The Division of Clinical Anatomy in the Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences hosted a virtual regional meeting of the American Association for Anatomy on Friday and Saturday, December 10-11, 2021.
The meeting included plenary sessions, concurrent workshops and a pre-conference Interprofessional Education (IPE) workshop. The Planning Committee focused the meeting’s theme on the diverse and multidisciplinary nature of anatomy, and its influence on other health sciences.
Dr. Edgar R. Meyer, who recently moved from UAMS to the University of Mississippi Medical Center, led the Planning Committee. Other committee members were Drs. Gwen Childs, David L. Davies, Kevin D. Phelan, Tiffany W. Huitt, Noor Akhter, Mohsin Syed from the Division of Clinical Anatomy, and also Dr. Steven Boone, Director of the UAMS Office of Educational Development and the Office of Academic Services.
Dr. Erin Mannen, formerly in the UAMS Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and now at Boise State University, gave a presentation titled “The Importance of Biomechanical Research and Its Applications to Anatomy.” College of Medicine faculty offered three concurrent workshops. Department of Emergency Medicine faculty members Drs. Gregory R. Snead, Brian Russ, Jason Arthur and Zachary Lewis taught a workshop titled “Sonographic Anatomy: Using Ultrasound to Augment the Physical Exam and Diagnosis.” Dr. Kevin D. Phelan, professor of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences and co-director of the Division of Clinical Anatomy, facilitated a workshop called “Building Clinical Confidence and Competence Through Hands-on Procedural Training Using Lightly Embalmed Cadavers.” The third workshop was offered by Dr. Purushottam “Puru” Thapa, Director of the Student Wellness Program. It was called “Using Koru Mindfulness Practices to Care for the Mind and the Body.”
In addition, a pre-conference workshop was taught the afternoon prior to the regional meeting. It was titled “Interprofessional Education and the Implementation of Anatomy Competence Workshops on Campuses with Multidisciplinary Anatomy Learners.” It was facilitated by Dr. Wendy L. Ward, Associate Provost for Faculty; Dr. David L. Davies, Co-director of the Division of Clinical Anatomy; Dr. Linda Larsen-Prior, Departments of Psychiatry, and Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences, and Dr. Edgar R. Meyer. The meeting was made possible by a grant to Dr. Meyer from the American Association for Anatomy.