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RESEARCH INTERESTS
Vertebrate form, function, and development; Anatomy program
PUBLICATIONS
Vertebrate Form, Function, and Development
My principal role in the department is to instruct the approximately 1,000 students per year who require training in the structure and function of the human body. In other words, I teach human anatomy to the large body of pre-medical, pre-dental, pre-physical therapy, pre-nursing, pre-pharmacy, pre-occupational therapy, and exercise sports science majors at the University of Utah. I have a strong interest in the evolution and development of the vertebrate body and incorporate the elegant patterns of vertebrate evolution and body design into my human anatomy courses. I feel these patterns of design help students assimilate a greater knowledge and understanding of the human form and furthermore, allow them to better appreciate their relationship to other vertebrate animals.
Anatomy Program
The human anatomy program in the biology department of the University of Utah is a multiple-tiered program that provides the serious student with an excellent opportunity to gain a strong background in anatomy. The program begins with the foundation course in anatomy (Biology 2315 - Human Anatomy). This course consists of four lectures and one laboratory session each week. In the lab, students have the opportunity to work in small groups (6 students to 1 instructor) as they study museum quality human cadaver prosections that coincide with the information from the lectures. A second tier in the program is the human anatomy lab teaching staff. All teaching assistants (36 per semester) are undergraduate students who excelled as students in the course. This opportunity to instruct in the lab provides this group of outstanding students with an unparalleled opportunity to further their anatomy education. Anatomy teaching assistants can also enroll in the anatomy colloquium (Biology 5314), teaching anatomy (Biology 5313), and human dissection (5312). These courses are designed to help train them to become better anatomists and teachers, so they can provide the best educational experience for the students they instruct. A final tier in the anatomy experience is the advanced anatomy course (Biology 5315). This is a course for the serious anatomy student. It completes the anatomy foundation developed in the initial course with a strong emphasis in neuroanatomy and clinical problem solving.
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