An article just published in the journal of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) warns that, at a time when new technologies make the knowledge of anatomy increasingly important, "we now are facing a crisis in anatomical education...a deepening shortage of experienced faculty members willing to teach gross anatomy to medical and dental students, as well as other health profession students."
In a 2002 survey conducted by American Association of Anatomists (AAA) and the Association of Anatomy, Cell Biology, and Neurobiology Chairpersons (AACBNC), more than 80% of medical school department chairs responsible for teaching anatomy acknowledged having difficulty recruiting faculty to teach this important subject. "Whereas an adequate number of students are receiving training in gross anatomy, most are being lost as teachers during their postdoctoral years," the article's authors state. They attribute this loss of potential gross anatomy educators to faculty members' perceptions that research contributions are valued over teaching contributions, and to several changes in the structure of anatomy departments and programs that occurred over the past few decades.
The article notes, however, that there are enough qualified persons in the pipeline to reverse this shortage as long as the academic community provides incentives to encourage new faculty members to teach gross anatomy when they make the transition from postdoctoral fellows to junior faculty members.
A copy of this article is attached to this release or available on request. Full survey results are at: www.anatomy.org/Membership/survey_academic_departments.htm. Two of the authors will be participating in an April 4th symposium entitled: Endangered Species: Who Will Teach Anatomy in 2010? Details are found below.
Academic Medicine, Vol. 80, No. 4 / April 2005
"IMPORTANCE OF ANATOMY IN HEALTH PROFESSIONS EDUCATION AND THE SHORTAGE OF QUALIFIED EDUCATORS"
By Robert S. McCuskey, Ph.D., president of the American Association of Anatomists; Stephen W. Carmichael, Ph.D., past-president of the Association of Anatomy, Cell Biology, and Neurobiology Chairpersons; and Darrell G. Kirch, M.D., dean of the Pennsylvania State College of Medicine and chief executive officer of the Hershey Medical Center.
The session described below will be held at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Anatomists, part of Experimental Biology 2005. See contact information at beginning of release.
ENDANGERED SPECIES: WHO WILL TEACH ANATOMY IN 2010?
Monday, April 4, 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM, Room 24AB, San Diego Convention Center
Chairs: Kurt Albertine and Christine Eckel (Univ. of Utah)
Teachers of histology, embryology, gross anatomy, and neuroanatomy ("the anatomies") at U.S. medical schools are, for the most part, from the baby boomer generation who are approaching retirement age. How many will be retiring? Who will replace them? Are the replacements being trained to teach? Will the replacements receive credit for teaching as part of their faculty evaluation for promotion and tenure? These specific questions will be addressed by a group of invited speakers. Context will be provided by reporting the latest manpower survey conducted by the AAA.
Robert McCuskey (Univ. of Arizona College of Medicine)
Availability of Trained Anatomists Now and in the Future?
Darrell Kirch (Penn State College of Medicine)
A Dean's Perspective on the Faculty: Where are the Teachers of the Future?
Kurt Albertine (Univ. of Utah)
Training Programs for Preparing Teacher-Scholars of Anatomy
Valerie O'Loughlin (Indiana Univ.)
Biological Anthropologists: Tomorrow's Anatomy Educators?
Nirusha Lachman (Durban Institute of Technology, South Africa)
Perspectives on the Evolution of the Anatomist
Contact: Andrea Pendleton
301-634-7910
apendleton@anatomy.org
April 2-5: 619-525-6236 at Annual Meeting