Krebs

Claudia Krebs

Professor of Teaching

MD, PhD (Cologne, Germany)

Email: claudia.krebs@ubc.ca

Office: 604-827-5694

Teaching
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Dr. Claudia Krebs is a Professor of Teaching in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of British Columbia, specializing in anatomy education and biomedical visualization.

With a career distinguished by innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a commitment to ethical science communication, Dr. Krebs has transformed how students and professionals engage with complex anatomical concepts. She is the founder of the HIVE (Hackspace for Innovation and Visualization in Education), where she has pioneered the integration of extended reality (xR) technologies into medical education, making challenging subjects accessible and engaging.

Dr. Krebs is also recognized for her research on the ethical dimensions of anatomical visualizations. Her work is on the legacy of Pernkopf atlas and she discovered the Nazi origins of the Spanner atlas.  Additional Link: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-the-stain-of-nazi-science-pushed-one-anatomy-book-off-the-shelves-a/

Her widely-used educational resources, including neuroanatomy.ca, clinicalanatomy.ca, and her “Body Banter” podcast have established UBC and her HIVE team as leader in anatomy education and science communication.

In 2021 Dr. Krebs launched the non-credit Certificate in Biomedical Visualization and Communication in collaboration with Extended Learning. The certificate continues with robust enrolment and a vibrant community of alumni.

Her work not only advances the field of anatomy education but also fosters a new generation of educators and communicators who are as adept in technology as they are in scientific integrity and empathy.

She has received numerous teaching awards and in 2021 she was named a Fellow of the American Association for Anatomy, a recognition of the broad impact her work has had on the anatomy community and she is the 2025 Henry Gray Distinguished Educator Award recipient.

