Top Hat's Intro Course for
Anatomy and Physiology

Authoring Team

John Redden

Lead Author, University of Connecticut

John holds a B.S. degree in pharmacology and a Ph.D. in biomedical science. He has taught anatomy and physiology for many years in a variety of formats ranging from small to ultra-large classes. His passion to be a better educator has led him to develop an interest in the scholarship of teaching and learning in anatomy and physiology courses.

He currently serves as a National Academies Education Mentor in the Sciences, where he helps faculty across STEM disciplines transition to scientific, evidence-based pedagogies. He also serves as Assistant Director of Faculty Development programs at the University of Connecticut’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, where he supports faculty in integrating new educational technologies into their classrooms.

Watch this featured interview with Dr. Redden on why active learning matters right now. 

Joseph Crivello

Lead Author, University of Connecticut

Joe received a Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and went on to be a post-doctoral fellow at the University of California, San Diego. In 1983, he joined the Department of Physiology and Neurobiology at University of Connecticut, where he is now a full professor.

He has taught anatomy and physiology for the past 34 years and has a wealth of experience developing active learning exercises for use in his own classroom. He is also a Teaching Fellow of the Summer Institute on Scientific Teaching, and is the Pre-Medical Advisor at his university.

It’s the much more organic, less structured, interactive sort of environment that lets students learn in a practical manner - Dr. Crivello

Read this featured article to learn more about why Dr. Crivello's teamed up with Top Hat to create this textbook.

Melissa Marcucci

Contributing Author, University of St. Joseph

Melissa J. Marcucci received her B.S./B.A. and M.Sc. from Boston University. She earned her Ph.D. at Yale University where she studied membrane-associated proteins involved in endocytic processes such a synaptic vesicle recycling in neurons and transverse tubule development in skeletal muscle.  Melissa is currently an Associate Professor and department chair of biology at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, Connecticut.  She also serves in various leadership roles at the university.

Melissa Fox

Contributing Author, Wingate University

Melissa Fox is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biology at Wingate University.  After completing a B.S. degree in biochemistry from Union College, Melissa earned her Ph.D. in biomedical science at the University of Connecticut Health Center in the cell biology program.  She has published research articles on breast cancer signaling mechanisms and therapeutic approaches and continues to pursue this work while mentoring undergraduate research students.  Melissa serves as the course director for introductory cell and molecular biology and also teaches advanced cell biology, cancer biology, and immunology.  As a devoted educator, Melissa is also the co-founder and co-director of Wingate University’s BIOS program, a bridge program for incoming freshmen designed to enhance student readiness and investment in the biological sciences.

Angela Hess

Contributing Author, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania

Angela R. Hess earned her Ph.D. in Anatomy and Cell Biology from the University of Iowa studying human melanoma. After a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Iowa, she was a Research Scientist at the Children’s Memorial Research Institute and then a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Dermatology at the Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine both located in Chicago, IL. Angela is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological and Allied Health Sciences at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. Her current research interests are centered on understanding the molecular mechanisms of melanoma tumor cell plasticity as exhibited by vasculogenic mimicry.

Andrew Lokuta

Contributing Author, University of Wisconsin

Andrew Lokuta received his B.S. in biology from St. Francis University and Ph.D. in Biological Chemistry from the University of Maryland Medical School.  He went on to complete a post-doctoral fellowship examining excitation-contraction coupling of cardiac and skeletal muscle at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  He remains in Madison where he now primarily focuses on developing best practices for teaching human physiology to large undergraduate classes.

Kristen Kimball

Contributing Author, University of Connecticut

Kristen received her Bachelor’s degrees in physical therapy and biology, and her M.S. in Physiology, from the University of Connecticut.  She also has a Master of Environmental Management from Yale University. She has participated in the National Academies Summer Institutes on Scientific Teaching as both an Education Fellow and Mentor, and is a recipient of the University of Connecticut Institute for Teaching and Learning Faculty Scholar Award.  Kristen has been a member of the Physiology and Neurobiology faculty at UCONN for over 30 years.

Kira Werstein

Contributing Author, Iowa State University

Kira Werstein earned her B.A. and M.A. degrees in Exercise Physiology and Exercise Psychology at the University of Northern Iowa and her Ph.D. at Iowa State University in Exercise Psychology.  She is currently a Lecturer of Kinesiology at Iowa State University. Her research interests include psychological processes that underlie fitness and wellness behaviors.

