Janine Ziermann
Candidate Statement: The American Association for Anatomy has become over the past decade my main society. After 10 years as active member I’m now excited to have the chance to contribute to the mission of AAA to bring the Anatomy to the communities of everyone touched by Anatomy from students to researchers and educators, and everyone in between. As faculty at Howard University, I am in the unique position to have contact with many underrepresented students. Currently, we have numerous students signing into the AAA for one conference, sometimes two, and then leave when they continue their career. On the board of directors, I would like to develop strategies to maintain diverse students, and early- and mid-career faculty.
I’m involved in the anatomical education of medical students, dental students, occupational and physical therapy students, as well as Graduate Anatomy students. As such, I have learned the relevance of Anatomy from several perspectives and will be able to suggest ways to bridge anatomical education between disciplines. Finding and enforcing common grounds but also highlighting different needs in different anatomical educational areas will hopefully lead to diversifying not only people but also the professions presented in our society and meetings. This will also, contribute to maintaining members throughout their professional development and careers.
Current Position/Institution: Associate Professor (tenured) / Howard University College of Medicine
Ph.D. Institution: Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany
Earlier Positions: Howard University College of Medicine, Dept. Anat., Washington, DC Assistant professor (tenure track July 2017-Jun 2021), Jul 2016 – Jun 2021; Instructor (Human anatomy) & Research faculty, Jul 2014 – Jun 2016; Postdoctoral researcher, Sep 2012 – Jun 2014 Netherlands Centre for Biodiversity Naturalis (now Naturalis Biodiversity Center), Leiden, Netherlands, Analyst molecular laboratories (technician), Feb 2012 – Jul 2012 University Leiden, Institute of Biology, Dept of Integrative Zoology, Leiden, Netherlands, Guest researcher, Dec 2011 – Aug 2012; Postdoctoral researcher, Sep 2008 – Feb 2012
Teaching: Current: Human Gross anatomy (3 different courses) for (1) OTD & DPT, MS & PhD Anatomy graduate students, (2) Medical students, and (3) Dental students; Human embryology for medical students; Histology on selected subjects for medical and dental students; Small group case studies for medical students; ‘Introduction to Anatomical Research’ & ‘Human Evolution’ for MS & PhD Anatomy graduate students. Past: PA gross anatomy (undergraduate and graduate), Biology of organisms/animals (graduate), Comparative Zoology (graduate), Histology and Embryology (graduate).
AAA Committee/Roles: Advisory Committee for Young Anatomists (ACYA), now called Committee for Early Carrier Anatomists (CECA) (2016-2019); Scientific Affairs Committee (2021-ongoing to 2023); committee for new EUReKA Award (EDI Undergraduate Research Award) (2022)
Other Professional Activities: Grant reviewer (ad hoc and panel) for NSF, Ad hoc grant reviewer for Czech Science Foundation; Peer review of Manuscripts submitted to journals in my field; Subject editor for The Zoologischer Anzeiger; Editorial board member J Exp Zoo B
Awards: 2017 Graduate student scientific poster presentation award – Second place: from the American Association of Anatomists awarded to Dameel Edwards. (Edwards, Siomava, Ziermann). 2014 YAPA Award: American Association of Anatomists and the Keith and Marion Moore Young Anatomist’s Publication Award (YAPA) awarded to Ziermann2007 Award for the best graduate student poster: 9th annual meeting of the society for biological systematic (9. Jahrestagung der GfBS) Vienna, Austria, 2007.
Research Interest: My lab’s research focuses on development and evolution of head and heart musculature and tissue interactions needed for normal developmental processes of these muscles.
Other Professional Memberships Currently Maintained: SCGDB (Society for Craniofacial Genetics and Developmental Biology); Pan-American Society for evolutionary developmental society
Web Link: www.headheartevodevo.com