Teaching experiences

Current courses at Howard University College of Medicine, Department of Anatomy        Washington, DC

• List of Courses taught in since July 2017 – role hold July 2017 to October 2020

  • ANAT 204 Human Evolution – course coordinator (with Dr. Rahmat)

  • ANAT 301 Musculoskeletal Anatomy – Fall 2019 lab coordinator; since Fall 2020 course coordinator)

  • OCCG (formerly MDAN 170) Musculoskeletal Anatomy – 2017-2019 lab coordinator; since Fall 2020 course coordinator

  • PHTH 700 Advanced Human Anatomy – 2017-2019 lab coordinator; since Fall 2020 course coordinator

  • INDI 108 Unit I: S&F (Back, Chest, Extremities) – lecturer, lab instructor, SGL instructor

  • INDI 100 Unit II: S&F (Head, Neck, NS) – lecturer, lab instructor, SGL instructor

  • INDI 109 Unit III: S&F (Thorax, A&P) – lecturer, SGL instructor (reserve faculty for lab)

  • INDI 101 Unit I (Molecules & Cells) – lecturer

  • DENT 198 Micro Anatomy (Histo) Lec – lecturer, 1 histolab Fall 2019

• Course Co-Coordinator with Dr. Sulman J. Rahmat

  • ‘ANAT 204 Human Evolution’ for graduate students in the Department of Anatomy, HUCME

    • 2020: 2 students, Feb-April, 1 hr lectures for 11 weeks, 3 essays & 1 oral presentation for students

• Lab coordinator for Allied Health laboratory graduate courses & Anatomy graduate course

  • 2015 – Present (2019: 52 students; 24 labs a 2.5 hrs; regional based anatomy)

  • ‘MDAN 170 Musculoskeletal Anatomy’ for students of occupational therapy and

  • ‘PHTH 700 Advanced Human Anatomy’ for students of physical therapy             

  • ‘ANAT 301 Musculoskeletal Anatomy’ for students of the Graduate Anatomy program

• Faculty for laboratory course ‘Structure and Function Unit I, II, & III” for first year medical students

  • 2015 – Present (2018/19: 127 students; Oct-April; regional based anatomy)

  • INDI 108 Unit I: S&F (Back, Chest, Extremities)

  • INDI 100 Unit II: S&F (Head, Neck, NS) (NS = nervous system)

  • INDI 109 Unit III: S&F (Thorax, A&P) (A = abdomen, P = pelvis)

    • 2019: Heart & Lungs in lab for Dr. Wilson

• Faculty for case based small group learning sessions for first year medical students

  • 2014 – Present (2019/20: 12 students per group; Oct-April; anatomical and physiological clinical cases) (SF3 2020: SGL 2, 3, 6, 9)

• Lectures: 2014 – Present: lectures for students (in following courses):

  • First year medical students (Structure & function Units I, II, & III: INDI 108, 100, 109 (S&F); Molecules & Cells: INDI 101 Unit I (M&C)),

  • First year dental students (DENT 198 Micro Anatomy (Histo) Lec),

  • Allied health students (occupational and physical therapy: MDAN 170, PHTH 700),

  • Anatomy graduate Students (ANAT 301)

  • Graduate and undergraduate students, Grad. students: Intro. to Anatomical Research Seminar series

    • 2016: ‘Head and heart muscle development in vertebrates’

    • 2017: ‘Evolutionary Medicine and Cardiopharyngeal Syndromes in Humans’

    • 2019 - Spring: ‘Head muscle evolution in vertebrates’

  • Examples for current lectures:

    • Developmental lectures: Early embryology; Body plan formation; Face development; Pharyngeal arch derivatives; GI development; Urogenital development; Heart development; Fetal blood supply

    • Histology lectures: Muscle histology; Cartilage and bone histology; Basic characteristics of skeletal muscle

    • Anatomical lectures: Swallowing; Muscles of Facial expression; Upper Limb Nerve Injuries; Heart anatomy

    • Flipped class: Brachial Plexus Injuries (since 2016)

    • Evolution lectures: Pre-homo homininds; Human brain evolution & tool making (2020)

