Raymond J. Walsh, Ph.D.
Professor of Anatomy and Regenerative Biology

Address The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences 2300 I Street NW, Ross Hall 216 Washington, DC 20037 Tel: 202-994-8888 Fax: 202-994-8885 Email: anarjw@gwumc.edu

Background

Raymond J. Walsh is a Professor of Anatomy and Regenerative Biology in the School of Medicine and Health Sciences. In 1969 he received his BS degree in Zoology from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and in 1976 his PhD degree in Anatomy from Tufts University. Following a two year post-doctoral study in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Royal Victoria Hospital, McGill University, Dr. Walsh joined the GW faculty in 1978 as an Assistant Professor of Anatomy. In 1986 Dr. Walsh completed a Certificate program as an Information Systems Specialist at the GW Division of Continuing Education. During his years at GW he rose through the faculty ranks to Professor and from 1990 to 2007 served first as Interim Chair and then Chair of the Department.

Educational and Teaching Interests

Dr. Walsh has a strong interest in education, where his major but not sole teaching effort has been in Gross Anatomy. He teaches Gross Anatomy in three major courses that address the needs of undergraduate medical students, health sciences students, and undergraduate students in the GW Columbian College of Arts & Sciences. Dr. Walsh has been an institutional leader in the development and implementation of computer-assisted instructions (CAI) in medical education. In an initial collaboration with Dr. Bohn of the Department, they developed and introduced in 1988 the first CAI in the undergraduate medical basic science curriculum at GW (Medical Education, 24:499 [1990]). Dr. Walsh’s development efforts continued over the years and ultimately led to the creation and development of the award-winning educational website www.NetAnatomy.com. NetAnatomy is a content-rich, graphic intense website that addresses three of the major anatomical subdisciplines typically taught in the health sciences, including Radiographic Anatomy, Cross-Sectional Anatomy, and Gross Anatomy. NetAnatomy was selected by Scientific American as one of the top 50 science and technology web sites for 2004, garnishing NetAnatomy a coveted 2004 Science & Technology Web Award in the Health & Medicine category. NetAnatomy has also been independently evaluated by an editorial board of ISI (Institute for Scientific Information); based on a strict set of evaluation criteria that emphasizes quality, design, and accuracy, NetAnatomy was chosen for inclusion in ISI's Current Web Contents.

Research Interests

From a research perspective Dr. Walsh’s current interest is in the field of biomedical engineering (BME), which is the application of computer science and engineering disciplines to medicine for the purpose of improving health care outcomes. Combining his expertise in gross anatomy with his interest in computer graphics, Dr. Walsh’s focus is on the application of anatomical models in virtual reality environments that can be used for preoperative and intraoperative surgical planning. In 1990, under Dr. Walsh’s leadership, the Department contributed to the creation of the Laboratory for Advanced Computer Applications in Medicine (LACAM), then a new and novel interdisciplinary research and educational collaboration between the SMHS and the GW School of Engineering & Applied Science (SEAS). The efforts and numerous collaborations fostered and nurtured through LACAM ultimately led to the creation in 2001 of the GWU Institute for Biomedical Engineering and the selection of biomedical engineering as one of the original seven University Centers of Academic Excellence. Additional information on the Institute for Biomedical Engineering, whose Steering Committee Dr. Walsh serves on, can be found at www.ibe.gwu.edu. Dr. Walsh’s’ most recent research effort is as a co-PI on a four year, $2.8 million NIH R01 grant titled “Computer-based Tools for Medialization Laryngoplasty”. Medialization laryngoplasty is a surgical procedure designed to restore voice production in individuals with unilateral paralysis of a vocal cord. A pre- and intraoperative surgical system is being developed that will serve to reduce the revision rate which, due to the complexity of the procedure, remains high.