Valerie Dean O'Loughlin, Ph.D., Professor of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology, Medical Sciences Program, Indiana University School of Medicine - Bloomington
Candidate Statement: I have been an active member of AAA for over 20 years and have been grateful for the opportunities for development this organization has given me. If elected to the Board of Directors, my vision for AAA is two-fold. Firstly, I wish to expand and develop the already strong commitment to anatomy education research. As a co-organizer of AERI (Anatomy Education Research Institute) 2017 & 2022, I helped educate AAA anatomy faculty and graduate students about the education research literature, research methods, and presentation of one's findings. Our evaluation of AERI indicated that our participants are eager to learn more about education research, and AAA is ideally aligned to fulfill this need (in the form of future institutes, pre-conference sessions, or webinars).
A second focus of my vision is to broaden participation of anatomy faculty and graduate students from non-professional (i.e., baccalaureate, undergraduate health professions) institutions, and to have greater discussion about anatomy education in the baccalaureate arena. An anecdotal comment I have heard about AAA is that it is an organization for those "teaching medical students". We need to demonstrate that AAA is an organization for anatomy faculty in *all* higher ed programs and ensure our conference presentations and representation demonstrate this breadth as well. In so doing, AAA will be able to achieve one its strategic goals: to connect a global community of anatomical scientists, educators, and students.
Ph.D. Institution: PhD in Biological Anthropology, Indiana University (Bloomington), 1995
Teaching: Human Structure (1st year medical and graduate students – Course Director), Pedagogical Methods in Health Sciences (graduate students – Course Director), Basic Human Anatomy (undergraduate students), Human Anatomy for Medical Imaging Evaluation (graduate and undergraduate students – Course Director), History of Anatomy (graduate and undergraduate students), Human Embryology (graduate and undergraduate students), Seminar in Anatomy (graduate students).
AAA Committee/Roles: Membership Committee (2005-2009), Symposium organizer (2008, 2011, 2015, 2017, 2022), Basmajian Award Committee (2009-2011, Chair: 2011-2012), Strategic Thinking for Undergraduate Recruitment and Programs (STURP) Task Force (2011), Chair, Undergraduate faculty award task force (2012), Educational Affairs Committee (2015-2018), Fellows Selection Committee (2020-2024)
Other Professional Offices Currently Held: Exam Program co-lead, Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS)
Awards: AAA Basmajian Award (2007), AAA 2015 Innovations Grant for the Anatomy Education Research Institute (AERI), AAA Henry Gray Distinguished Educator Award (2018), AAA Fellow (2018), AAA Outstanding Mentor Award (2023)
Research Interests: Anatomy education research, medical education research, preparing future (and current) faculty to become teacher-scholars
Other Professional Memberships Currently Maintained: Human Anatomy & Physiology Society (HAPS), International Association for Medical Science Educators (IAMSE), IS-SOTL (international Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning), American Physiological Association (APS), American Education Research Association (AERA)
Web Link: https://medicine.iu.edu/faculty/26393/oloughlin-valerie