• Fall 2020: Online labs for Allied health ‘MDAN 170 Musculoskeletal Anatomy’ for students of occupational therapy; ‘PHTH 700 Advanced Human Anatomy’ for students of physical therapy; ‘ANAT 301 Musculoskeletal Anatomy’ and SF1

• Fall 2020 & Spring 2021: online labs and Anatomage table review sessions for INDI 108 Unit I: S&F (Back, Chest, Extremities) & INDI 100 Unit II: S&F (Head, Neck, NS) (NS = nervous system)

Past courses at Howard University College of Medicine, Department of Anatomy        Washington, DC

• 2014-2017: Faculty for laboratory course Allied health ‘MDAN 168 Basic human anatomy’ for undergraduate students in anatomy

• 2014-2015: Faculty for Allied Health laboratory course ‘MDAN 170 Musculoskeletal Anatomy’ for students of occupational therapy and ‘PHTH 700Advanced Human Anatomy’ for students of physical therapy

• 2017: Reserve faculty for laboratory course ‘INDI 109 Unit III: S&F (Thorax, A&P): Structure and Function 3’ for first year medical students (two labs: heart, lungs)

• 2015: Reserve faculty for laboratory course ‘DENT 169 Gen. Anatom. Sciences’ (GAS) for first year dental students (six labs: spinal cord, upper extremity, face-scalp-neck, parotid region, orbit, temporal region)

• 2014-2014: Reserve teaching assistant for first year medical and dental student laboratory courses (Medical students ‘Structure & function Unit I, II, & III: INDI 108, 100, 109 (S&F)’; Dental students ‘DENT 169 Gen. Anatom. Sciences’) (heart, lung, face, foot)

• 2013-2014: Reserve teaching assistant for case based Small group learning sessions for first year medical students (different topics: autoimmune disease, nerve plexus injuries, and others)

Past courses at University Leiden, Institute of Biology, Dept. of Integrative Zoology Netherlands

• 2009-2011: Teaching Assistant in laboratory course ‘Biology of organisms/animals’ for first year bachelor students in biology

• 2010-2011: One Lecture in ‘Human evolution’ course for third year master students in biology

Past courses at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Institute of Systematic Zoology and Evolutionary Biology with Phyletic Museum                                                                                                  Jena, Germany

• 2004-2007: Teaching Assistant for laboratory course ‘Comparative Zoology’ for first year biology students

• 2005-2007: Teaching Assistant for half-day zoological excursions in Jena’s surroundings for 1st year biology students

• 2005-2007: Teaching assistant for laboratory course ‘Histology and Embryology’ for 2nd year biology students

 

Advisor for students

Thesis / Dissertation Direction (reverse chronological)

Directed as advisor:

• 2020-ongoing D (Howard University, Washington, DC): Kristen N. McPike: Craniofacial and cardiac development in mutant mice with epithelial (p63) and/or neural crest defects (Gbx2)

  • Topic: Mouse models to understand human head and heart development and pathology

  • Research conducted at Howard University College of Medicine, Department of Anatomy

• 2020 M (Master of Science, Howard University, Washington, DC): Kristen N. McPike: The Impact of p63 on Cranial Neural Crest Cells and Their Derivatives (2018-2020)

  • Successfully defended July 8, 2020

  • 2020: Currently PhD student in Ziermann’s lab

• 2020 M (Master of Science, Howard University, Washington, DC): Bosung Titanji: Thoracic and Abdominal Organ Development and Malformations Associated with Trisomy 21 (2019-2020)

  • Successfully defended May 12, 2020

  • 2020: MCAT, applied to medical schools Fall 2020

• 2015 M (Master of Science, Howard University, Washington, DC): Aamina H. Malik: Variability of Lower Extremity Musculature in Trisomic Humans (2014-2015)

  • Successfully defended March 26, 2015

  • 2017 – Present: 3rd year Medical Student at Howard University College of Medicine

• 2015 M (Master of Science, Howard University, Washington, DC): Malak A. Alghamdi: Variability of Upper Extremity Musculature in Trisomic Humans (2014-2015)

  • Successfully defended March 26, 2015

  • 2015 – present: Faculty in Saudi Arabia

• 2011 B (Bachelor of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, NL): Nico Kist: Transcriptomics in Triturus carnifex embryos 