Diana Horrigan

Contributing Author, Brown University

Diana Horrigan earned her B.A. in Biology from Assumption College and her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences from Brown University where she studied the function of ion channels involved in vision. Diana is currently a Lecturer in the Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and Biotechnology Department at Brown University.  Her primary teaching responsibilities at Brown include undergraduate and graduate-level mammalian physiology and cell physiology courses. She also teaches pathophysiology for the Physician Assistant Program at Bryant University and runs an after school science program for local elementary school students.  

Chaya Gopalan

Contributing Author, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville

Chaya Gopalan earned her Ph.D. from the University of Glasgow, Scotland for her research in the field of reproductive neuroendocrinology. She is currently an Associate Professor at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. Her current research interest is the role of gonadal steroids in the differentiation of the brain. She also participates in research on student-centered learning strategies such as flipped teaching. She is the recipient of the National Association of Biology Teachers’ Two-Year College Teaching Award.

Bruce Pichler

Contributing Author, University of North Georgia

Bruce Pichler received his B.S. degrees in biology and chemistry at Western Michigan University.  He received his doctorate in Podiatric Medicine and Surgery from the Illinois College of Podiatric Medicine and Surgery in Chicago, Illinois.  In addition to surgery, he also specializes in evaluating and treating diabetic and nondiabetic neuropathy.  After 15 years of practice, he then received an M.D. degree from the University of Health Science, Antigua. He currently teaches as an Associate Professor at the University of North Georgia and is a practicing foot and ankle surgeon.

Michele Moore

Contributing Author, Butler University

Michele Moore is an Assistant Professor at Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana where she teaches anatomy and physiology.  She received her B.S. in exercise science, M.S. in exercise physiology and Ph.D. in health and rehabilitation sciences from Indiana University.  She has been in higher education for over 15 years.

Matthew Orange

​Contributing Author, Central Connecticut State University

Matthew Orange received his B.S. in Health and Exercise Sciences from Gettysburg College and earned a Ph.D. in Physiology and Integrative Biology from Rutgers University. His doctoral work focused on the role of plasma membrane repair proteins in muscle disease and wound healing. Currently, Matthew is an Assistant Professor at Central Connecticut State University, where he studies cancer progression and diagnosis, processes governing cell and tissue repair, and standard measures of strength and endurance performance.

Ron Gerrits

Contributing Author, Milwaukee School of Engineering

Ron Gerrits received his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Milwaukee School of Engineering and his Ph.D. in Physiology from the Medical College of Wisconsin. He has been a member of the biomedical engineering faculty at Milwaukee School of Engineering since 1999, and has served as the program director for the university’s MS in Perfusion program since 2001. Dr. Gerrits is an involved member and former president of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS).

Chad Wayne

Contributing Author, University of Houston

Chad Wayne is an Instructional Professor at the University of Houston. He earned his Ph.D. from The University of Texas, Houston - Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences/ M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, and trained as a post-doctoral fellow at Baylor College of Medicine. The focus of his training was in the field of reproductive science: transcriptional regulation of male gametogenesis and signal transduction pathways in the female gonad, respectively. At the University of Houston, Dr. Wayne was awarded the Teaching Excellence Award at the university level in 2013 and the college level in 2017. He is an active member of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS).

Chris Trimby

Active Learning Author, University of Delaware

Chris Trimby earned his Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Kentucky, where he worked on modifying the targeting of viral gene therapy vectors for use in the nervous system. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Delaware. He was previously the Director of the Teaching Fellows Program at the University of Wisconsin - Madison, where he taught graduate students and post-docs the basics of pedagogy and mentors them during their first independent teaching experiences.

Gerald Brasington

Clinical Author, University of South Carolina

Gerald Brasington received his B.S. in Biology from Newberry College and his Doctorate of Medicine from Saint James School of Medicine.  After working in internal medicine in Tennessee and Georgia, he now works in concierge medicine, telemedicine, and medical consulting.  In his spare time, he shares his love of science and medicine by teaching the next generation of medical providers at The University of South Carolina.

Evan Lim

Medical Illustrator

Evan is a Medical Illustrator (RMIP) who holds a Master of Science in Medical Art from the University of Dundee, Scotland.  His educational background includes formal training in product design and veterinary medicine. Evan creates scientifically-accurate custom visuals through extensive background research and a thorough understanding of communication aims. Furthermore, he is on the Academy of Healthcare Science (AHCS) register accredited by the Professional Standards Authority, UK and the MAA (Medical Artists' Association of Great Britain). His portfolio can be viewed at this link here.