Leadership, faculty, staff

Nirusha Lachman, Ph.D.

Nirusha Lachman, Ph.D., is Professor of Anatomy and Chair of the Department of Clinical Anatomy, Professor of Medical Education and Joint Appointee in the Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery at Mayo Clinic. Her primary focus lies in integrating clinical anatomy education for everyday practice, and she is one of the few clinical anatomists in the world who works collaboratively on a daily basis with clinicians in a practice-based setting.

In her 27-year career as a clinical anatomist, Dr. Lachman has contributed over 120 scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals, 20 book chapters, and numerous abstract publications, and national and international presentations. Dr. Lachman’s main educational focus is on creating authentic curricula for practice-based anatomy through hands on fresh tissue dissection and review of current literature.

In addition to her numerous accolades, Dr. Lachman is the recipient of the Mayo Clinic Distinguished Educator Award (2021), Legacy Level Member of the Mayo Clinic Academy for Teaching Excellence, Outstanding Physician Scientist Award from Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences and the Distinguished Service Award from the American College of Mohs Surgery.

Jonathan Torrens-Burton, M.A.

Jonathan Torrens-Burton is an Administrator in the Education shield at Mayo Clinic, assigned to the Department of Clinical Anatomy. Jonathan is secretary to the Institutional Human Cadaveric Use Committee and partners with Nirusha Lachman, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Clinical Anatomy, to oversee the Clinical Anatomy Laboratory and the Mayo Clinic Body Donation Program.

Jonathan’s prior roles in his 30-year career at Mayo Clinic include administrator for Mayo Clinic International, the Midwest Spine Center, Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, and Mayo Clinic School of Continuous Professional Development, and Project Manager for multi-site Supply Chain systems implementations. Jonathan also has extensive institutional committee experience, including as chair and secretary.

Prior to joining Mayo Clinic, Jonathan served as Contracts Officer for a major petrochemical engineering and construction company in the United Kingdom. Jonathan holds a B.A. from the University of Reading, United Kingdom, and an M.A. in Health and Human Services Administration from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. Jonathan holds the academic rank of Instructor in Health Care Administration with the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and is a Mayo Quality Silver Fellow.

Punnose Kattil, M.B.B.S., M.D.

Dr. Punnose Kattil is a graduate of Pushpagiri Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Center, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, India, and completed his residency at Kasturba Medical College, Manipal University, Karnataka, India. With clinical experience in emergency medicine and neurosurgery, he brings a rich clinical foundation to his work as a medical educator.

Prior to joining the Department of Clinical Anatomy, he held faculty positions in medical education in India, where he developed a strong interest in integrating clinical context into anatomy teaching. Outside of work, he enjoys exploring Rochester’s scenic trails and walkways, finding both peace and inspiration in the natural beauty surrounding the city.

Yolanda Salinas-Alvarez, M.D., M.S.

Yolanda Salinas-Alvarez, M.D., M.S., is an Assistant Professor of Anatomy at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and a Senior Associate Consultant in the Department of Clinical Anatomy. She is a physician and educator with a strong foundation in clinical anatomy, anatomical sciences, and research. She has contributed over 20 peer-reviewed publications, abstracts, textbooks and chapters, and national and international presentations. Her academic focus includes curriculum development and instruction for diverse graduate and postgraduate health professions learners.

She currently serves as Chair of the Educational Affairs Committee for the American Association of Clinical Anatomists and holds editorial roles with the Translational Research in Anatomy journal. She also serves as a reviewer for Clinical Anatomy and Anatomical Sciences Education. Her educational mission centers on integrating anatomy into clinical practice through dissection-based instruction and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Dr. Salinas-Alvarez previously served as Professor of Anatomy and Research Methodology at Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León where she also coordinated postgraduate anatomy programs. She was recognized as a Level I member of Mexico’s National System of Researchers (SNI) (2023); recipient of the Best Experimental Paper Award from the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (2022); and served as Research Chair of the Mexican Society of Anatomy (2022-2024).

Morgan Forston, Ph.D.

Morgan Forston joined the Department from the University of Louisville, where she earned her Ph.D. in Translational Neuroscience at the Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, following her B.S. in Bioengineering. As an upcoming medical educator and translational researcher, Dr. Forston is committed to improving patient outcomes by delivering a patient-centered education to healthcare professionals and driving clinically oriented, innovative research.

Antonio Rivera-Perez, M.D.

Juan Antonio Rivera-Perez, M.D., is a Clinical Anatomy Fellow in the Department of Clinical Anatomy at Mayo Clinic. He earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila and completed a specialization in Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation at the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León in Mexico.

Prior to joining Mayo, he served as a team physician for Mexico’s national teams under the National Sports Commission (CONADE), providing medical care at major international events, including the Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cups, Continental Championships, and the Central American and Caribbean Games.

His academic interests include musculoskeletal diagnostic and interventional ultrasound, particularly its role in anatomy education and clinical application. At Mayo Clinic, Dr. Rivera-Perez is actively involved in anatomy education across graduate and professional programs, contributing to cadaver-based instruction using both fresh tissue and embalmed specimens. His scholarly work includes peer-reviewed publications, textbook chapters, and conference presentations in the fields of sports medicine, musculoskeletal ultrasound, applied and clinical anatomy, pain and rehabilitation, and medical education.

Luciano Leonel, Ph.D.

Luciano Leonel, received his Ph.D. in Human Anatomy from University of São Paulo – Brazil, and is an Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery. His thesis characterized and described in detail the features an ultrastructure of the venous communication between the cavernous sinus and the pterygoid plexus responsible for venous drainage from the intracranial cavity to the extracranial space.

During his PhD he performed a six-month fellowship at the Northeast Surgical Anatomy Laboratory – Albany, NY, under Dr. Maria Peris-Celda’s mentorship where he learned and mastered anatomical techniques for preparation of specimens for neurosurgical dissections, microsurgical dissections techniques, 3-D photo documentation and post-processing and 3D display presentations. One of the papers published by him, Dr. Peris-Celda and her team received the ‘Rhoton Award’ at the 30th North American Skull Base Society Annual Meeting that took place in San Antonio, Texas, 2020.

He also helped to develop an Educational Program at Albany Medical Center aiming to train and offer a continuing education in the neuroanatomy field for Residents in Neurosurgery collaborating not only with the theoretical lectures but also providing mentorship and guidance inside the lab during the practical tasks proposed by the program.

Luciano Leonel, Ph.D., has published numerous papers as co-author throughout the past years under supervision of Maria Peris-Celda MD, Ph.D. and Carlos D. Pinheiro-Neto M.D., Ph.D.

Aine Jadran

AriOnna Nesbit

Andrew Kennicutt, C.S.T.

Karen Mills

Elisabeth Retterath, C.S.T.

Dawn Freshwater

Kelsey Ness

Ashleigh Skaalen

Ben Hanson

Kevin Ness

Joel Pino

Eric Sheahan