  • 2012 – 2017: PhD Candidate at the Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, UK

Directed as co-advisor:

• 2015-2018 D (Howard University, Washington, DC): Malak A. Alghamdi: Understanding the Development, Variations and Defects of the Muscular System in Normal and Abnormal Human Embryos, Fetuses and Newborns; Advisor: Dr. Rui Diogo

  • Topic: Birth defects in humans; Advisor: Rui Diogo

  • Research conducted at Howard University College of Medicine, Department of Anatomy

  • 2015 – present: Faculty in Saudi Arabia

• 2014 M (Master of Medical and Biological Illustration, Dept. Art as Applied to Medicine, John Hopkins University School of Medicine): Christopher Smith: Muscular and Skeletal Anomalies in Human Trisomy in an Evo-Devo Context: Description of a T18 cyclopic fetus and comparison between Edwards (T18), Patau (T13) and Down (T21) syndromes using 3-D imaging and anatomical illustrations; Advisor: Dr. Rui Diogo

  • 2017 – Present: PhD Candidate in Physical and Biological Anthropology, City University of New York, USA

• 2014 M (Master of Biology, Howard University, Washington, DC): Sean Walsh: Muscles of Trisomy 18 fetus; Advisor: Dr. Rui Diogo

• 2013 M (Master of Anatomy, Howard University, Washington, DC): Bianca Wilson: Muscles of Trisomy 21 fetus; Advisor: Dr. Rui Diogo

  • 2017 – Present: student at Ross University School of Medicine

• 2010 M (Master of Biology/Science, Leiden University, Leiden, NL): Nicole Webster: Chromosome 1 Syndrome in Triturus carnifex; Advisor: Dr. Michael Richardson

  • 2011-2017: PhD Candidate at the Department of Biological Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, CAN

  • 2018-2021: Postdoctoral researcher in Neva Meyer’s lab at Clark University, Worcester, MA

• 2007-2008 Dipl (Diploma Biology, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany): Martin Fritsch: Comparative analyses of anuran jaw musculature with special focus on their feeding habits; Advisor: Dr. Lennart Olsson

  • Mar 2017 – Present: Sales Representative at Leica Microsystems

Thesis Committee Service (dissertations or theses read as a member of a student's committee):

• 2015-2018 D (Howard University, Washington, DC): Malak A. Alghamdi: Understanding the Development, Variations and Defects of the Muscular System in Normal and Abnormal Human Embryos, Fetuses and Newborns; Advisor: Dr. Rui Diogo

 

Additional contributions to teaching

Advisor for research projects currently conducted by students                                                       

• August 2018 – Present: Ahmad Haj-Assaad, Ore Oyetan (currently 3rd year medical students), Shakila Akther (currently 2nd year occupational student): Mystery of the scaphoid bone: ligaments, arterial supply, injuries

• August 2018 – Present: Taylor Span (currently 3rd year medical student): Cardiopharyngeal syndromes in a human fetus

• April 2017 – Present: Hari Mayo, Delaena Cline (both currently 4th year medical students): Derivatives of fourth to sixth pharyngeal arch artery and the mystery of the fifth pharyngeal arch artery

• April 2017 – Present: Dameel Edwards (currently 4th year medical student): Nkx2-5 expression during heart development in Xenopus laevis

Advisor for other/past students                                                                                                              

• May 2017 – Feb 2018: Derek Altema (currently 4th year medical students): Anastomosing nerves and vessels (arteries) in the hand – in particular thenar compartment

• May 2016 – Nov 2016: Michael Wade, Arthur McDowell (matched 2019): Innervation of the long head of the triceps (Paper published: The Anatomical Record)

• May 2015 – Oct 2015: Angelique Forrester, Simmi Singh, Fatimah Fahimuddin (matched 2018): Cardiopharyngeal field and associated syndromes in humans (Paper published: JOHA 2017)

• Jan 2017 – Feb 2017: Part-time (5h/wk) postdoctoral student Natalia Siomava (Ph.D. in Bioinformatics): Islet 1 expression in Xenopus embryos

Review session on Anatomage Table

• 2018 – Present (students volunteer to help creating small group learning sessions)

  • Faculty license: May 2020

  • Extra student license: October 2020