Ellen Robertson, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Physician Assistant Studies, Randolph-Macon College
Candidate Statement: My vision for AAA has always been to be a place where people feel at home in the company of other members. I don’t want our association to be a place where you must know the “right” people to get noticed. Initial impressions of who we are, as a society and as individuals, is part of how we welcome others. I want to see rigorous science, even when it is beyond my area of expertise, because for others that is their space. But I also want to see a celebration of educators who are putting in the hours – perhaps even so many hours that there isn’t any time for a poster this year. A place for all members, and visitors, is my goal for AAA and I think it aligns with the community and inclusion we keep in our values. Our society has endeavored to put programs in place to support members, students, and new anatomists who come from a variety of backgrounds, struggles, and pathways - and for that I applaud the leadership; however, we need to also genuinely welcome these individuals, and what they bring to the organization, to create lasting community.
AAA has successfully launched our independent meeting, but it does make the walls of our silo a little bit higher. We risk losing our shared teachers with physiology or those who need to seek out their clinical education by not having venues to meet both. In creating welcome to those who do come to our meetings, we need to also continue to think beyond our existing borders. Who are the people who want to come, or those where we would benefit from their presence, and how do we welcome them? What are the barriers to attending the meetings and how do we dismantle them? With institutions of higher education tightening their budgets we need to make ourselves the place that people want to be, regardless of how anatomy fits into their role and identity. In making sure that the individuals who want to be with us can physically, financially, and emotionally join us we will have lived into our strategic plans in many ways.
Ph.D. Institution: Ph.D. In Clinical Anatomy, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2019
Earlier Positions: Assistant Professor(2022-2025), Department of Physician Assistant Studies, Randolph-Macon College; Assistant Professor (2020-2022) and Instructor (2019-2020), Department of Neurobiology and Anatomical Sciences (now Dept. of Advanced Biomedical Education), University of Mississippi Medical Center; Adjunct Assistant Professor (2022), School of Health Related Professions, University of Mississippi Medical Center; Instructor (2011-2015), Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center.
Teaching: [Current] Human Anatomy (PA students), Neuroanatomy (PA students), Embryology (PA students), Graduate Seminar (PA students); [Past] Gross Anatomy (medical, allied health, and graduate students), Neuroscience (allied health students), Teaching Practicum in Gross Anatomy (graduate students), Teaching Practicum in Neuroscience (graduate students), Pedagogy in Health Sciences (graduate students), Learning Theory in Health Sciences (graduate students), Biomechanics (occupational therapy students), Occupation Centered Practice: Adults (occupational therapy students)
AAA Committee/Roles: Anatomical Sciences Education Board of Reviewers (2024- present, Anatomy Scholar Program Advisory Committee (2024-2025), Professional Development Committee (2021-2024), Symposium Organizer (2022, 2024)
Other Professional Activities: Ad Hoc Reviewer for Teaching and Learning in Medicine and Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy
Awards: Nelson Order of Teaching Excellence (UMMC), Trailblazer Teaching Award (UMMC), School of Medicine Basic Science All-Star Professor (UMMC), ASE Student/Postdoctoral Education Research Poster Award Finalist (AAA), Student Government Association Executive Council Excellence in Teaching Award (UTHSC), Pi Theta Epsilon (Spalding Uni)
Research Interest: Anatomical education research, with focus on study strategies and predictors of student success. Disability studies, with focus on access within health professions education and accessibility in anatomy spaces. Development of health professions students, with emphasis on cultural humility and communication.
Other Professional Memberships Currently Maintained: American Occupational Therapy Association, Physician Assistant Education Association
Web Link: https://www.rmc.edu/profile/ellen-robertson/