Human Anatomy

For Elaine N. Marieb, taking the student's perspective into account has always been an integral part of her teaching style. Dr. Marieb began her teaching career at Springfield College, where she taught anatomy and physiology to physical education majors. She then joined the faculty of the Biological Science Division of Holyoke Community College in 1969 after receiving her Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

While teaching at Holyoke Community College, where many of her students were pursuing nursing degrees, she developed a desire to better understand the relationship between the scientific study of the human body and the clinical aspects of the nursing practice. To that end, while continuing to teach full time, Dr. Marieb pursued her nursing education, which culminated in a Master of Science degree with a clinical specialization in gerontology from the University of Massachusetts. It is this experience, along with stories from the field - including those of former students, now in health careers - that has informed the development of the unique perspective and accessibility for which her texts and laboratory manuals are known.

In her ongoing commitment to students and her realization of the challenges they face, Dr. Marieb has given generously to provide opportunities for students to further their education. She contributes to the New Directions, New Careers Program at Holyoke Community College by providing several full-tuition scholarships each year for women returning to college after a hiatus or who are attending college for the first time and would otherwise be unable to continue with their studies without financial support. She funds the E. N. Marieb Science Research Awards at Mount Holyoke College, which promotes research by undergraduate science majors, and generously contributed to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where she provided funding for reconstruction and instrumentation of a cutting-edge cytology research laboratory that bears her name.

In 1994, Dr. Marieb received the Benefactor Award from the National Council for Resource Development, American Association of Community Colleges, which recognizes her ongoing sponsorship of student scholarships, faculty teaching awards, and other academic contributions to Holyoke Community College. In May 2000, the science building at Holyoke Community College was named in her honor.

Additionally, while actively engaged as an author, Dr. Marieb serves as a consultant for the Benjamin Cummings InterActive Physiology? CD-ROM series, and is an active member of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS).

Jon Mallatt earned his Ph.D. in Anatomy from the University of Chicago. Dr. Mallatt is currently an Associate Professor of Biological Sciences at Washington State University, where he has been teaching human anatomy to undergraduates of all backgrounds for 24 years. He is also a member of the department of Basic Medical Sciences, where he teaches courses in Histology and Anatomy of the Trunk in the WWAMI Medical Program. WWAMI honored him with their "Excellence in Teaching Award" in 1992, 1993, 1995, and 2000. Additionally Dr. Mallatt holds a position as adjunct Associate Professor in the department of Biological Structure at the University of Washington. His particular areas of expertise in the study of anatomy are histology, comparative anatomy, and anatomical drawing, although his research now focuses on the origin of vertebrate animals and molecular phylogeny. Dr. Mallatt is an accomplished researcher with 39 publications in the fields of anatomy and molecular phylogeny to his credit.

Patricia Brady Wilhelm received her Ph.D. in Biological and Medical Sciences from Brown University and is currently an Associate Professor of Biology at the Community College of Rhode Island. She has been teaching anatomy to undergraduates for over 10 years at Brown University, Rhode Island College, and the community College of Rhode Island. In 1991 she received the Presidential Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching from Brown University.

Continuing to strive for excellence in teaching and learning, Dr. Wilhelm has been a leader at the Community College of Rhode Island in the uses of technology for teaching through the development of web-based course tools, on-line dissection videos, on-line student assessment tools, and cooperative learning strategies for the classroom. The driving factor behind these innovations is the desire to aid student learning by making course materials accessible and to make the study of anatomy an active and interactive process. She has also served as a consultant in training faculty from all three public institutions in Rhode Island (University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College, and the Community College of Rhode Island) in the uses of technology in teaching.

In addition to teaching, Dr. Wilhelm has contributed to numerous anatomy and physiology publications. Dr. Wilhelm's research interests are the skeletal/muscular morphology of mammals, vertebrate anatomy and evolution, and biomehanics. She continues to pursue these interests by working on applied human biomechanics with colleagues in the Physical Therapy program at the University of Rhode Island.