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Dr Shiby Stephens
Senior Lecturer in Anatomy
School of Biosciences
- StephensSG@cardiff.ac.uk
- +44 29208 75041
- Sir Martin Evans Building, Room Cardiff School of Biosciences, The Sir Martin Evans Building, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, Museum Avenue, Cardiff, CF10 3AX
Overview
I am a clinical anatomist with MPhil that studied the tendon variations in the hand of musicians. I am currently enrolled to study a part time PhD on medical pedagogy. As part of this research, I am focussing on the linguistic skills of medical students and correlate in what manner this influences other skills such as verbal and spatial intelligence and examination performance.
Publication
2022
- Moxham, B. J. et al. 2022. The attitudes of European medical students towards the clinical importance of neuroanatomy. Annals of Anatomy 239, article number: 151832. (10.1016/j.aanat.2021.151832)
2021
- Birt, K. M. and Stephens, S. 2021. Attitude of science students towards Zoom online lectures. Journal of Morphology and Anatomy 5(S2), article number: 1. (10.37421/2684-4265.2021.s2.002)
- Birt, K. M. and Stephens, S. 2021. Attitude of medical students towards Zoom online lectures. Journal of Morphology and Anatomy 5(2021), article number: 2.
- Viljoen, J. and Stephens, S. 2021. Assessing the perceptions of individuals with differing levels and backgrounds of education towards whole-body donation. Annals of Anatomy 233, article number: 151604. (10.1016/j.aanat.2020.151604)
- Shaw, N. and Stephens, S. 2021. Why primary malignancies of the heart and pericardium are so rare. Journal of Clinical Images and Medical Case Reports 2(4), article number: 1217.
2020
- Moxham, B. J., Stephens, S., Sharma, D. and Loukas, M. 2020. A core syllabus for the teaching of gross anatomy of the thorax to medical students. Clinical Anatomy 33(2), pp. 300-315. (10.1002/ca.23522)
- Wilson, A. B. et al. 2020. A look at the anatomy educator job market: anatomists remain in short supply. Anatomical Sciences Education 13(1), pp. 91-101. (10.1002/ase.1895)
2019
- Stephens, S. and Moxham, B. 2019. Do medical students who are multilingual have higher spatial and verbal intelligence and do they perform better in anatomy examinations?. Clinical Anatomy 32(1), pp. 26-34. (10.1002/ca.23280)
2018
- Stephens, S. and Moxham, B. 2018. Gross anatomy examination performances in relation to medical students' knowledge of classical latin and greek. Clinical Anatomy 31(4), pp. 501-506. (10.1002/ca.23056)
2016
- Stephens, S. and Moxham, B. 2016. The attitudes of medical students toward the importance of understanding classical Greek and Latin in the development of an anatomical and medical vocabulary. Clinical Anatomy 29(6), pp. 696-701. (10.1002/ca.22700)
2014
- Plaisant, O., Stephens, S., Apaydin, N., Courtois, R., Lignier, B., Loukas, M. and Moxham, B. 2014. Medical students' attitudes towards science and gross anatomy, and the relationship to personality. Journal of Anatomy 224(3), pp. 261-269. (10.1111/joa.12043)
2013
- Stephens, S. 2013. A comparative study of tendinous interconnection in the forearm and hand of human cadavers and live subjects. MPhil Thesis, Cardiff University.
2010
- Wheat, J., Satherley, L., Stephens, S. and Enoch, S. 2010. Applied surgical anatomy for MRCS OSCE. Doctors academy.
Articles
- Moxham, B. J. et al. 2022. The attitudes of European medical students towards the clinical importance of neuroanatomy. Annals of Anatomy 239, article number: 151832. (10.1016/j.aanat.2021.151832)
- Birt, K. M. and Stephens, S. 2021. Attitude of science students towards Zoom online lectures. Journal of Morphology and Anatomy 5(S2), article number: 1. (10.37421/2684-4265.2021.s2.002)
- Birt, K. M. and Stephens, S. 2021. Attitude of medical students towards Zoom online lectures. Journal of Morphology and Anatomy 5(2021), article number: 2.
- Viljoen, J. and Stephens, S. 2021. Assessing the perceptions of individuals with differing levels and backgrounds of education towards whole-body donation. Annals of Anatomy 233, article number: 151604. (10.1016/j.aanat.2020.151604)
- Shaw, N. and Stephens, S. 2021. Why primary malignancies of the heart and pericardium are so rare. Journal of Clinical Images and Medical Case Reports 2(4), article number: 1217.
