WASHINGTON, DC – February 15, 2023 – The American Association for Anatomy (AAA) is pleased to announce the recipients of its 2022-23 awards, to be recognized at the AAA’s annual meeting, Anatomy Connected, which will take place in Washington, D.C. from March 25–27, 2023. Award decisions are made by AAA members and are presented to individuals who advance the organization’s values of Community, Respect, Inclusion, Integrity, and Discovery.
The AAA members-only awards program bestows more than $650,000 in awards, research grants and scholarships each year. Recipients of AAA 2023 awards program include:
Henry Gray Distinguished Educator Award: Presented to Michael Hortsch, Ph.D., FAAA. Dr. Hortsch is Professor of Cell & Developmental Biology at the University of Michigan. This award is AAA's highest education award for human anatomy education in the anatomical sciences as broadly defined- including gross anatomy, embryology, histology, and neuroanatomy- at the medical/dental, graduate, or undergraduate level of teaching.
Henry Gray Scientific Achievement Award: Presented to Carol Ward, Ph.D., FAAA. Dr. Ward is Curators’ Distinguished Professor in the Department of Pathology & Anatomical Sciences and
Adjunct Professor in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Missouri. This distinction is AAA's highest scientific honor recognizing unique and meritorious contributions to and achievements in anatomical sciences by a distinguished AAA member.
AJ Ladman Exemplary Service Award: Presented to Kurt Albertine, Ph.D., FAAA. Dr. Albertine is Professor of Internal Medicine in the Pediatrics Department of the University of Utah, and a Fellow of the AAA. The Ladman Award is given periodically to a member distinguished in the field of anatomical sciences who has provided exceptional service to the Association and/or mentorship in the discipline.
Outstanding Mentor Award: Presented to Valerie O’Loughlin, Ph.D., FAAA. Dr. O’Loughlin is Director of Undergraduate Medical Education at IUSM-Bloomington. The Outstanding Mentor Award recognizes the dedication and impact of members with a sustained career commitment to mentoring through guiding, supporting, and promoting the training and career development of others.
Excellence in Diversity Equity and Inclusion: Presented to Rebecca Fisher, Ph.D., FAAA. Dr. Fisher is the Interim Co-Chair and Professor of the Department of Basic Medical Sciences as well as the Director of the Gross Anatomy Laboratory at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Phoenix. The excellence in DEI award recognizes a member of AAA who creates inclusive teams representing the rich diversity of the communities they serve.
Basmajian Award: Presented to Charys Martin, Ph.D. Dr. Martin is Assistant Professor of Anatomy & Cell Biology at the Western University Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. The Basmajian Award recognizes health science faculty who are in the formative stages of their career that teach human or veterinary gross anatomy and have outstanding accomplishments in biomedical research or scholarship in education.
Education Research Scholarship: Awarded to Libby Bradley, MS. Ms. Bradley is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, in the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. This award supports a member who is a graduate student in a mentored project, or a postdoc fellow or junior faculty member who wishes to develop a project that shows promise as a model for improving the quality of teaching and learning in anatomical education.
Early-Career Investigator Awards recognize investigators in the early stages of their careers who have made important contributions to biomedical science through their research.
- R.R. Bensley Award in Cell/Molecular Biology: Presented to Samantha Lewis, Ph.D. Dr. Lewis is Assistant Professor in the department of Molecular & Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley.
- H.W. Mossman Award in Developmental Biology: Presented to Rebecca Green, Ph.D. Dr. Green is Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Dental Medicine.
- C.J. Herrick Award in Comparative Neuroanatomy: Presented to Yvette Fisher, Ph.D. Dr. Fisher is assistant professor of neurobiology in Molecular & Cell Biology at the University of California, Berkeley.
- W.M. Cobb Award in Morphological Sciences: Presented to Keiko Meshida, Ph.D. Dr. Meshida is an Instructor in the Department of Surgery at The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc./Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Department of Surgery in Bethesda, MD.
The rank of Fellow of the American Association for Anatomy (FAAA) is designed to honor distinguished members who have demonstrated excellence in science and in their overall contributions to the anatomical sciences. The following AAA members have been named Fellows in 2023:
- Rebecca Hartley, Ph.D. is the Assistant Dean of Foundational Medical Sciences as well as the Executive Director of Program Evaluation, Education, and Research at the University of New Mexico, where she has served since 2002.
- Loydie Jerome-Majewska, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at McGill University, Quebec. Dr. Jerome-Majewska is also the Co-Director of the AAA Anatomy Scholars Program.
- Heather Smith, Ph. D. is Professor in the Department of Anatomy at Midwestern University as well as Editor-in-Chief of The Anatomical Record.
- Lisa Taneyhill Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Animal and Avian Sciences at the University of Maryland, College Park.
The Building Community Scholarships fund members of AAA at all career stages, who are based at international institutions, to attend and present at the AAA Annual Meeting.
- Edem Ekpenyong Edem, Ph.D. candidate at the University of Lagos, Nigeria.
- Adedamola Adediran Fafure is a Ph.D. candidate at Afe Babalola University, Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Nigeria.
- Yuwaraj (Raj) Narnaware, Ph.D., MSc. Dr. Narnaware is Assistant Professor at MacEwan University, Bath, UK.
- Adam Taylor, Ph.D. SFHEA. Dr. Taylor is Director of the Clinical Anatomy Learning Centre & Professor in Anatomy at Lancaster University, England.
Short-Term Visiting Scholarships provide travel expenses for AAA members to visit a laboratory or attend a course outside of their home institution.
- Aracely Martinez, a Ph.D. Candidate at Louisiana State University, New Orleans was funded to visit the lab of Dr. Brandon P. Hedrick at the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.
- Gillian Moritz, Ph. D., an Assistant Professor at the University of Nevada, Reno was funded to attend a seminar in San Francisco, CA in 2022.
Research Meetings Outreach Grants support AAA members to facilitate workshops, symposia, or meetings.
- Julia Boughner, Ph.D. Dr. Boughner is Professor of Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology at the University of Saskatchewan. Grant funds will support Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts at the Canadian Association for Biological Anthropology (CABA) annual meeting.
- Adam Hartstone-Rose, Ph.D. Dr. Hartstone-Rose is Professor of Biological Sciences at North Carolina State University. Grant funds will support a symposium at the International Congress of Vertebrate Morphology (ICVM) in Australia, 2023.
- David Ornitz, Ph.D., FAAA. Dr. Ornitz is an Alumni Endowed Professor of Developmental Biology at Washington University. Funds from the grant will support students, postdocs, and junior faculty at the 4th Growth Factors in Regeneration and Regenerative Medicine Conference.
- Paul Trainor, Ph.D., FAAA. Dr. Trainor is a developmental biologist and Investigator at Stowers Institute for Medical Research. Funds from the grant will assist the Trainor Lab to support the registration and travel of AAA member students and post-doctoral scientists to attend the Neural Crest Cell and Cranial Placodes GRC and GRS meetings. Dr. Trainor is Editor-in-Chief of the AAA journal, Developmental Dynamics.
About the American Association for Anatomy
The American Association for Anatomy is an international membership organization of biomedical researchers and educators specializing in the structural foundation of health and disease. AAA connects anatomists, neuroscientists, developmental biologists, biological anthropologists, cell biologists, physical therapists, and others to advance the anatomical sciences through research, education, and professional development.