Exploring the Ethical Treatment of Legacy Anatomical Collections: Next Steps

Dr. Valerie DeLeon, Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Florida, has dedicated her academic career to studying the growth processes that shape head and neck anatomy in humans and other mammals. She received her PhD in Functional Anatomy & Evolution in 2004 and completed her postdoctoral training in Developmental Genetics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She stayed on for another decade at Johns Hopkins to teach Gross Anatomy to medical and graduate students. At the University of Florida, she continues to teach many aspects of the anatomical sciences to graduate and undergraduate students. Dr. DeLeon's research, generously supported by federal grants, investigates the role of soft tissue functional matrices in directing cranial growth in primates. Her collaborative research group combines CT and histological imaging to map cellular processes and the mechanisms of biological variation in 3D reconstructions of anatomical structures. Dr. DeLeon currently serves as Past-President of the American Association for Anatomy. She led the initiative to establish the AAA Policy on Legacy Anatomical Collections. To aid the community in meeting these expectations, she gathered a team of experts and worked to establish a consensus among AAA members, and in March 2024 published practical and detailed Recommendations for Management of Legacy Anatomical Collections in The Anatomical Record.