For Elaine N. Marieb, taking the student’s perspective into account has always been an integral part of her teaching style. Dr. Marieb began her teaching career at Springfield College, where she taught anatomy and physiology to physical education majors. She then joined the faculty of the Biological Science Division of Holyoke Community College in 1969 after receiving her Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. While teaching at Holyoke Community College, where many of her students were pursuing nursing degrees, she developed a desire to better understand the relationship between the scientific study of the human body and the clinical aspects of the nursing practice. To that end, while continuing to teach full time, Dr. Marieb pursued her nursing education, which culminated in a Master of Science degree with a clinical specialization in gerontology from the University of Massachusetts. It is this experience that has informed the development of the unique perspective and accessibility for which her publications are known.
Dr. Marieb has partnered with Benjamin Cummings for over 30 years. Her first work was Human Anatomy & Physiology Laboratory Manual (Cat Version), which came out in 1981. In the years since, several other lab manual versions and study guides, as well as the softcover Essentials of Human Anatomy & Physiology textbook, have hit the campus bookstores. This textbook, now in its 10th edition, made its appearance in 1989 and is the latest expression of her commitment to the needs of students studying human anatomy and physiology.
Dr. Marieb has given generously to colleges both near and far to provide opportunities for students to further their education. She contributes to the New Directions, New Careers Program at Holyoke Community College by funding a staffed drop-in center and by providing several full-tuition scholarships each year for women who are returning to college after a hiatus or attending college for the first time and who would be unable to continue their studies without financial support. She funds the E. N. Marieb Science Research Awards at Mount Holyoke College, which promotes research by undergraduate science majors, and has underwritten renovation and updating of one of the biology labs in Clapp Laboratory at that college. Dr. Marieb also contributes to the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where she generously provided funding for reconstruction and instrumentation of a cutting-edge cytology research laboratory. Recognizing the severe national shortage of nursing faculty, she underwrites the Nursing Scholars of the Future Grant Program at the university.
In 1994, Dr. Marieb received the Benefactor Award from the National Council for Resource Development, American Association of Community Colleges, which recognizes her ongoing sponsorship of student scholarships, faculty teaching awards, and other academic contributions to Holyoke Community College. In May 2000, the science building at Holyoke Community College was named in her honor.
Dr. Marieb is an active member of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS) and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Additionally, while actively engaged as an author, Dr. Marieb serves as a consultant for the Benjamin Cummings Interactive Physiology® CD-ROM series.
When not involved in academic pursuits, Dr. Marieb is a world traveler and has vowed to visit every country on this planet. Shorter term, she serves on the scholarship committee of the Women’s Resources Center and on the board of directors of several charitable institutions in Sarasota County. She is an enthusiastic supporter of the local arts and enjoys a competitive match of doubles tennis.
Dr. Katja Hoehn is a professor in the Department of Biology at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Canada. Dr. Hoehn’s first love is teaching. Her teaching excellence has been recognized by several awards during her 20 years at Mount Royal University. These include a PanCanadian Educational Technology Faculty Award (1999), a Teaching Excellence Award from the Students’ Association of Mount Royal (2001), and the Mount Royal Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award (2004).
Dr. Hoehn received her M.D. (with Distinction) from the University of Saskatchewan, and her Ph.D. in Pharmacology from Dalhousie University. In 1991, the Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation presented her with the Max Forman (Jr.) Prize for excellence in medical research. During her Ph.D. and postdoctoral studies, she also pursued her passion for teaching by presenting guest lectures to first- and second-year medical students at Dalhousie University and at the University of Calgary.
Dr. Hoehn has been a contributor to several books and has written numerous research papers in Neuroscience and Pharmacology. She oversaw a recent revision of the Benjamin Cummings Interactive Physiology® CD-ROM series modules, and coauthored the newest module, The Immune System. Following Dr. Marieb’s example, Dr. Hoehn provides financial support for students in the form of a scholarship that she established in 2006 for nursing students at Mount Royal University.
Dr. Hoehn is also actively involved in the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS) and is a member of the American Association of Anatomists. When not teaching, she likes to spend time outdoors with her husband and two sons, compete in triathlons, and play Irish flute.