- Moxham, B. J., Stephens, S., Sharma, D. and Loukas, M. 2020. A core syllabus for the teaching of gross anatomy of the thorax to medical students. Clinical Anatomy 33(2), pp. 300-315. (10.1002/ca.23522)
- Wilson, A. B. et al. 2020. A look at the anatomy educator job market: anatomists remain in short supply. Anatomical Sciences Education 13(1), pp. 91-101. (10.1002/ase.1895)
- Stephens, S. and Moxham, B. 2019. Do medical students who are multilingual have higher spatial and verbal intelligence and do they perform better in anatomy examinations?. Clinical Anatomy 32(1), pp. 26-34. (10.1002/ca.23280)
- Stephens, S. and Moxham, B. 2018. Gross anatomy examination performances in relation to medical students' knowledge of classical latin and greek. Clinical Anatomy 31(4), pp. 501-506. (10.1002/ca.23056)
- Stephens, S. and Moxham, B. 2016. The attitudes of medical students toward the importance of understanding classical Greek and Latin in the development of an anatomical and medical vocabulary. Clinical Anatomy 29(6), pp. 696-701. (10.1002/ca.22700)
- Plaisant, O., Stephens, S., Apaydin, N., Courtois, R., Lignier, B., Loukas, M. and Moxham, B. 2014. Medical students' attitudes towards science and gross anatomy, and the relationship to personality. Journal of Anatomy 224(3), pp. 261-269. (10.1111/joa.12043)
Books
- Wheat, J., Satherley, L., Stephens, S. and Enoch, S. 2010. Applied surgical anatomy for MRCS OSCE. Doctors academy.
Thesis
- Stephens, S. 2013. A comparative study of tendinous interconnection in the forearm and hand of human cadavers and live subjects. MPhil Thesis, Cardiff University.
Research
Doctorate of Philosophy
Since becoming a lecturer of anatomy, I have enrolled into a part time PhD programme. This pedagogic research project aims to understand whether being multilingual confers advantages in learning anatomy and other aspects of medicine. Medical students from around the globe will be investigated. The hypothesis tested is that, regardless of ethnicity, cultural characteristics, socio-economic considerations and educational backgrounds, and spatial reasoning capabilities, a medical student with high linguistic skills (including multilingualism) is better able to succeed in learning anatomy and allied medical disciplines.
The impact of the findings of this project relates to how the medical curriculum might be developed according to the understanding of the importance of linguistic skills. Conceivably, if my hypothesis is supported by the results of my studies, medical schools should provide ways of encouraging their students to develop linguistic skills, including studying foreign languages and classical languages such as Greek and Latin that feature so predominantly in medical terminologies.
Master of Philosophy
I completed MPhil in 2013. My research was on ‘Tendon variations in the hand of musicians’. My study mainly involved:
- identifying any tendinous and tenosynovial interconnections in hands of human cadavers and live subjects
- evaluation of hand deformity in medical student volunteers and appropriately matched controls
- analysing appropriate radiological imaging techniques and compare the sensitivity of MRI and ultrasound scans to identify these interconnections.
Biography
After graduating in medicine from India, I started my work as an anatomy demonstrator at Cardiff University’s School of Biosciences in 2004. I became a lecturer of anatomy in 2013. I obtained my MPhil (anatomy) in 2013, which studied the tendinous variations and interconnections in the hand of musicians. This study focused on identifying tendinous and tenosynovial interconnections in hands of human cadavers and live subjects and analysed appropriate radiological imaging techniques and compared the sensitivity of MRI and ultrasound scans to identify these interconnections.
I am currently enrolled into a part time PhD programme that aims to understand ‘if being multilingual has an advantage in learning Anatomy?'. The study group includes medical students from around the globe. The data collected from this study will be analysed and used in the development of medical curriculum around the globe and the advantages of being multilingual will be passed on to the schools to encourage students to learn more languages (including the classical ones such as Greek and Latin).
In 2010, I was part of the first cohort to complete the postgraduate 'Anatomy Training Program' co-ordinated by the Anatomical Society and the American Association of Anatomists. I am also currently a member of the Anatomical Society, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA).