Career Development Committee
Article VIII, Section 9, Subsection B:
The Career Development Committee shall support the professional growth of clinical anatomists at all academic ranks. The Committee shall foster the development of quality anatomical research and scholarly educational endeavors. The Committee is responsible for coordinating the judging of presentation awards at the Annual Scientific Meeting, and the Chair of the Committee will present the awards at the annual banquet. Furthermore, the committee is responsible for the Career Development Symposium when scheduled by the Meeting Oversight and Program Planning Committee and for the Career Development Committee Reception at the Annual Scientific Meeting.
The Committee consists of six (6) members, each serving a three (3) year term. The President-Elect appoints one (1) member in the second year of their term, and the President appoints one (1) member in the first year of their term. One (1) member is to be nominated and elected by the Active Members in attendance at the Committee’s annual open meeting. The Chair shall be selected by the incoming President from the committee’s appointed. Appointed members will serve for two (2) years, while elected members will serve for three (3) years.
2. Member Roster
Presidential Appointees (Two-Year Term as of 2026):
2024-2027: Santosh Sangari Weill Cornell Medicine
2025-2028: Adegbenro Fakoya Louisiana State University
2026-2029: Manuel Cevallos Creighton University
Members Elected at Annual SIG Meeting of Committee (Three-Year Term):
2024-2027: Punnose Kattil Mayo Clinic
2025-2028: Ethan Snow (Chair 2025-2027) South Dakota State University
2026-2029: Keith Bishop Texas Tech University
Ad hoc Members (One-Year Term, temporarily approved by Council):
2026-2027: Jolene Harris Northwestern College
2026-2027: George Prada Sam Houston State University
3. Roles and Responsibilities
· In their commitment to fostering a sustained culture of mentorship within the AACA, the CDC maintains a longitudinal Mentor-Mentee Program aimed at providing ongoing mentorship and professional development for its members.
· In their efforts to promote high-quality anatomical research and educational scholarship, the CDC facilitates judging of student poster presentations and platform presentations at the AACA annual meeting and conveys the Sandy C. Marks Jr. and Ralph Ger awards.
· The CDC plans and facilitates the CDC Symposium or CDC Breakfast/Lunch Meeting at the AACA annual meeting as scheduled by the Meeting Oversight and Program Planning Committee.
· The CDC helps the Meeting Oversight and Program Planning Committee (via the Chair) plan the Reception at the AACA annual meeting.
· The CDC meets monthly via teleconference to plan and coordinate CDC responsibilities.
4. Goals and Strategic Priorities (Next Two Years)
· Enhance the Mentor-Mentee program with a strategic communication framework for improving mentor-mentee relationships.
· Improve judging efficacy (time, consistency, feedback, etc.) of the poster and platform presentations via pre-conference judging of digital submissions followed by in-person judging of award finalists.
o The CDC hopes this action will benefit the AACA community by: 1) allowing more time for the CDC and volunteer judges to engage in quality interaction with student presenters, and 2) providing opportunity for AACA members who are unable to attend the AACA annual conference to serve as a judge, provide meaningful feedback to student presenters, and contribute to the success of the AACA annual conference.
· Encourage AACA membership retention by featuring strategies for early-career clinical anatomy research productivity and career growth.
