image: Blue AAA logo triangle next to black bold text stacked reading American Association for Anatomy.
Credit: American Association for Anatomy
ROCKVILLE, MD—June 3, 2025—The American Association for Anatomy (AAA) is excited to highlight the winners of its 2025 summer award cycle. The organization recognizes eight individuals at various stages of their careers who will receive funding aimed at increasing scholarship, offering opportunities for further education, supporting attendance and participation in professional development workshops, and assisting those finishing their dissertations or engaging in postdoctoral work.
The AAA utilizes its awards, grants, and scholarship programs to reaffirm its commitment to advancing anatomical science through research, education, and professional development. This year, AAA has awarded more than $238,000 to nearly 200 individuals. Below are the recipients of the DEI Dissertation Completion Award, the Postdoctoral Fellowship Award, the Research Meeting Outreach Grant, the Anatomy Training Program, and the Short-Term Visiting Scholarship.
DEI Dissertation Completion Award
- Nadine G. Steer, M.Sc., is a Ph.D. candidate in Integrative Anatomy at the University of Missouri School of Medicine. Her research explores the internal structure of bone and soft tissue to better understand how manipulative abilities evolved in humans and our closest relatives.
Postdoctoral Fellowship Award
- Margaret Hines, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral research fellow in Dr. Irene Zohn’s lab at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. Her research focuses on the cellular and molecular mechanisms governing neural fold elevation and closure, using a mouse model of neural tube defect.
Research Meetings Outreach Grant
- Adam Hartstone-Rose, Ph.D., FAAA, is a Professor of Biological Sciences at North Carolina State University. The funding provided through the Research Meetings Outreach Grant will support one to two early-career scholars in presenting their work at the Strepsirrhine Anatomy, Ecology, and Evolution symposium in Madagascar, honoring Judith Masters and Fabien Genin.
Anatomy Training Program
- Brooke Quinn is a Ph.D. candidate at Brown University studying the biomechanics of bat flight with a focus on the role of sensory hairs in controlling flight patterns.
- Jared Alvarado is a licensed funeral director and embalmer with over 15 years of experience in anatomical embalming, postmortem care, and clinical autopsy. He helps lead the University of Arizona Willed Body Program, where he prepares donors for medical education and teaches anatomy through hands-on dissection and mentorship.
- Madison Livingston is a Ph.D. candidate in Comparative Biomedical Sciences at the University of Georgia, where she studies how to make anatomical education more accessible for students with disabilities.
Short-Term Visiting Scholarship
- Emily Adelizzi is a Ph.D. candidate in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Genetics at the University of Iowa.
- Marie Tsai recently completed her M.Sc. in Clinical Anatomy at Western University, where her research focused on optimizing ex vivo brain MRI.
Visit AAA’s website to see the full collection of awards, grants, and scholarship offerings.
ABOUT AAA
The American Association for Anatomy is an international membership organization of biomedical researchers and educators specializing in the structural foundation of health and disease. AAA connects gross anatomists, neuroscientists, developmental biologists, physical anthropologists, cell biologists, physical therapists, and others to advance the anatomical sciences through research, education, and professional development. To join, visit anatomy.org.