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Program Director, School of Anatomy

Date: September 1, 2015
Reports to (Job Title): Administratie Officer
Jobs Reporting (Job Titles): Senior Demonstrator - Anatomy
Department: Kinesiology

Location:

Main Campus

Grade:

USG 11
35 hr/wk


Primary Purpose

  This positon’ primary responsibility is to provide strong leadership and management for all operations of and instructional experiences in the School of Anatomy in the Kinesiology Department.   This includes management of the School of Anatomy resources and bequeathal program, administration, coordination and delivery of Undergraduate and Graduate Kinesiology classroom and laboratory experiences in human anatomy, as well as coordination of high quality anatomy lab educational experiences for other University of Waterloo programs  (School of Optometry, Fine Arts, Engineering),   and users from outside of the University community.  The Program Director will work cooperatively with the Head of the School of Anatomy to ensure the operations are fully compliant with all applicable regulations.   The position will require outstanding understanding of human anatomy, quality leadership and teaching skills, planning and administrative skills, highly advanced written and verbal communication skills, an acumen for dealing with a wide range of people around a sensitive topic, team building, excellent decision-making, organization and time management skills as well as an ability to think critically and analytically.   The University of Waterloo School of Anatomy was established by Order in Council of the Government of Ontario in 1978 to enable students of human movement to more easily gain an in depth knowledge of the structure of the human body. The level of teaching is on par with that of any medical school in order that our graduates may play a useful role in the health system.

The Human Cadaver Laboratory allows students to explore for themselves the structures of the body involved in human movement. The Anatomy teaching program was designed to service Kinesiology students.   However many other groups both on and off campus have been able to experience these facilities to enhance their understanding of the human body. Kinesiology Anatomy lectures are focused in the direction of applied anatomy. The laboratory sessions are small group demonstrations using pre-dissected human cadavers and are led by the Program Director with assistance from the Senior Demonstrator  - Anatomy and a team of graduate student TA’s and volunteer Undergraduate TA’s. Undergraduates are encouraged in the spirit of true science to explore and verify for themselves what they have heard and read. Between these more structured sessions the lab is open for personal study and review. After completing a course, many undergraduate students come back for a second look as Volunteer Teaching Assistants. This refreshes their own knowledge when they are in a position to apply it to other courses, gives them practice in teaching, and brings to the junior students a sense of purpose in learning anatomy.

 

The Human Cadaver Laboratory also plays a vital role in faculty and graduate student research. Preliminary study of a variety of cadaveric material is often advisable before conduct of research using living subjects to avoid misguided assumptions. Some research, both graduate and undergraduate, may be entirely anatomical in nature.  

Currently, two courses in human anatomy are administered by the Kinesiology Department.

  1. Human Anatomy: Limbs and Trunk.  This is a core course for Kinesiology students taken in the 1B school term and is composed of 3 hours lecture and a 2 hour lab each week.  This course has a typical enrollment of  350 students
  2. Human Anatomy of the Central Nervous System.   This is an upper year elective consisting of a 3 hour lecture and 2 hour lab component each week.

The Human Cadaver Laboratory plays a key role in preparing students for future physiology, biomechanics, neurophysiology core and elective courses.  In addition, anatomy instruction in important preparation as Kinesiology graduates often go on to pursue post graduate study in the fields of clinical kinesiology,  medicine, chiropractic, physiotherapy, rehabilitation and a wide variety of other health related fields as well as biomechanics and anatomy. New course offerings for undergraduate and graduate students are currently being explored.  In addition to the courses administered by the Kinesiology Department, the Human Anatomy Laboratory also hosts the following University of Waterloo courses:

  1. Human Gross Anatomy. This is a core course for Optometry students, taken in the 1A school term. Students attend a weekly laboratory session in the School of Anatomy.
  2. Anatomy of the Eye 1. This is a core course for Optometry students, taken in the 1A school term. The Human Anatomy Laboratory provides access to cadaveric head and neck specimens to enhance this course.
  3. Figure and Anatomy. This is an upper year elective administered by the Department of Fine Arts. Students complete one of their term assignments using human cadavers prepared in the Human Anatomy Laboratory.




The Human Cadaver Laboratory also hosts learning and outreach experiences for groups in the broader community such as colleges, professional schools and high schools.  Some of those groups include:

 

The incumbent will be responsible for maintaining the current high quality learning experiences and for ongoing development and planning for new programming to meet the mandate of School of Anatomy,  providing outstanding human anatomy education for a wide range of participants, acknowledging and honoring the significant contributions of the donors.

 

Statistical Data

Key Accountabilities:

1. 

