TY - JOUR
T1 - Anatomy, medical education, and human ancestral variation
AU - Štrkalj, Goran
AU - Spocter, Muhammad A.
AU - Wilkinson, A. Tracey
PY - 2011/11
Y1 - 2011/11
N2 - It is argued in this article that the human body both in health and disease cannot be fully understood without adequately accounting for the different levels of human variation. The article focuses on variation due to ancestry, arguing that the inclusion of information pertaining to ancestry in human anatomy teaching materials and courses should be carried out and implemented with care and in line with latest developments in biological anthropology and related sciences. This seems to be of particular importance in the education of health professionals, as recent research suggests that better knowledge of human variation can improve clinical skills. It is also argued that relatively small curricular changes relating to the teaching of human variation can produce significant educational gains.
AB - It is argued in this article that the human body both in health and disease cannot be fully understood without adequately accounting for the different levels of human variation. The article focuses on variation due to ancestry, arguing that the inclusion of information pertaining to ancestry in human anatomy teaching materials and courses should be carried out and implemented with care and in line with latest developments in biological anthropology and related sciences. This seems to be of particular importance in the education of health professionals, as recent research suggests that better knowledge of human variation can improve clinical skills. It is also argued that relatively small curricular changes relating to the teaching of human variation can produce significant educational gains.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=80755175861&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1002/ase.258
DO - 10.1002/ase.258
M3 - Comment/opinion
C2 - 22021152
AN - SCOPUS:80755175861
SN - 1935-9772
VL - 4
SP - 362
EP - 365
JO - Anatomical Sciences Education
JF - Anatomical Sciences Education
IS - 6
ER -