Dennis DePace, PhD, began his academic career at Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital as an assistant professor in the Department of Anatomy in 1974. He was first the course director for the Neuroanatomy course at Hahnemann and subsequently became the director of the Gross Anatomy course.
In 1976, Dr. DePace introduced the first course in sectional anatomy in the Delaware Valley in response to the need for clinicians to understand the views of anatomy that were becoming common in the use of the CAT scan in clinical medical practice.
He is the recipient of numerous teaching awards, including a multitude of Golden Apple Awards from medical students, the prestigious Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation Award for Distinguished Teaching, the AHERF Trustees Award for Basic Science Teaching and the Angelo Pinto Award for Basic Science Teaching.
Dr. DePace has continued to introduce innovations into the teaching of anatomy. Currently, he is thread director for Anatomy and Embryology in the Foundations and Frontiers MD program curriculum at Drexel University College of Medicine, as well as course co-director of the Human Structure and Function 2 course. He has developed a series of teaching videos that have been rated highly by the students of the medical school and currently serves on the Anatomy and Embryology Item Writing Committee for the National Board of Medical Examiners.
Research
Before becoming a full-time educator, Dr. DePace enjoyed research on the structure and function of the autonomic nervous system.