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WesternU Shines at Anatomy Connected 2025

by Rodney Tanaka

April 28, 2025

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More than 1,000 scientists, doctors, dentists, physical therapists, students, and everyone in between gathered in Portland, Oregon on March 28-31 for Anatomy Connected 2025 and WesternU was out in full force. Anatomy Connected was organized by the American Association for Anatomy.

Two men in formal attire stand in front of a scientific poster titled "Under the Surface: Correlates with Maxillary Sinus Shape" at a conference, smiling and gesturing toward the poster.
COMP students Joseph Nguyen and Ryan Hallal proudly present their collaborative research under Drs. Ellen Fricano and Catherine Llera Martin, exploring correlations between maxillary sinus shape and surface morphology.

With over 100 speakers and 480 poster presentations, WesternU researchers proudly contributed more than 21 posters and presentations, covering everything from anatomical innovation and osteopathic research to biomechanics and biomedical imaging. Our campus community brought bold ideas, fresh insights, and the kind of collaborative spirit that gets noticed.

A special shoutout goes to Drs. Anna Hardin and Catherine Llera Martin, who chaired the session “Each One More Heritable Than The Last: Quantitative Genetics of Homologous Structures,” featuring research on primate vertebral columns, AI in genetic analysis, and how we bridge qualitative and quantitative data in evolutionary biology.

People stand and converse in front of scientific research posters at a conference poster session in a large indoor venue.
COMP-Northwest student Joseph Yankee presented four research projects from the Medical Anatomy Center.

Among the contingent of WesternU participants were COMP-Northwest students Ethan Fulsher, Joseph Yankee, Dennis Nguyen, Alexander Olden, Joshua McCluskey, Rania Djemil, Noah Swigart and Maui Lee, who presented 11 research projects under the mentorship of COMP-Northwest Professor Brion Benninger, MD, MBChB, MSc. Dr. Benninger also mentored Oregon State University student Allison Ingle and University of Oregon student Charlotte Gray, who presented at the conference. Ethan Fulsher received an award for his oral platform research presentation while Joseph Yankee and Allison Ingle received awards for their poster research presentations.

Woman taking a selfie in front of a scientific research poster about parathyroid hormone-related protein and osteonecrosis of the jaw at a conference.
Elizabeth Taylor-Diaz, Director of Institutional Core Facilities, presents research on behalf of Dr. Elsalanty’s lab while spotlighting the exciting new capabilities available through WesternU’s Core Facilities.

If you missed this year’s event, don’t worry; Anatomy Connected 2026 is heading to Albuquerque, New Mexico from April 17–20. Mark your calendars and join us in the Land of Enchantment as we continue to inspire, connect, and lead in the world of anatomical sciences. Worried your research doesn’t fit the theme? Topics include Tissue Engineering and Regeneration, Imaging, Neurobiology, Bones, Cartilage and Teeth, and Cardiovascular Biology.

Let’s keep showing the world what WesternU can do!

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