Jamie Wikenheiser, Ph.D
Professor Adjunct
Director of Medical Gross Anatomy
Director of Surgical Anatomy
Program Director, Summer Gross Anatomy Academy
Anatomy & Neurobiology
306D Med Surge II
jwikenhe@uci.edu
Working to understand: medical education, pediatric cardiology, pediatric urology, adult urology.
Scientific Focus: primary focus centers on medical and surgical education of medical students. Research focus centers on pediatric cardiology, the molecular mechanisms of coronary artery anomalies and more recently pediatric and adult urology.
Biography
2002 B.S University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
2008 Ph.D Departments of Anatomy & Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University
2008-2011 Assistant Adjunct Professor, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
2011-2015 Assistant Adjunct Professor, Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine
2015-2020 Associate Adjunct Professor, Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine
2020-present Professor Adjunct, Anatomy & Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine, School of Medicine
Research Description and Approach
My primary focus centers on the medical and surgical education of our medical students. Based on my experience with teaching medical, dental, and other health professional students, I have completed the work on a human anatomy textbook with a novel approach which allows for an integration of the material across the four major areas of anatomy. Clinical Anatomy, Histology, Embryology, and Neuroanatomy: An Integrated Textbook (2021) from Thieme Medical Publishers, focuses on the practical aspects of knowing how each area relates to their importance in clinical care. I also serve as a co-editor alongside Anne Gilroy and Brian MacPherson for the Atlas of Anatomy, 4th edition from Thieme Medical Publishers.
My earlier research centered on pediatric cardiology and specifically the molecular mechanisms of coronary artery anomalies. We have also looked at congenital heart defects related to Cornelia de Lange Syndrome. Recently, my work has shifted focus onto the field of pediatric and adult urology. In pediatric urology, our focus has been on modifying the Kelly Procedure used in bladder exstrophy primarily seen in male newborns. For adult urology, our focus has resulted in the redefining of the autonomic nerve distribution seen in the pelvis. Having a better understanding of how the autonomic fibers wrap around the renal arteries has given us the best location for ablation of these autonomic fibers, which is important because of their effect on regulating blood pressure. Ablation of renal autonomic fibers is a way of treating hypertension in adults.