Publications
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  • Hildebrandt S, Krebs C: From Body to Image – Pernkopf’s Anatomical Gaze and Eyewitness Accounts on the Process of Creating Images from Nazi Victims’ Bodies; Anat Sci Educ 2025 in press https://doi.org/10.1002/ase.70001
  • Cornwall J, White R, Pennefather P, Hildebrandt S, Gregory J, Smith HF, Organ J, Krebs C. Legal and ethical considerations around the use of existing illustrations to generate new illustrations in the anatomical sciences. Anat Sci Educ. 2025 Feb 10. doi: 10.1002/ase.70002. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39925144.
  • Krebs C, Schwab K, Khalon M, Bratanovic I, Greenwood A, Rosenblum S, Hildebrandt S: Pernkopf was not alone: the Nazi origins of the Spanner-Spalteholz Atlas – The Lancet, Volume 404, Issue 10466, 1921 – 1922https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)02314-6
  • Schaurich C, Saraco A, Oruganti, Tamber MS, Haetinger RG, Dixit I, Lo B, MH, Krebs C*, Steinbok P* (*co-senior authors): Allometry of the human calvaria bones during development from birth to 8 years of age shows a nonlinear growth pattern –Nature Scientific Reports 2024 Oct 31;14(1):26205. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-77315-8   
  • Campbell SH, Bernardes N, Tharmaratnam T, Willson M, Krebs C, Campbell K, Brophy M, Oliveira Silva G: Effectiveness of interprofessional development of foundational lactation open education resources; Clinical Simulation in Nursing,Vol 95, 2024,101603, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecns.2024.101603
  • Wilson AB, Bay BH, Byram JN, Carroll MA, Finn GM, Hammer N, Hildebrandt S, Krebs C, Wisco JJ, Organ JM: Journal recommended guidelines for survey-based research; Anat Sci Educ 2024  
    https://doi.org/10.1002/ase.2499
  • Wilson AB, Bay BH, Byram JN, Carroll MA, Finn GM, Hammer N, Hildebrandt S, Krebs C, Wisco JJ, Organ JM: Journal recommended guidelines for systematic review and meta-analyses; Anat Sci Educ 2024 https://doi.org/10.1002/ase.2500
  • Li J, Zhou Z, Yang J, Pepe A, Gsaxner C, Luijten G, Qu C, Zhang T, Chen X, Li W, Wodzinski M, Friedrich P, Xie K, Jin Y, Ambigapathy N, Nasca E, Solak N, Melito GM, Vu VD, Memon AR, Schlachta C, De Ribaupierre S, Patel R, Eagleson R, Chen X, Mächler H, Kirschke JS, de la Rosa E, Christ PF, Li HB, Ellis DG, Aizenberg MR, Gatidis S, Küstner T, Shusharina N, Heller N, Andrearczyk V, Depeursinge A, Hatt M, Sekuboyina A, Löffler MT, Liebl H, Dorent R, Vercauteren T, Shapey J, Kujawa A, Cornelissen S, Langenhuizen P, Ben-Hamadou A, Rekik A, Pujades S, Boyer E, Bolelli F, Grana C, Lumetti L, Salehi H, Ma J, Zhang Y, Gharleghi R, Beier S, Sowmya A, Garza-Villarreal EA, Balducci T, Angeles-Valdez D, Souza R, Rittner L, Frayne R, Ji Y, Ferrari V, Chatterjee S, Dubost F, Schreiber S, Mattern H, Speck O, Haehn D, John C, Nürnberger A, Pedrosa J, Ferreira C, Aresta G, Cunha A, Campilho A, Suter Y, Garcia J, Lalande A, Vandenbossche V, Van Oevelen A, Duquesne K, Mekhzoum H, Vandemeulebroucke J, Audenaert E, Krebs C, van Leeuwen T, Vereecke E, Heidemeyer H, Röhrig R, Hölzle F, Badeli V, Krieger K, Gunzer M, Chen J, van Meegdenburg T, Dada A, Balzer M, Fragemann J, Jonske F, Rempe M, Malorodov S, Bahnsen FH, Seibold C, Jaus A, Marinov Z, Jaeger PF, Stiefelhagen R, Santos AS, Lindo M, Ferreira A, Alves V, Kamp M, Abourayya A, Nensa F, Hörst F, Brehmer A, Heine L, Hanusrichter Y, Weßling M, Dudda M, Podleska LE, Fink MA, Keyl J, Tserpes K, Kim MS, Elhabian S, Lamecker H, Zukić D, Paniagua B, Wachinger C, Urschler M, Duong L, Wasserthal J, Hoyer PF, Basu O, Maal T, Witjes MJH, Schiele G, Chang TC, Ahmadi SA, Luo P, Menze B, Reyes M, Deserno TM, Davatzikos C, Puladi B, Fua P, Yuille AL, Kleesiek J, Egger J. MedShapeNet – a large-scale dataset of 3D medical shapes for computer vision. Biomed Tech (Berl). 2024 Dec 30;70(1):71-90. doi: 10.1515/bmt-2024-0396. PMID: 39733351.
  • Cornwall J, Krebs C, Hildebrandt S, Gregory J, Pennefather P. Considerations on the use of artificial intelligence in generating anatomical images: Comment on “Evaluating AI-powered text-to-image generators for anatomical illustration: A comparative study”. Anat Sci Educ. 2024 Jul-Aug;17(5):1097-1099. doi: 10.1002/ase.2347. Epub 2023 Nov 2. PMID: 37919840.
  • Ho S, Liu P, Palombo D, Handy TC, Krebs C: The role of spatial ability in mixed reality learning with the HoloLens; October 2021, Anat Sci Educ 00:1–12. https://doi.org/10.1002/ase.2146
  • Krebs C, Quiroga-Garza A, Pennefather P, Elizondo-Omana RE: Ethics behind technology-enhanced medical education and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; July 2021, European Journal of Anatomy 25(4):515-522
    Muñoz-Leija MA, Paul BR, Shi G, Dixit I, Quiroga-Garza A, Krebs C: THE HIVE: a multidisciplinary approach to medical education; April 2021, European Journal of Anatomy 25(S1):101-106
  • Pennefather P, Krebs C, and Saroyan JA: Reimagining the Audience-Dancer Relationship Through Mobile Augmented Reality. Multidisciplinary Perspectives on New Media Art, Chapter 6, pp 119-141, 2020
    Pennefather P and Krebs C: Exploring the Role of xR in Visualisations for Use in Medical Education. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2019;1171:15-23 
  • Birkl C, Birkl-Toeglhofer AM, Endmayer V, Hoeftberger R, Kasprian G, Krebs C, Haybeack J, Rauscher A: The influence of brain iron on myelin water imaging. Neuroimage. 2019 May 17. pii: S1053-8119(19)30434-3. doi: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.05.042
  • Dixit I, Kennedy S, Piemontesi J, Kennedy B, Krebs C: Which Tool Is Best: 3D Scanning or Photogrammetry – It Depends on the Task. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2019;1120:107-119
  • Chedgy E, Lowe G, Tang R, Krebs C, Sawka A, Vaghadia H, Gleave ME, So AI (2017) Surgical placement of rectus sheath catheters in a cadaveric cystectomy model. Ann R Coll Surg Engl. 2017 Oct 19:1-5
  • Darras KE, Clark SJ, Tso DK, Liang TI, Krebs C, Tonseth RP, Chang SD, Forster BB, Nicolaou S (2017): Development of an Undergraduate Radiology Curriculum: Ten-Year Experience from the University of British Columbia. Can Assoc Radiol J. 2017 Aug;68(3):237-242
  • Krebs C., Beasley C. When learning about the brain gets personal. UBCMJ. 2016: 8.1 (6)
  • Mowat I, Tang R, Vaghadia H, Krebs C, Henderson WR, Sawka A (2016): Epidural distribution of dye administered via an epidural catheterin a porcine model.  Br J Anaesth.. 2016 Feb;116(2):277-81
  • Chanpong B, Tang R, Sawka A, Krebs C, Vaghadia H (2013): Real-time ultrasonographic visualization for guided inferior alveolar nerve injection. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2013 Feb;115(2):272-6
  • French L, Lane S, Xu L, Siu C, Kwok C, Chen Y, Krebs C, Pavlidis P (2012): Application and evaluation of automated method to extract neuroanatomical connectivity statements from free text. Bioinformatics Nov 15; 28 (22): 2963-70. [9 citing articles]
  • Kaur B, Tang R, Sawka A, Krebs C, Vaghadia H (2012) Brief Report: A method for ultrasonographic visualization and injection of the superior laryngeal nerve: Volunteer study and cadaver simulation. Anesth Analg. Nov 115 (5) 1242-5. [15 citing articles]
  • Lee PJ, Tang R, Sawka A, Krebs C, Vaghadia H (2011) Brief Report: Real-Time Ultrasound-Guided Spinal Anesthesia Using Taylor’s Approach. Anesth Analg. May 112 (5) 1286-8. [12 citing articles]
  • Kozoriz MG, Church J, Ozog MA, Naus CC, Krebs, C (2010) Temporary sequestration of potassium by mitochondria in astrocytes. J. Biol. Chem. 285(41):31107-19. [16 citing articles]
  • Krebs, C, Fernandes HB, Sheldon C, Raymond LA, Baimbridge KG (2003) Functional NMDA receptor subtype 2B is expressed in astrocytes following ischemic in vivo and anoxia in vitro. J. Neurosci. 23(8):3364-72. [106 citing articles]
  • Zeron MM, Fernandes HB, Krebs C, Shehadeh J, Nijhof J, Wellington CL, Leavitt BR, Baimbridge KG, Hayden MR, Raymond LA (2004) Potentiation of NMDA receptor-mediated excitotoxicity linked with intrinsic apoptotic papthway in YAC transgenic mouse model of Huntington’s Disease. Mol Cell Neurosci. Mar;25(3):469-79. [147 citing articles]
  • Dassesse D, Cuvelier L, Krebs C, Streppel M, Guntinas-Lichius O, Neiss WF, Pochet R (1998) Differential expression of calbindin and calmodulin in motoneurons after hypoglossal axotomy. Brain Res 786: 181-188.
  • Angelov DN, Krebs C, Walther M, Martinez-Portillo FJ, Gunkel A, Lay CH, Streppel M, Guntinas-Lichius O, Stennert E, Neiss WF (1998) Altered expression of immune-related antigens by neuronophages does not improve neuronal survival after severe lesion of the facial nerve in rats.  Glia 24: 155-171.
  • Gangji V, Krebs, C, Rooze M, Pochet, R (1997) Calretinin is transiently expressed in tendon fibroblasts of the paravertebral region of the chick embryo. Eur J Morphol 35: 137-142.
  • Krebs, C, Neiss WF, Streppel M, Guntinas-Lichius O, Dassesse D, Stennert E, Pochet R (1997) Axotomy induces transient calbindin D28K immunoreactivity in hypoglossal motoneurons in vivo. Cell Calcium 22: 367-372.
Further publications can be found here.
Awards
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  • 2025 Henry Gray Distinguished Educator Award, from the American Association for Anatomy
  • 2024 David Hardwick Award, Medical Undergraduate Society
  • 2024 AMS Open Educational Resources (OER) Champion
  • 2023 UBC Faculty of Medicine Distinguished Achievement in Award for Overall Excellence, Senior Faculty
  • 2023 David Hardwick Award, Medical Undergraduate Society
  • 2022 Faculty of Dentistry Teaching Excellence Award
  • 2022 UBC Vancouver Open Educational Resources Collection Challenge – Award presented to the HIVE by the UBC AMS (Alma Mater Society)
  • 2021 named Fellow of the American Association for Anatomy
  • 2021 Faculty of Dentistry Teaching Excellence Award
  • 2021 Medical Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award
  • 2018/19 Medical Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award, class of 2022
  • 2018 Faculty of Dentistry Teaching Excellence Award
  • 2018 Killam Teaching Award
  • 2017 highly commended for Medea Award for Educational Media
  • 2016 Medical Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award, class of 2018
  • 2016 Medical Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award, class of 2017
  • 2016 highly commended for Medea Award for Educational Media
  • 2015 Honorary Member of the Swedish Society for Anatomy
  • 2015 Universitas 21 Visiting Scholar Award at Lund University, Sweden
  • 2015 Distinguished Achievement Award for Excellence in Education, awarded by the Dean’s Office, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
  • 2014 Medical Undergraduate Society Teaching Excellence Award, awarded by the MD Undergraduate class of 2016
  • 2012 Departmental Teaching Award, Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences
  • 2010 CAME Certificate of Merit Award, awarded by the Canadian Association for Medical Education
  • 2008 Distinguished Achievement Award for Excellence in Education, awarded by the Dean’s Office, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia
Recent Abstracts
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Chung E, Hildebrandt S, Greenwood A, Rosenblum S, Krebs C: The Antecedents of the Pernkopf Atlas; Anatomy Connected 2024
Schwab K, Manjot K, Bratanovic I, Hildebrandt S, Greenwood A, Rosenblum S, Krebs C:  A First Look into the Nefarious Origins of the Spanner Atlas; Anatomy Connected 2024
Wang B, Langereis, K, Cunningham-Dunlop R, Chen Z, Lo B, Fejtek M, Krebs C, O’Loughlin V: Beyond the Binary: Application of Inclusive Design Principles to Redefine Genital Development Education; Anatomy Connected 2024
Van Schaardenburgh M, Grøndalen A, Sagredo-Thackwell S, Dahl Vonen H, Simpson MR, Krebs C: Formative Objective Structured Practical Examination (OSPE) in Anatomy with the Use of the Vancouver Virtual Reality App (VanVRapp) ; Anatomy Connected 2024
Stiver M, Cannon D, Meyer A, Krebs C, Yohannan DG, Brown K, Whitburn L, Giannaris EL, Pickering M, Vilburn M, Hildago ML, Vollbrecht P, Baticulon R, Larsen R, Border S, McMahon S, Flanagan T, Forlizzi V, Salinas-Alvarez Y, Carrol M: “Neuroanatomy Educators, Meet Your Global Community”: Inception and Implementation of the Global Neuroanatomy Network; Anatomy Connected 2024
Miller CL, Yu B, Hering K, Dixit I, Bafia L, Campbell K, Krebs C: Development of a Three-dimensional Digital Animation for Improved Understanding of the Cardinal Movements of Labor; Anatomy Connected 2024
Goes Schaurich C, Steinbok P, Tamber M, Krebs C, Oruganti, M, Haetinger RG: Developmental Anatomy of the Pediatric Skull Based on Three-Dimensional Computed Tomography.March 2023: Anatomy Connected
Ling DS, Goes Schaurich C, Dixit I, Krebs C: Transtentorial Herniation from a Rare Tentorial Incisura Defect: A Case Report for Clinical and Neuroanatomical Education.March 2023: Anatomy Connected
Lo B, Oyedele O, Krebs C: “The Podcast Really Helped Bring the Human-ness Back”: The Role of Podcasts in Reimagining Anatomy Education.March 2023: Anatomy Connected
Saraco AN, Wainman B, Krebs C: “Cheating” to Academic Success: Can Knowledge of Kolb’s Cycle and a Cheat Sheet Improve Educational Outcomes for Biomedical Engineering Students Studying Anatomy. March 2023: Anatomy Connected
Van Schaardenburgh M, Dahl Vonen H, Sagredo-Thackwell S, Grøndalen A, Simpson MR, Krebs C: Formative Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) in Anatomy with the Use of the Vancouver Virtual Reality App (VanVRapp).March 2023: Anatomy Connected
Alkhammash L, Lo E, Tian D, Dixit I, Jeon S, Lin T, Shao A, Liu E, Zhang S, Li J, Kvaale A, Sidharth A, Pennefather P, Palombo D, Code J, Krebs C: “Comparing the Student Journey in Physical and Virtual Anatomy Labs” March 2023: Anatomy Connected
Keymanesh S, Dixit I, Saraco AN, Krebs C: Diffusion Tensor Imaging-Informed Dissection of Human White Matter Tracts to Create Three-Dimensional Computer-Generated Models. March 2023: Anatomy Connected
Ishan Dixit, Connor Dunne, Curtis J. Logan, Monika Fejtek, Paige Blumer, Ratthamnoon Prakitpong, Claudia Krebs: “A Workflow for Digitizing Anatomical Specimens by Combining Photogrammetry and 3D Scanning” May 2022: The FASEB Journal Volume 36, Issue S1
Jenna Usprech, Claudia Krebs: “An Anatomy and Physiology Course for Engineers Involving the “Design” of Integrated, Anatomically Unique Creatures” May 2022: The FASEB Journal Volume 36, Issue S1
Tai-Jiun Terry Lin, Steve Zhang, Sean Jeon, Vedanth Meleveetil, Claudia Krebs: “Mobile Gyro Control for Intuitive Manipulation of Virtual Anatomy Specimens” May 2022: The FASEB Journal Volume 36, Issue S1
Sebastian Swic, Leena Alkhammash, Claudia Krebs: “Augmented and Virtual Reality in Anatomical Education and its Evaluation: Quality Matters” May 2022: The FASEB Journal Volume 36, Issue S1
Mikaela L. Stiver, Linda Ding, Alexia Lalande, Cat Lau, Winnie Lin, Monica Fejtek, Sean Jeon, Sarah Leavitt, Claudia Krebs: “Gut It Out: An Anatomy Card Game and Study Tool for Medical Students” May 2022: The FASEB Journal Volume 36, Issue S1
Leena Alkhammash, Patrick Pennfather, Ishan Dixit, Sean Jeon, Amber Shao, Emma Liu, Sebastian Swic, Steve Zhang, Janette Li, Austin Kvaale, Aanandi Sidharth, Terry Lin, Claudia Krebs: “Design Principles for VanVR APP: a Virtual Anatomy Lab”May 2022: The FASEB Journal Volume 36, Issue S1
Pennefather P, Scott D, Dunne C, Dixit I, Dykstra M, Fejtek M, Jeon S, Xu Z, Zhang W, Li Z, Yan N, Chen K, Lin T, Meyers C, Krebs C: Development of a virtual anatomy lab (VanVR App) for implementation during the Covid19 pandemic to ensure 3D learning with scanned prosections, May 2021, The FASEB Journal 35(S1), DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.2021.35.S1.04741
Mussel J, Harrell K, VanNuland S, Brewe-Deluce D, Cornwall J, Krebs C, Lazarus M, MacLeod A, Wainman B, Hildebrand S, Byram J: Beyond content knowledge: psychosocial attitude, behavior, and skill development in gross anatomy education; May 2021, The FASEB Journal 35(S1), DOI: 10.1096/fasebj.2021.35.S1.03826
Blumer P, Claydon M, Murray K, Krebs C: Med Combat Comics – A graphic novel approach to medical education in the armed forces. CCME 2020 poster presentation – cancelled due to Covid19
Darras K, Spouge R, Hatala R, Nicolaou S, Hu J, Worthington A, Krebs C, Forster B: Integrated virtual and cadaveric dissection laboratories enhance first year medical students’ anatomy experience: a pilot study. CCME 2020 poster presentatoin – cancelled due to Covid19