From Queen’s Anatomical Science Student To McGill Professor

Nicole Ventura, MSc’12, PhD’15, graduated from Queen’s Master of Science Program in Anatomical Sciences in 2012 but she has not left the world of academia.

She stayed in school and received her PhD and is now an assistant professor at McGill University in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology within the Faculty of Medicine.

Professor Ventura uses many of the skills she learned during her Queen’s student days at her current job. She gave undergraduate and graduate level lectures at Queen’s in topics in anatomy, which helped her learn various teaching pedagogies and how to increase interactivity in the classroom.

Professor Ventura took time out to talk about how Queen’s Anatomical Sciences Program helped her and her career. 

Question: In what program and where did you get your undergrad degree?

Answer: Bachelor’s of Science, Honours program – Major in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Guelph.

Question: Tell us about your job at McGill University.

Answer: I am an Assistant Professor working in the Division of Anatomical Sciences, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology within the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University. In my position, I am heavily involved in teaching human anatomy to a variety of students in various health professional programs. This includes Kinesiology and Physical Education, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Medicine, Nursing and Dentistry programs. As an anatomist and professor, I am fortunate to be able to interact with hundreds of students at different stages in their academic career both in formal lectures and in the anatomy lab. Another aspect of my job encompasses the design and implementation of cadaveric-based laboratory components for the courses I teach.  I feel very fortunate that my students and I have the opportunity to learn directly from the human body through the generous donation of our cadaveric donors. Aside from teaching, I am also involved in various organizational and curriculum committees within my department in addition to collaborative research projects focusing on medical education. More specifically, I am interested in interprofessional education and the use of 3D-printing to generate anatomical models for surgical simulation.

Question: Describe your career journey – how did you end up at McGill?

Answer: I have shared many different experiences over my academic career that led to my position here at McGill. Like many undergraduate students in the health sciences, I was eager to work my way to medical school. After taking the dissection-based anatomy course and volunteering as an instructor in the Human Anatomy Outreach Program at the University of Guelph, I became more passionate about both anatomy and teaching and instead, decided to apply to complete my masters of science and later my doctorate degree. I was fortunate during graduate school at Queen’s to have been mentored by many amazing faculty members and more importantly by an influential supervisor, Dr. Stephen Pang. Dr. Pang fostered my interests in anatomy, teaching and research. He pushed and encouraged me to achieve any and all goals I set for myself. During my PhD, I also had the chance to participate in two unique teaching opportunities that helped me gain experience in the field and advance my teaching skills in anatomy. For three years, I participated in the first year anatomy program for the School of Medicine as Chief Prosector and held a Term Adjunct Position for two years with the School of Rehabilitation Therapy at Queen’s University. I owe much of my success to the fact that I took advantage of these and all other learning opportunities put forward to build strong research and teaching profiles that would ultimately make me a competitive applicant in the pursuit of becoming an anatomist and university faculty member.

Question: Why did you enroll in the Queen’s Master of Anatomical Sciences Program?

Answer: Being passionate about anatomy and teaching, it was evident that the Queen’s Master of Anatomical Sciences Program was the perfect fit for me. The program offered a unique experience, whereby I would be able to learn more about anatomy education, study advanced topics in all aspects of anatomy and gain experience and the required skills necessary to conduct meaningful research. I knew that the opportunities this program had to offer would not only help in building my academic profile, but also strengthen my love and knowledge of anatomy.

Question: What did you learn at Queen’s that helped prepare you for your current job?

Answer: There are many skills that I took from the Master’s program at Queen’s that I use daily in my job. The program offers courses in teaching and learning that not only taught me about various teaching pedagogies and ways to increase interactivity in the classroom, but also provided me with the opportunity to give undergraduate and graduate level lectures in topics of anatomy. I received faculty, peer and student feedback for each lecture which helped me improve from my first presentation to my last. These courses also provided me with the basics in course design and the opportunity to develop my own teaching dossier, a document which was required of me when I applied for faculty positions. Additionally, completing a research project in a lab allowed me to develop problem-solving and critical thinking skills in addition to technical skills that would carry through to my PhD.

Question: Any advice for anyone entering the Queen’s Master of Anatomical Sciences Program at Queen’s?

Answer: Use every opportunity in front of you to the fullest. Find a mentor who understands your strengths and weaknesses and encourages you to develop the skills you need to pursue your goals. Take the time to learn more about yourself – grad school can be a ton of fun and yet very challenging at times. Most importantly, find out what you are passionate about and maintain a balance in life – make use of your time in the program and enjoy yourself outside of school too!