To our School of Medicine community,
On behalf of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, I am delighted to announce the appointment of Darin Croft as chair for the Department of Anatomy. I want to thank Clifford Harding for being interim chair for the Department of Anatomy for so many years.
Professor of Anatomy Darin Croft is an internationally renowned paleontologist and organismal biologist whose research bridges the connection between ancient fossils and modern-day anatomy. He is dedicated to teaching and mentoring medical, graduate and undergraduate students in the School of Medicine and the Departments of Biology and Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences, where he holds secondary appointments.
Darin started studying diverse species of extinct mammals during his doctoral program at the University of Chicago. He has logged more than 40 field visits to South America–mostly in Chile and Bolivia–digging for fossils. Darin has used advanced imaging to scan fossil skulls, allowing him to determine evolutionary relationships of extinct species and recreate the brain in 3D. Since arriving at the School of Medicine in 2003, his research and fieldwork has been funded by the National Science Foundation, National Geographic, and Chile’s education ministry CONICYT.
Darin has research appointments with the American Museum of Natural History in New York, the Field Museum in Chicago and the Universidad Austral de Chile in Valdivia, Chile. He is editor of a major journal, The Journal of Mammalian Evolution, and published a popular general science book Horned Armadillos and Rafting Monkeys: The Fascinating Fossil Mammals of South America through Indiana University Press.
The Department of Anatomy has a long history of excellence in education for a wide range of undergraduate, graduate and professional students. The extensive anatomy curriculum for medical students and the popular Masters of Applied Anatomy—directed by Darin—provides a strong foundation for those interested in medicine or related careers. The department manages the school’s Anatomical Gift program and state-of-the-art large- and small-group dissection facilities for use by researchers and students.
Combining traditional approaches like cadaver dissection and innovative technology like the next generation of the HoloAnatomy Software Suite (including HoloAnatomy Neuro) provides critical learning benefits. Darin is exploring expanding use of virtual reality and artificial intelligence to enhance the learning experience, partnering with the Interactive Commons team.
“I am honored to take on this role and build on the incredible legacy of the department for the future,” said Darin Croft. “We want to expand education excellence in anatomy and research and be known as the place for anyone who wants to learn comparative and human anatomy across the university.”
Please join me in congratulating Darin on his appointment as chair of the Department of Anatomy
Sincerely,
Stan Gerson, MD
Dean, CWRU School of Medicine
Director, National Center for Regenerative Medicine