Management and operational responsibility for the School of Anatomy

  • Full responsibility for the coordination of the bequeathal program for the School of Anatomy.  This includes consultation and conversations with regional funeral directors and family members requiring a high level of professionalism and compassion,
  • Full responsibility for the management and maintenance of the Human Anatomy Laboratory
  • Responsible for the coordination of outside professionals for the operation of the School of Anatomy for embalming, cremation and funeral/memorial service
  • Supervision (functional and course content) of the Anatomy Senior Demonstrator
  • Oversee the coordination of the annual School of Anatomy service of gratitude/memorial service
  • Full responsibility and signing authority for the operating budget of the School of Anatomy including annual operational budgeting and purchasing in addition to the management of resources obtained from hosting outside groups.  The incumbent will provide budget advice to the Administrative Officer for new teaching resources as needed.
  • Full responsibility for the maintenance and development of the anatomy resources including cadaveric material, models, charts and other teaching materials
  • Full responsibility for the maintenance of a safe learning environment, ensuring lab compliance with applicable regulations, specifically the Anatomy Act - R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 21
  • Responsible for  ensuring security and restricted access, safety and ethical and reverent code of behavior for those using the Human Anatomy laboratory and its resources
  • Attend the biennial anatomy meeting/chief coroner meetings

2. 

Teaching and advising

  • Full responsibility for the administration, delivery, co-ordination and evaluation of  all anatomy laboratory experience components, laboratory manuals and relevant tests or evaluations for Kinesiology undergraduate and graduate programming
  • Full Responsibility for coordinating with primary course instructors to ensure lab content and lecture content are complementary
  • Lead instructor for lecture components of  human anatomy courses as required
  • Responsible for the Instruction and supervision of graduate student TA’s assigned to the anatomy laboratory courses and the undergraduate student volunteer program that support the UG and outreach programs
  • Responsible for updating laboratory components, integrating new technologies and learning experiences as required and the development of new learning experiences to enhance Kinesiology programming
  • Design and development of course content and associated lab experiences for other academic units on campus that use the Human Anatomy Laboratory facilities ( currently Fine Arts, Optometry, Engineering)
  • Co-ordinate with Kinesiology department technicians and faculty as required for the delivery of laboratory material in anatomy and the enhancement of other course topics.
  • Assist with lab demonstrations and Kinesiology department outreach projects as required.
  • Provide supervision for undergraduate and graduate students in advanced special topics courses related to human anatomy
  • Additional support as needed for course delivery such as marking, supervision, office hours etc.
  • Be an active member of the undergraduate teaching team, providing support to other members and courses as required.
  • Responsible for ensuring the application and enforcement of  academic regulations
  • Other duties as assigned facilitating the delivery of the Undergraduate and Graduate Kinesiology Program. This may include course development and instruction as required.
3.

External Programming and Community Outreach

  • Facilitate opportunities for research collaboration and serve as a resource to faculty members and graduate students within the Department of Kinesiology
  • Responsible for the development of community outreach programs (that include visits to the Human Anatomy Laboratory) to facilitate the understanding of the design and function of the human body. 
  • Develop and foster volunteer opportunities for Kinesiology undergraduate students in the Human Anatomy laboratory including but not limited to volunteer TA’s for Kinesiology undergraduate classes, instructors for outreach programming, Volunteer Prosection Training program and others.
  • Participate in Kinesiology Department and University wide committees and other tasks as assigned by the Department Chair

Position Requirements

Education:

A minimum of M.Sc. in Kinesiology, Clinical Anatomy or equivalent is required with superior technical skills in the area of the Clinical Anatomy and /or Kinesiology.

Experience:

Excellent understanding of Human Anatomy with related experience teaching at the University level.  Excellent knowledge of UW undergraduate and graduate programs in Kinesiology.

Technical:

MS Word Excel PowerPoint Other
Excellent Excellent Excellent Learn and other online teaching software

Nature and Scope

Interpersonal Skills:

Excellent inter personal skills both verbal and written.  The ability to provide clear and concise instructions and guidance and to lead by example with encouraging learning and research in a safe and ethical manner.  Ability to work independently and cooperatively as part of a larger team of teaching, research and technical support staff.  The incumbent must be prepared to have difficult discussions with potential donors and/or family members at a stressful time in their lives      

Level of Responsibility:

Must be able to provide excellent leadership and direction to a wide variety of clients with a wide range of experience and skills.  The incumbent will need to enforce safe teaching and research practices and facilitate cooperative use of the human cadaver laboratory and other teaching resources within the Department of Kinesiology, ensuring an atmosphere of respect for donors at all times

Decision-Making Authority:

Excellent decision making ability required.  The incumbent will take leadership for all of the learning experiences within the School of Anatomy and the Human cadaver laboratory.

Physical and Sensory Demands:

The workplace includes handling and unavoidable exposure to hazardous elements such chemicals, biohazards, odors and equipment.  Work demand may be irregular in nature with unavoidable interruptions and some tight timelines.  The positon may require extended periods of standing or bench work

Working Environment:

The position will spend most of their time in a busy Human cadaver laboratory with undergraduate and graduate students.  Time will also be spent in lecture halls and classrooms throughout campus.