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2006 Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award
Carmine D. Clemente, Ph.D.
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
The Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher
Awards were established by the AOA medical honor society in 1988
to provide national recognition to faculty members who have distinguished
themselves in medical student education. The award is named for
long-time AOA executive secretary Robert J. Glaser, M.D.
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"Medical students are among the brightest
students in the university. Over the years I think I have
learned more from their questions than I have taught."
- Dr. Carmine Clemente
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Every medical student since 1975 knows that anatomy texts come
in both gray [Gray's Anatomy] and carmine, as in Carmine
Clemente, Ph.D., author of Clemente's Anatomy: A Regional Atlas
of the Human Body (aka "The Clemente Atlas"). And
every medical student attending the David Geffen School of Medicine
at UCLA since 1952 knows that teachers like Dr. Clemente come along
once in a lifetime. In the words of Gerald S. Levey, M.D., vice
chancellor for medical science and dean of the school of medicine,
Dr. Clemente is "the consummate teacher, a great thinker, and
a trendsetter. His focus on medical education is the thread that
weaves all his endeavors and accomplishments together."
It is a thread that dates back to 1952 when Dr. Clemente joined
the UCLA medical school faculty as an instructor in anatomy, and
continues even today. A former chairman of the school's anatomy
department, Dr. Clemente has been teaching basic anatomy to first-year
medical students for more than 50 years. Though Dr. Clemente "retired"
in 1994 and is emeritus professor of anatomy and neurobiology, he
has been recalled annually to continue preparing future generations
of doctors.
In addition to his longstanding impact at UCLA, Dr. Clemente has
"virtually revolutionized the teaching of anatomy." In
addition to the "The Clemente Atlas," Dr. Clemente produced
a series of 42 dissection films which today are used in 170 medical
schools throughout the world, including 120 of the nation's 125
medical schools. Additionally, Dr. Clemente is widely recognized
for the yeoman's task of having edited the 30th American edition
of Gray's Anatomy.
Dr. Clemente has also played a vital role reshaping medical school
curricula, both at UCLA and on the national level. In addition to
serving for 10 years on the National Board of Medical Examiners,
he was a member of 14 Liaison Committee on Medical Education accreditation
site visit teams. Following his work on a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
initiative, "Preparing Physicians for the Future," he
instigated major curricular reform and wrote about his views in
the paper "Changes in Medical Education in the United States,"
published in A Major's Report.
Dr. Clemente earned his A.B., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in anatomy
from the University of Pennsylvania. He completed a postdoctoral
fellowship in anatomy at University College, University of London,
and his early research focused on regeneration and transplantation
of neural tissue in the central nervous system of mammals. His work
has contributed enormously to further understanding of forebrain
mechanisms related to internal inhibition and sleep, and led to
his being named director of UCLA's Brain Research Institute.
Additionally, Dr. Clemente has served as president of three major
science organizations: American Association of Anatomists, Association
of Anatomy Chairmen (now the Association of Anatomy, Cell Biology
and Neurobiology Chairpersons), and Pavlovian Society of North America.
Additionally, Dr. Clemente chaired the Council of Academic Societies
of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) and was a
member of AAMC's Executive Council from 1978-1981.
Among Dr. Clemente's many awards and recognitions are the Henry
Gray Award of the American Association of Anatomists, and the UCLA
Award for Excellence in Education. In addition to the "Clemente
Atlas," he is the author of Clemente's Dissector: A Brief
Text and Guide to Individual Dissections in Human Anatomy, as
well as more than 200 articles. He is also former editor-in-chief
of Experimental Neurology.
Nominate a deserving individual for the Alpha
Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award, and
view a list of previous award recipients.
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