Dr. Ashraf Aziz of Howard University. Human Anatomy as Art and Passion.
Dr. Ashraf Aziz is (without a doubt) the most passionate educator I have ever had the opportunity to learn from.
I was very pleased to see a story in the Washington Post about a collaboration between the Howard University College of Medicine and the Art Institute of Washington on an exhibit entitled "Anatomical Art: Dissection to Illustration" that features Dr. Aziz.
I clearly remember listening to his lecture on the anatomy of the hand as a first year medical student at Howard University and thinking, "Wow. This guy really loves what he does." His excitement and enthusiasm for anatomy was absolutely infectious and I still use him as an object lesson and model for what it means to be truly passionate about education.
The article from the Washington Post is a beautiful tribute to a great man.
Thank you, Dr. Aziz.
At 71, Ashraf Aziz has spent half his life cutting open cadavers and initiating medical students at Howard University into the pungent mysteries of human anatomy. He likes the heads. Extracting the muscles of chewing is one of his specialties. There is little about the body that can faze him anymore.
This exhibit, "Anatomical Art: Dissection to Illustration," is just one outcome of an unusual year-old collaboration between Howard's College of Medicine and the Art Institute of Washington. The cross-disciplinary ping-pong continues strong in both directions:
Perhaps most striking has been seeing the life and career of one of Washington's singularly passionate scientists come full circle.
Read more at www.washingtonpost.com
