Noel T. Boaz, Ph.D., M.D.
Brief Curriculum Vitae
Address: Integrative Centers for Science and Medicine
12 Starling Avenue
Martinsville, VA 24112-2922, U.S.A.
Tel/Fax 1-276-632-4276; Mobile 1-541-646-2914
e-mail: noeltboaz@integrativemedsci.org
Libyan International Medical University
El-Qairawan Street, Fwaihat
Benghazi, Libya
Tel. +218-91-8637224, +218-61-2233909
e-mail: ntboaz@earthlink.net
Date of Birth: February 8, 1952
Place of Birth: Virginia, U.S.A.
Education:
Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter, New Hampshire - graduated High Honors 1970
University of Virginia, Charlottesville (with applied Summer Session credit at Harvard University and University of California, Berkeley), B.A. with Distinction 1973 - University Major in Physical Anthropology
University of California, Berkeley, M.A. in Anthropology 1974
University of California, Berkeley, Ph.D. in Anthropology 1977
Saba University School of Medicine, M.D. 2004 – Basic sciences completed 1995 – 1999 (with applied credit from University of Washington School of Medicine/WWAMI)
Title of Doctoral Dissertation:
"Paleoecology of Plio-Pleistocene Hominidae in the Lower Omo Basin, Ethiopia"
Positions:
Professor of Anatomy and Head of Medical Education, Libyan International Medical University, Benghazi, Libya, 2010 – present; Developed program in Anatomy and organized the Medical Education Unit
Founder and Director, International Institute for Human Evolutionary Research (non-profit), 1991 - present
Adjunct Professor of Anthropology/Principal Investigator: New Mexico State University, 2006 – present
Professor of Anatomy, Ross University School of Medicine, 2001 – 2009 [and Director of Research Development, 2002 – 2004; Course Director for Gross Anatomy I/II 2005 - 2009]
Professor of Anatomical Sciences, Saba University School of Medicine, 1995-98 [course director for Gross Anatomy and Chair of Anatomy 1996-98]
Research Professor of Anthropology, George Washington University, 1991-94
Director, Virginia Museum of Natural History, 1984-89 [and Curator of Biological Anthropology 1989-90]
Assistant Professor of Anatomy and Anthropology, New York University, 1978-84 [Director of Anthropology Graduate Studies 1981-82]
Lecturer, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, 1977-78
Senior Museum Scientist, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley, 1975-77
Staff Research Associate (Dissector), Department of Physiology and Anatomy, University of California, Berkeley, 1972
Consultantships:
Office of the Medical Examiner, Spokane County, Washington – Consultant in Forensic Anthropology - 1998 – 2000
Physicians for Human Rights, Bosnia Project – Forensic Anthropologist and Scientific Planning Director, April – December, 1999; Developed program in Forensic Medicine for University of Sarajevo
Research Fellowships, Grants, and Awards[1]:
Regents' Fellowship, University of California, Berkeley 1974-75
Robert H. Lowie Fellowships, University of California, Berkeley 1975-76, 1976-77
National Science Foundation Doctoral Research Grant 1976
L.S.B. Leakey Foundation Grant for Research in the Libyan Miocene (with F.C. Howell) 1977
Wilkie Foundation Grant for Field Research at Sahabi, Northern Libya (with F.C. Howell) 1977
L.S.B. Leakey Foundation Grant "Sahabi: Its Relevance for Investigating Hominid Origins" 1978
National Geographic Society Grant "Paleoanthropological Research at Sahabi, Northern Libya" 1978
L.S.B. Leakey Foundation Grants "Paleontological and Geological Analysis of Gasr as-Sahabi, Libya" 1978; "Paleoanthropological Research in the Upper Miocene at Sahabi, Libya" 1979; "Microfaunal Sampling at the Upper Neogene Site of Sahabi" 1979
Spencer Foundation Grant (New York University) "Paleoanthropological and Paleoecological Investigations into the Evolution of Human Behavior" 1979
National Science Foundation Grant "Paleoanthropological Investigation of the Upper Miocene Site of Sahabi, Libya" 1980-82
Research Challenge Fund Grant (New York University) "Early Hominid Research at Sahabi, Libya" 1980
L.S.B. Leakey Foundation Grant "Excavation, Paleontology, and Paleoanthropology at Sahabi, Libya" 1980
Presidential Fellowship, New York University 1981
Rolex Awards for Enterprise Honourable Mention "Exploration for the World's Earliest Hominids in the Libyan Sahara" 1981
Wenner-Gren Foundation Grant-in-Aid "To Aid Paleoanthropological Investigation, Semliki Valley, Zaire" 1982 $6,000
Research Challenge Fund Grant (New York University) "Paleoanthropological Investigation of the Lower Semliki Valley, Zaire" 1982
Earthwatch Grant "Paleoanthropological Excavation in the Western Rift Valley, Zaire" 1983
Fulbright Senior Research Fellowship - Research in Zaire 1983-84
Earthwatch Grant "Paleoanthropological Research in the Semliki Valley, Zaire" 1984
Wenner-Gren Foundation Grant-in-Aid "Hominid Evolution in Zaire" 1984
National Geographic Society Grant "Paleoanthropological Research in the Semliki Valley, Zaire" 1984 ($29,000)
National Science Foundation Grant "Paleoanthropological Investigation of the Semliki Valley, Zaire" 1985-86 ($90,195)
L.S.B. Leakey Foundation Grant "Stratigraphic Research in the Semliki Valley, Zaire" (For J. Verniers) 1985-86 (ca. $5,000)
National Science Foundation Grant "Paleoanthropological Investigation of the Semliki Valley, Zaire" (with J.W.K. Harris and A.S. Brooks) 1986-89 $272,160 (with supplementary awards under Research Experiences for Undergraduates of $8,400 [1987-88] and $4,015 [1988-1989])
Earthwatch Grants "Paleontological Excavation of the Pliocene Site of Senga 13B, Zaire" 1988 ($15,200), 1989 ($19,500), 1990 ($9750, with P. Pavlakis)
National Science Foundation Grant for Emergency Relocation of Research Equipment, Zaire 1992 ($5,000)
Earthwatch Grant "Ancient Environments and Evolution in the African Western Rift, Uganda" for 1993 ($22,320 - $28,320)
Meyerhoff Visiting Professor, Weizmann Institute of Science, Faculty of Chemistry (Environmental Sciences and Structural Biology), Rehovot, Israel, 1993-1994
International Research Exchanges Board (IREX) Grant “Paleoanthropological Advances in Eastern and Central Europe 1995 ($20,000)
National Science Foundation Grant “Paleoanthropological Investigations of Miocene to Pliocene Primate-bearing Deposits at Sahabi and Jabal Zelten in Eastern Libya: Fossil Collection, Age, and Environmental Context” 2005 ($40,000, with B. Benefit and M. McCrossin, New Mexico State University)
Ross University Faculty Research Grants, Various 2002-2006
Dominica Council on Ageing, Commonwealth of Dominica, “Certificate of Appreciation in Recognition for your Contribution and Dedicated Service to the Dominica Council on Ageing” April 26, 2006
National Science Foundation “Revealing Human Origins Initiative” Grants (2) $51,000 2007-2009
Shell Exploration and Production Libya GmbH “East Libya Neogene Research Project” Grants (3) ca. $125,000 2008-2010
Courses Taught
Online:
“Human Anatomy,” Falcon Physician Reviews 2008-2009 (www.falconreviews.com)
Author for web-based medical examination preparation, Exam Master (www.exammaster.com), 1999-present
Lecture:
"The Evolution of Man" Anthropology 11, UCLA, Fall 1977
"Evolution and Biology of Human Behavior" Anthropology 131, UCLA, Winter 1978
"Human Evolution and Prehistory" Anthropology A14.0002, New York University, Fall 1982
"Evolution and Biology of Human Behavior" Anthropology V14.0052, New York University, Fall 1982
"Fossil Evidence for Hominid Evolution" Anthropology V14.0050, New York University, Spring 1983
"Introduction to Biological Anthropology" Anthropology 0001, George Washington University, Fall 1991
“Living Legacy: The Present Relevance of Our Evolutionary Past” Anthropology 100, George Washington University Continuing Education, Winter 1993
“Missing Link: Current Issues in Paleoanthropology” Anthropology Continuing Education Course, Central Oregon Community College, Spring 1995
“Medical Embryology” Saba University School of Medicine, Fall 1995, Winter, Spring, and Fall 1996; Winter, Spring, and Falll 1997; Winter, Spring, and Fall, 1998
“Forensic Anthropology” University of Sarajevo (Bosnia), Fall 1999
“Human Evolution” Washington State University, Pullman Fall 2000
“Neuroanatomy” Libyan International Medical University, Benghazi Spring 2010
Lecture/Laboratory:
"Comparative Morpho-Physiology of the Higher Primates" Anthropology 132, UCLA, Spring 1978
"Human Gross Anatomy" New York University School of Medicine, Fall 1978, 1979, 1980
"Comparative Anatomy of the Primates" Anthropology G14.1515, New York University, Spring 1980, Fall 1981
"Fossil Evidence for Hominid Evolution" Anthropology G14.1519, New York University, Fall 1982
“Human Gross Anatomy” Saba University School of Medicine, Fall 1995, Winter, Spring, Fall, 1996; Winter, Spring, And Fall 1997; Winter, Spring, and Fall 1998
“Forensic Anthropology of the Death Scene” Washington State University, Spokane Summer 2000
“Human Gross Anatomy” Ross University School of Medicine, Winter, Summer, and Fall 2001 – 2009
“Neuroanatomy” Libyan International Medical University, Spring 2010
Seminar:
"Paleoecology of Early Hominidae" Anthropology 280, UCLA, Spring 1978
"Hominid Paleontology and Taphonomy" Anthropology G14.3218, New York University, Spring 1979
"Fossil and Biomolecular Phylogenies of the Primates" Anthropology G14.1931, New York University, Spring 1979
"Reconstruction of the Behavior of Early Hominidae" Anthropology G14.1935, New York University, Spring 1980
"Current Issues in Physical Anthropology" Anthropology V14.0512, New York University, Spring 1982
"Human Evolution: Problems and Perspectives" Anthropology G14.2519, New York University, Spring 1982
"Earth Science Perspectives in Paleoanthropology" Anthropology G14.3398, New York University, Spring 1983
"Proseminar in Biological Anthropology" Anthropology 201, George Washington University, Spring 1993
Languages Read/Spoken:
French, German, and Spanish [reading competency examinations passed for doctoral degree, U.C. Berkeley]; Italian (reading knowledge); Arabic and Swahili (field languages)
Associations:
American Association of Anatomists (Chair, Outreach Grants Committee 2008-2009)
American Association of Clinical Anatomists (Co-Chair, Outreach and Liaison Committee 2009-2010)
American Association of Physical Anthropologists
American Anthropological Association
Explorers Club (Fellow)
Human Biology Association
International Association of Medical Science Educators (Member, Genomics Interest Group)
Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland (Fellow)
Society of Vertebrate Paleontology
Areas of Research Interest and Specialization:
Hominid Evolution (from pre-australopithecines to Homo sapiens), Evolutionary Biology
Integrative Anatomy, Morphomics (Morphological Genomics), “Evo-Devo,” and Embryology
Evolutionary Medicine, Biomedical Anthropology, and Preventive Medicine
Clinical Anatomy, Forensic Anthropology, Pathological Anatomy
Physical Anthropology, Osteology, Functional Morphology
Vertebrate Paleontology, Paleoecology and Paleoenvironment, Taphonomy, and Biostratigraphy, Especially of the Old World Cenozoic
History of Science & Medicine
Public Service:
President, International Foundation for Human Evolutionary Research, 1991-1995
Founder, Virginia Museum of Natural History, June 25, 1984
President, Virginia Museum of Natural History Foundation (formerly The Boaz Foundation), 1984-89
President, Blue Ridge-Piedmont Cultural Consortium, 1987-88
Board Member, Virginia Historic Landmarks Board, Commonwealth of Virginia, 1987-88
Editor, Physical Anthropology News, 1993-1997
Cub Scout Den Leader, Pack 430, Spokane, Washington, 2000
Field Work:
Omo Research Expedition, Ethiopia - Excavation and paleontological survey, 1973
Suguta Valley, Kenya - Paleontological reconnaissance, 1973
Omo Research Expedition, Ethiopia - Excavation and paleontological survey, 1974
Rukwa Valley, Tanzania - Paleontological reconnaissance, 1974
Museum study of European and African fossil hominids, 1975-76
Qasr as-Sahabi, Libya - Paleontological reconnaissance, 1975
International Sahabi Research Project (Director) - Field seasons: November, 1976; June-July, 1977; June-September, 1978; February-March, 1979; June-July, 1980; December, 1980 - March, 1981
Museum study of European and African fossil Miocene hominoids - July-August, 1979; July-August, 1980
Sinda-Mohari and Semliki Valley, Zaire - Paleontological reconnaissance, July-August, 1982
Semliki Research Expedition (Director) - Field seasons: June-August, 1983; November, 1983 - March, 1984; January-February, 1985; July, 1985; July, 1986; July-August, 1988; June-September, 1989; June-July, 1990
Western Rift Research Expedition - Uganda (Director) - Field season June-August, 1993
Forensic Assistance Project in Bosnia, Physicians for Human Rights (Consultant Forensic Anthropologist) April - December, 1999
Zhoukoudian, China, Taphonomic Research on Homo erectus, December,Taphonomic Research on Homo erectus, December, 2000
East Libya Neogene Research Project, Libya (International Director) – 2006 - present
Selected Publications (Exclusive of Abstracts and Reviews)
Boaz, N.T.
1974 Positional and directional correlation of muscle attachments and split-line patterns in the pelvic region. Southeastern Review (University of Virginia) 1(2):123-133.
Boaz, N.T., and A.K. Behrensmeyer
1976 Hominid taphonomy: Transport of human skeletal elements in an artificial fluviatile environment. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 45:53-60.
Johanson, D.C., M. Splingaer, and N.T. Boaz
1976 Paleontological excavations in the lower Omo Valley, Ethiopia. In: Coppens, Y., F.C. Howell, G.Ll. Isaac, and R.E.F. Leakey, eds. Earliest Man and Environments in the Lake Rudolf Basin, Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Pp. 402-420.
Boaz, N.T., and J.E. Cronin (eds.)
1977 Berkeley Papers in Physical Anthropology. Kroeber Anthropological Society Papers 50.
Boaz, N.T., and F.C. Howell
1977 A gracile hominid cranium from upper Member G of the Shungura Formation, Ethiopia. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 46:93-108.
Boaz, N.T., and J. Hampel
1978 Strontium contents of tooth enamel and diet in early hominids. Journal of Paleontology 52:928-933.
Boaz, N.T.
1979 Hominid evolution in eastern Africa during the Pliocene and early Pleistocene. Annual Review of Anthropology 8:71-85.
Boaz, N.T., A.W. Gaziry, and A. El-Arnauti
1979 New fossil finds from the Libyan upper Neogene site of Sahabi. Nature 280:137-140.
Boaz, N.T.
1979 Early hominid population densities: New estimates. Science 206:592-595.
Boaz, N.T.
1980 A hominoid clavicle from the Mio-Pliocene of Sahabi, Libya. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 53:49-54.
Cronin, J.E., N.T. Boaz, C.B. Stringer, and Y. Rak
1981 Tempo and mode in hominid evolution. Nature 292:113-122.
Boaz, N.T.
1981 History of American paleoanthropological research on early Hominidae, 1925-1980. American Journal of Physical Anthropology 56:397-406.
Boaz, N.T., D. Ninkovich, and M. Rossignol-Strick
1982 Paleoclimatic setting for Homo sapiens neanderthalensis. Naturwissenschaften 69:29-33.
Boaz, N.T., and D.L. Cramer
1982 Fossils of the Libyan Sahara. Natural History 91:34-41.
Boaz, N.T.
1982 American research on australopithecines and early Homo, 1925-1980. In: Spencer, F., ed. History of American Physical Anthropology, 1930-1980. New York: Academic Press. Pp. 239-260.
Boaz, N.T., and W.E. Meikle
1982 Fossil remains of primates (Cercopithecoidea and Hominoidea) from the Sahabi Formation. Garyounis Scientific Bulletin, Special Issue 4:41-48.
Boaz, N.T.
1982 Aspects of early hominid emergence. Reviews in Anthropology 9:313-319.
Spencer, F., N.T. Boaz, M. Allen, and W.C. McGrew
1982 Biochemical detection of fecal hematin as a test for meat-eating in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). American Journal of Primatology 3:327-332.
Boaz, N.T., F.C. Howell, and M.L. McCrossin
1982 Faunal age of the Usno, Shungura B and Hadar Formations, Ethiopia. Nature 300:633-635.
Boaz, N.T.
1983 Morphological trends and phylogenetic relationships from middle Miocene hominoids to late Pliocene hominids. In: Ciochon, R.L., and R.S. Corruccini, eds. New Interpretations of Ape and Human Ancestry. New York: Plenum. Pp 705-720.
Boaz, N.T., and L.H. Burckle
1984 Paleoclimatic framework for African hominid evolution. In: Vogel, J.C., ed. Late Cainozoic Palaeoclimates of the Southern Hemisphere. Rotterdam: Balkema. Pp. 483-490.
Boaz, N.T.
1985 Early hominid paleoecology in the Omo basin, Ethiopia. In: Coppens, Y., ed. L'Environnement des Hominidés au Plio-Pléistocène. Paris: Fondation Singer-Polignac. Pp. 283-312.
Boaz, N.T.
1987 Sahabi and Neogene hominoid evolution. In: Boaz, N.T., et al., eds. Neogene Paleontology and Geology of Sahabi, Libya. New York: Liss. Ibid., pp. 129-134.
Harris, J.W.K., P.G. Williamson, J. Verniers, M.J. Tappen, K. Stewart, D. Helgren, J. de Heinzelin, N.T. Boaz, and R.V. Bellomo
1987 Late Pliocene hominid occupation in Central Africa: The setting, context, and character of the Senga 5A site, Zaire. Journal of Human Evolution 16:701-728.
Boaz, N.T.
1988 Status of Australopithecus afarensis. Yearbook of Physical Anthropology 31:85-113.
Boaz, N.T., ed.
1990 Evolution of Environments and Hominidae in the African Western Rift Valley. Virginia Museum of Natural History Memoir No. 1. 356 pp.
Boaz, N.T., P. Pavlakis, and A.S. Brooks
1990 Late Pleistocene-Holocene human remains from the Upper Semliki, Zaire. In: Ibid., pp. 273-299.
Boaz, N.T.
1992 Climate and evolution: First steps into the human dawn. Earth 1:36-43.
Boaz, N.T., R.L. Bernor, A.S. Brooks, H.B.S. Cooke, J. de Heinzelin, R. Dechamps, E. Delson, A.W. Gentry, J.W.K. Harris, P. Meylan, P.P. Pavlakis, W.J. Sanders, K. M. Stewart, J. Verniers, P.G. Williamson, and A. J. Winkler
1992 A new evaluation of the significance of the Late Neogene Lusso Beds, Upper Semliki Valley, Zaire. Journal of Human Evolution 22:505-517.
Boaz, N.T.
1993 Human origins. In: Milestones in Human Evolution. Perspectives in Human Evolution, Volume 6. Eds. A.J. Almquist and A. Manyak. Prospect Heights, Ill.: Waveland Press, pp. 141-166.
Boaz, N.T.
1993 Quarry: Closing In On the Missing Link. New York: Free Press/Macmillan.
Boaz, N.T.
1994 Significance of the Western Rift for Hominid Origins. In: Integrative Paths to the Past: Paleoanthropological Advances in Honor of F.C. Howell. Eds. R.S. Corruccini and R.L. Ciochon. New York: Prentice-Hall, pp. 321-343.
Boaz, N.T., P. Pavlakis, M. McDonell, and J. Gatesy
1994 Early hominid environments in the late Pliocene of eastern Zaire: Analysis of the Senga 13B excavation. National Geographic Research and Exploration 10:124-127.
Boaz, N.T., and L. Wolfe (eds.)
1995 Biological Anthropology: The State of the Science. Bend, Oregon: International Institute for Human Evolutionary Research. 267 pp. (2nd edition 1997).
Boaz, N.T.
1995 Calibration and Extension of the Record of Plio-Pleistocene Hominidae. In: Biological Anthropology: The State of the Science. Eds. N.T. Boaz and L. Wolfe. Bend: IIHER, pp. 23-47.
Boaz, N.T.
1996 Vertebrate paleontology and terrestrial paleoecology of Sahabi and the Sirt Basin. In: Sedimentary Basins of Libya, Vol. 1, ed. M. Salem. The Hague: Elsevier.
Boaz, N.T. and A.J. Almquist
1997 Biological Anthropology, A Synthetic Approach to Human Evolution. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 608 pp.
Boaz, N.T.
1997 Eco Homo: How the Human Being Emerged from the Cataclysmic History of the Earth. New York: Basic Books.
Boaz, N.T. and A.J. Almquist
1998 Essentials of Biological Anthropology. Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Boaz, N.T., R.L. Ciochon, Xu Qinqi, and Liu Jinyi
2000 Large mammalian carnivores as a taphonomic factor in the bone accumulation at Zhoukoudian. Acta Anthropologica Sinica, Suppl. vol. 19:224-234.
Boaz, N.T. and R.L. Ciochon
2001The scavenging of “Peking Man”. Natural History 110(2):46-51.
Boaz, N.T. and A.J. Almquist
2002 Biological Anthropology, A Synthetic Approach to Human Evolution. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. 2nd ed.
Boaz, N.T.
2002Evolving Health: The Origins of Illness and How the Modern World is Making Us Sick. New York: Wiley.
Boaz, N.T. and R.L. Ciochon
2004 Dragon Bone Hill: An Ice-Age Saga of Homo erectus. New York: Oxford University Press.
Boaz, N.T., R.L. Ciochon, Xu Qinqi, and Liu Jinyi
Boaz, N.T. and R.L. Ciochon
2004 Headstrong hominids. Natural History 113(1):28-34.
Boaz, N.T. and R.L. Ciochon
2004 Brute of Dragon Bone Hill. New Scientist 182 (2443):32-35.
Boaz, N.T., A. El-Arnauti, J. Agusti, R.L. Bernor, P. Pavlakis, and L. Rook
Boaz, N.T., A. El-Arnaouti, and P. Pavlakis,
Pavlakis, P., and N.T.Boaz
2008 Newly discovered Anthracotheriidae sample from As-Sahabi. In: Circum-Mediterranean Geology and Biotic Evolution During the Neogene Period:
The Perspective from Libya. N.T. Boaz, A. El-Aranouti, P.Pavlakis and M.Salem (Eds.), Garyounis Scientific Boulletin, Special Issue No. 5,
pp.189-204
Benefit, B.R., M. McCrossin, N.T.Boaz, and P. Pavlakis
2008 New Fossil Cercopithecoids from the Late Miocene of As Sahabi, Libya. In: Circum-Mediterranean Geology and Biotic Evolution During the Neogene
Period: The Perspective from Libya. N.T. Boaz, A. El-Aranouti, P. Pavlakis and M.Salem (Eds.),Garyounis Scientific Boulletin, Special Issue No. 5,
pp.265-282
Benefit, B.R., Salem, R.M., McCrossin, M.L., Boaz, N.T., Pavlakis, P.
2009. New fossil papionins from the Late Miocene of As Sahabi, Libya. American Journal ofPhysical Anthropology: 88-88, Suppl. 48
Boaz, N.T., A. Martin, K. Thompson, C. Ferreira, and L. Forest
In Press Structure and functional significance of the transverse vesical fold. Clinical Anatomy.
Boaz, N.T.
In Prep. Evolutionary Medicine of the Male Reproductive System. Oxford University Press.
[1] Not including private, corporate, and governmental funding totaling over $8 million raised during a seven-year period, as Founding Director of the Virginia Museum of Natural History