Celebrating excellence in anatomy: AAA awards distinguished members

(Press-News.org) ROCKVILLE, MD – February 8, 2024 – The American Association for Anatomy (AAA) is honored to announce its 2024 awards recipients. Eighteen of the association’s 2,455 members have been selected because they advanced AAA’s values: community, respect, inclusion, integrity, and discovery.  

The AAA awards program provides over $650,000 in awards, research grants, and scholarships annually. Many recipients go on to achieve significant success in their careers. 

"We, as anatomy educators, are driven by passion: for anatomy, our students, and advancing the field through scholarship,” said Dr. Charys Martin, 2023 Basmajian Award Recipient and Professor at the University of Western Ontario’s Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry. “Being recognized by my AAA idols, mentors, and peers is a cherished honor, reaffirming my commitment to fostering curiosity, deep understanding, and innovation in anatomy education.”

This year’s awards and individual recipients include:

AJ Ladman Exemplary Service Award Kem Rogers is an Anatomy and Cell Biology Professor at the University of Western Ontario’s Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry.   Henry Gray Distinguished Educator Award Joy Reidenberg is a Professor at the Center for Anatomy and Functional Morphology at Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine.  Henry Gray Scientific Achievement Award  Ralph Marcucio is a Professor at UCSF in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery.  Outstanding Mentor Award Jeffrey Laitman holds multiple positions at Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine and The City University of New York Graduate School.   Excellence in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion  Guinevere Granite is Director of Human Anatomy and an Associate Professor of Anatomy and Forensic Anthropology in the Department of Surgery at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.  Basmajian Award Derek Harmon is an Associate Professor in the Division of Anatomy at The Ohio State University College of Medicine.  Science Communication and Public Engagement Award Jason Organ is an Associate Professor of Anatomy, Cell Biology, and Physiology at the Indiana University School of Medicine.  

Early-Career Investigator Awards

R.R. Bensley Award in Cell/Molecular Biology Monther Abu-Remaileh is an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering and Genetics and Institute Scholar of ChEM-H at Stanford University.  H.W. Mossman Award in Developmental Biology Erica Hutchins is an Assistant Professor of Cell and Tissue Biology at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) School of Dentistry.  C.J. Herrick Award in Comparative Neuroanatomy Christa Baker is an Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences at North Carolina State University.  W.M. Cobb Award in Morphological Sciences  Tom Stewart is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Penn State University.  

Fellows

Thomas Champney is a Professor at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine Raj Ettarh is a Medical Education and Anatomy Professor at the California University of Science and Medicine.  Bryon Grove is an Associate Professor Emeritus in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine.   Sabine Hildebrandt is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Samuel Márquez is a Professor in the Cell Biology and Otolaryngology Departments at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University. Jason Organ is an Associate Professor of Anatomy, Cell Biology, and Physiology at the Indiana University School of Medicine.   

Early-Career Anatomist Publication Awards

The Anatomical Record | Tooba Husain is a second-year medical student at the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine. Anatomical Sciences Education | Catherine Wang is a graduate student in Public Health at McGill University. Developmental Dynamics | Robert Lalonde is a postdoc working in Dr. Christian Mosimann’s Lab at the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus. Additional biographical information on each award recipient can be found on the AAA website. Award recipients will be recognized at the Anatomy Connected Conference in Toronto, Canada, this March. 

About AAA

The American Association for Anatomy is an international membership organization of biomedical researchers and educators specializing in the structural foundation of health and disease. We connect anatomists, neuroscientists, developmental biologists, biological anthropologists, cell biologists, and physical therapists to advance the anatomical sciences through research, education, and professional development.

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