About the course
COMPMED 10SC
This course will introduce the student to common laboratory, domestic, and exotic mammals through lectures, dissection labs and student presentations. Using a comparative approach, we will investigate the unique adaptations of species in terms of their morphological, anatomical, and behavioral characteristics. We will study how these species interact with their own and other species (including humans), discuss basic evolution, and the devastating impact of habitat destruction on wild animals.
This class will provide the student with a deeper appreciation for the diversity of the mammalian orders, along with the fundamentals of comparative anatomy, physiology, and basic dissection techniques. In addition to dissection labs, Dr. B has a large collection of skulls, bones and plastinated organs that will facilitate learning mammalian anatomy, and a field trip to a local zoo will enable students to appreciate behavior and locomotion of assorted mammals in their “native” habitats. Course assignments: There will be several short written "homework reflections", 1 article summary, 1 exam, 1 short presentation on an evolutionary topic and 1 final power point presentation on a human/animal or animal/animal interaction or conflict. The presentations will highlight animals from the students' assigned mammalian orders.
Click here to see Professor Bouley speak about her course
Instructor Bio
Donna Bouley is a Professor of Comparative Medicine and by courtesy, Pathology. She is the Director of Necropsy Services at Stanford School of Medicine. She received her D.V.M. degree in 1985 from the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine, Knoxville, TN.and worked in private practice for three years before returning to the University of Tennessee for an anatomic pathology residency and graduate school, where she received her Ph.D. in Experimental and Comparative Medicine in 1995. She joined the faculty of Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine in '95, became board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists in '96, and joined the faculty at Stanford in '97. As a veterinary pathologist, Dr. Bouley (Dr. B) provides clinical diagnostics and experimental pathology interpretation to Stanford animal users in many departments. For example, she is a co-investigator with the interventional radiologists who have developed MRI-guided focused ultrasound and cryoablation cancer treatments, works with numerous investigators who use genetically engineered mice, and with faculty in microbiology and immunology on studies of bacterial virulence factors and host-pathogen interactions. Dr. B has a strong interest in "One Health", and tries to incorporate this philosophy into her teaching. Dr. B oversees the Stanford Undergraduate Pre-Vet Club and provides mentorship for the ever-growing number of pre-vet undergraduates at Stanford. In her spare time, she enjoys aqua jogging and biking.
