Samuel Marquez
Current Position/Institution: Professor, Department of Cell Biology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Ph.D. Institution: Ph.D. in Comparative Anatomy & Evolution of Nose and Paranasal Sinuses, City University of New York Graduate Center
Earlier Positions: Assistant Professor (2004-2012), Associate Professor with tenure (2012-2020), Professor (2020) SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University
Teaching: Diagnostic Medical Imaging for licensure for ultrasonography (2004-2016), Education Outreach Courses (Changing Skull and Early MedBound Middle School Program (2005-2014), Director of Anatomy for School of Health Professions (2006-2020), Understanding Anatomy Through the Art of Sculpting (2009-2014), Co-Discipline Director of Anatomy for College of Medicine (2009-2020)
AAA Committee/Roles: Education Affairs Committee member (2009-2012), Symposia Organizer – Pedagogy (2012), Sponsored 11 students to AAA meeting (2011), Sponsored 13 students to AAA meeting (2012), Sponsored 4 students to AAA meeting (2013), Sponsored 11 students to AAA meeting (2014), Sponsored 5 students to AAA meeting (2015), Sponsored 5 students to AAA meeting (2016), Sponsored 1 student to AAA meeting as institutional funding was unavailable (2017), Sponsored 5 students to AAA meeting (2019), Appointed FASEB Journal Editorial Board member as the AAA representative (2019)
Other Professional Activities: Member of Board of Reviewers for the Anatomical Record, Chair of the Anatomical Committee for the Associated Medical Schools of New York (comprised of 18 medical schools) dealing with the acquisition, distribution and final disposition of donors for anatomy courses in New York State.
Awards: AAA Basmajian Williams & Wilkins Award (2009), AAA Keith and Marion Moore Young Anatomist Award (2009), Outstanding Director of Anatomy for School of Health Professions Programs (2012, 2017), College of Medicine Class of 2018 Yearbook Dedication Award in recognition of commitment to medical education serving as mentor, role model and anatomists par excellence (2018), Dedication Service and Mentorship Recognition Award from the Latino Student National Medical Association Chapter (2019), Teacher of the Year Award College of Medicine (2020).
Research Interest: I am a comparative and evolutionary anatomist with particular interests in the nose and paranasal sinuses. My current projects focus upon assessing uniquely derived features of humans and their ancestors (such as Neanderthals); and on features of human that may predispose us to upper respiratory clinicopathologies and diseases.
Candidate Statement
As a person of color from a disadvantaged, inner city neighborhood in the South Bronx, I can speak directly of the difficulties and impediments that have been in my academic path. Rather than dwell on these earlier challenges, I look with great gratitude and appreciation to those that have lifted me up and enabled my success. Pre-eminent among these has been the opportunities afforded by the AAA and its members. Being received as an equal - and always told that “I can” - was a golden ladder that has enabled me to climb with confidence through the academic ranks. My prime focus, should I be trusted by being elected to the AAA Board, will be to see that others on the “outside” - people of color, of limited financial means, of non-traditional gender recognitions, and women - have a growing, welcoming home in our Association. I have brought students, now numbering over one hundred, to present their anatomical research and also to expose them to our professional society. I have introduced students to quantitative methods, exposing them to evidence-based medicine, or including them in hypothesis-driven projects. As a product of a diverse inner-city background, I would approach my post as a Board member with a broader perspective of inclusion. My specific goals for the Board would be: 1) to increase the participation in the AAA of non-traditional populations of students, especially those from underrepresented groups. These could be recruited, for example, from anatomy education outreach programs I have established in local high schools and undergraduate institutions (please see Downstate’s highlighting of my education outreach efforts as an Hispanic scholar September 21, 2020); 2) to assist those of limited means or access in understanding the possibilities of new modalities of virtual learning by maximizing their understanding and exposure in the anatomical sciences; and 3) continue to recruit, promote, and energize students across educational levels in anatomy research, which are designed to provide exposure to, and generate motivation and interest in, the anatomical sciences. As a Board member, I will strive to support and sustain our vital missions in education and research as these have been my personal passion throughout my career. I hope you would consider voting for me and allowing me to have this special opportunity to serve.
Other Professional Memberships Currently Maintained: American Association of Physical Anthropologists, American Association for the Advancement of Science
Web Link: https://www.downstate.edu/cellbiology/faculty/marquez.html