Temple University School of Medicine - Skull Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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Also important to Dr. Heckman is that he continues to evolve as a teacher. I began learning from my mentors, but my students have really taught me the most. One lesson I have learned is that people have different learning styles. I have come to appreciate this even more as I have worked to adapt topics to numerous students who have come to me for help. Outside the classroom. Dr. Heckman has been known to make time for his students. He goes above and beyond the normal expectations of a professor. He enjoys meeting with students prior to writing them letters of recommendation and is available to discuss students' concerns, including those that go beyond the classroom. Outside academia. Dr. Heckman is often found with his wife of 41 years, Hilary, who shares his love for teaching. Their daughter, Carolyn, obtained a Ph.D. in psychology and has followed in her father's footsteps as a researcher. She now works at Fox Chase Cancer Center. His other great love has been sailing and navigation. He is a member of the United States Power Squadrons and teaches safe boating practices. Furthermore, he is an active participant in blue water sailboat racing. He has shared his love for sailing with his students by taking groups out on Mr. William Schulze's boat in the summertime. Dr. Ryan, one of Dr. Heckman's colleagues, summed up best why we are honoring him as our dedicatee: I can think of no one who cares more about the educational, personal, and emotional well being of the students and treats students as equals in the educational process. By: Elhmn Afshar Tamara Lynch THE SKULL 7 dedication

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Dr. Heckman grew up with his twin brother John in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania, a small town that had four numbered and four named streets. He attended Juniata College and majored in biology. After doing some basic science bench work, he knew he was interested in a career in science that involved teaching and research that would help humans directly. During his junior year he met Dr. Morton Oppenheimer and Dr. Guido Ascanio, two Temple physicians who were visiting Juniata. These two individuals would later play important roles in his life by introducing him to the field of medical physiology. In 1968, the summer before he started graduate classes. Dr. Heckman came to Temple to begin his doctorate work in Dr. Oppenheimer's lab. This was a time when many young men were being drafted into military service. However, Dr. Heckman was never called to serve because Dr. Ascanio spoke to the draft board I on his behalf, and he was granted an educational deferment. Dr. Ascanio's actions really had an impact on me, says Dr. Heckman, who feels that his mentor inspired him to take the same interest in his future students by being a student advocate. As a second year graduate student, he taught medical students in the physiology labs. In his third year he gave his first lecture on temperature regulation. With Dr. Peter Lynch as his principal advisor, he did his thesis work on the physiology of the aortic valve using high speed motion x-ray technology, available at that time only at Temple and the Mayo Clinic. After graduating in 1973, Dr. Heckman took a job as a physiology instructor for the medical school. Currently, he is an associate professor and is the director of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems blocks in the first and second year curriculum. Working to improve a constantly changing curriculum, he has made strides towards integrating new technology into teaching medical students. One of his passions is writing computer software. He uses this skill to write physiology tutorials, such as correlating the heart cycle with a beating heart and an EKG. Additionally, he has worked to create more simulation sessions in team based learning situations in collaboration with Dr. David Wald from Temple's Emergency Medicine faculty. These sessions, run by first and second year medical students, emphasize clinical applications of physiology while students assess physical examination findings on a sim-man. It is important to integrate this early on because students need hands on experience before they see real patients. 6 TEMPLE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

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Richard Coico, Ph.D. Senior Associate Dean for Research Dianne Soprano, Ph.D. Associate Dean for the Ph.D. and M.D. Ph.D. Programs Stephen Permut, M.D., J.D. Associate Dean for Academic Affiliations Maria R. Davis Bellamy. J.D., M.G A. Director, Center for Minority Health and Health Affairs Helen Pearson, Ph.D. Associate Dean for Facility Development Richard J. Kozera, M.D. Executive Associate Dean administration Joanne M. Orth, Ph.D. Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs Frank Erdlen Vice Dean for Information Technology Thomas Kupp Vice Dean for Finance and Administration Audrey Uknis, M.D. Associate Dean for Admissions Kathleen Reeves, M.D. Associate Dean for Student Scott Shore, Ph.D. Associate Dean for Graduate Studies n Gerald H. Sterling, Ph.D. Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education 8 TEMPLE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE