Dr. Camille DiLullo, Professor, has been a member of the department of Anatomy since 1994. Dr. DiLullo received her doctorate in Anatomy and Structural Biology from the University of Pennsylvania. She also holds an adjunct position of Associate Professor at Widener University, Delaware.
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| "Triptych I": The repeating motif is a group of myofibrils from chick embryonic skeletal muscle. |
Current research in the laboratory involves the study of the specific integrin heterodimer alpha 1 integrin and its role in the development of skeletal and cardiac muscle. Integrins are cell adhesion molecules involved in cell/cell and cell/matrix interactions. Alpha 1 integrin has been shown to reorganize periodically along the sarcomere subsequent to the assembly of myofibers. More recent evidence indicates that laminin, one of its ligands, also aligns periodically along the sarcomere. The spatial localization of the periodic alpha 1 integrin and laminin appear to be coincident. The data suggests that alpha 1 integrin may be part of a signaling pathway involving the extracellular matrix molecule laminin, a protein that has been suggested to be affected in Muscular Dystrophy.
Dr. DiLullo is also heading a project whose objective is to create a clinical experience in parallel with that of the classroom experience in the first term anatomical sciences course. The focus is to instill in the future physician the mindset that the integration of basic science knowledge with acquired patient data is critical in the construction of an assessment, diagnosis and plan for the best patient outcome. On-line accessible clinical case based tutorials are created that seamlessly integrate basic science and clinical skills information. Included as part of the tutorials are videos created of patient/physician interactions during the history and physical examination aspects of a visit. The videos are designed to provide visualization of clinical skills and professional physician behavior during patient/physician interactions.
In addition, Dr. DiLullo is involved in producing human gross anatomy dissection video sequences. These digital video sequences are designed to facilitate student laboratory dissections and prosections in a variety of courses in which either dissection or prosection is an integral part of the course. The video clips communicate instructions tailored to correspond to the specific approaches used for dissection in the PCOM gross anatomy course. The videos have been designed to focus on the more challenging aspects of the dissection process, the primary objectives being to improve dissection efficiency and avoid irreversible structural damage.
Dr. DiLullo is a member of The American Association of Anatomists, The American Society for Cell Biology, The American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine, The Pennsylvania Muscle Institute, The Center for Chronic Disorders of Aging and The American Heart Association.
