of our craniofacial features. His collaborative approach and commitment to gaining a deeper understanding was recognized at the 2023 Anatomy Connected meeting in Washington D.C., where he was honored with the Early Career Anatomist Publication award.

Development from an Anthropology Perspective

An interest in anthropology and evolutionary biology began Christopher on his journey of scientific inquiry. He is now returning to these roots, using anthropology to inform future work, taking the knowledge gained from his biomedical research and bringing it back into an evolutionary context.

Building onto the traditional mouse model, Percival is now taking a comparative approach to deepen his understanding of how genetic expression manifests across species and throughout our evolutionary past. For Dr. Percival, craniofacial research isn't just about understanding biology; it's about viewing it through the lens of anthropology. He recognizes that the study of craniofacial variation is intrinsically linked to our understanding of human evolution, diversity, and identity. It's about how we define ourselves as a species and how our craniofacial features have evolved over time.

In his own words, "I am interested in understanding how morphology occurs. How do you produce the variation we see? How does the anatomy become the way it is?" This curiosity drives his research, propelling him to explore the intricate tapestry of craniofacial development from an anthropological perspective.

On the path to deciphering the enigma of craniofacial form and function, Dr. Christopher Percival is combining experience with interdisciplinary relationships to create a unique perspective that may lead to a deeper understanding of the complexity and variability that forms the very essence of our humanity.

To keep up with the Dr. Percival’s work, check out his website and be sure to follow Stony Brook University’s Anthropology Graduate Program on Twitter @IDPAS_SBU

Recommendations for Good Practice Around Human Tissue Image Acquisition and Use in Anatomy Education and Research

In 2012 the IFAA published guidelines to support good practice around the use of human bodies and tissues for anatomical purposes. Continued development of technologies since the original guidelines, with the now ubiquitous use of the internet and digital technologies, means there are now additional considerations which require ‘best practice’ guidance for the anatomy community. One of these considerations is image acquisition and use, a topic that was originally referred to in a limited capacity as ‘Item 6’ in the 2012 guidelines. This topic is here expanded to... Read more

Christine M. Harper, Ph.D.

University of Washington Visit Report:

AAA Short-Term Visiting Scholarship

I visited the Primate Evolutionary Biomechanics Laboratory (PEBL) and Amplifying Movement and Performance (AMP) at the University of Washington to learn more about the collection biomechanical data on human walking from Dr. Patricia Ann Kramer in June 2023. During this visit we simultaneously collected motion capture and pressure pad data using the equipment available in the two laboratories. Through this experience I learned how to collect and analyze plantar pressure data, as well as how to collect high density motion capture data. More specifically, we were able to determine how many markers we need to place on the foot to capture fine-grained foot movements. These data will play an important role in our pilot study for an upcoming National Science Foundation (NSF) grant submission (planned for January 2024).

During this visit, I also learned how to utilize the biomechanical data collected in the AMP laboratory in a musculoskeletal model, which will be critical to my long-term goal of investigating forces (i.e., muscle, joint reaction, and contact forces) that act on the skeletal elements in the foot. Through working with the musculoskeletal model, we were able to learn more about what we can and cannot learn about the role of the foot during walking with the current musculoskeletal modelling tools available. This information allowed us to come up for a more definitive plan for the steps we will take moving forward and what questions we want to address in our upcoming grant proposal.

In summary, during this visit I was able to learn some of the skills necessary to achieve my long-term research goals. I was also able to make progress toward more short-term goals, including the preparation of an NSF proposal. I am very appreciative to the American Association for Anatomy for providing funds to help support my travel to the University of Washington for this opportunity.

Anatomy Career Center

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