Kara
Coffman-Rea
Kara Coffman-Rea
- Campus IllinoisCOM
- DepartmentMedical Education
- InstitutionThe Chicago School
Biography
Dr. Kara Coffman-Rea (Ph.D.) is part of the Foundational Sciences Faculty in Anatomy at the Illinois College of Osteopathic Medicine (IllinoisCOM) at The Chicago School. She is a professional anatomist and dedicated educator, committed to creating rigorous, supportive learning environments that help students build confidence in anatomical knowledge. Dr. Coffman-Rea has taught anatomy across undergraduate, graduate and medical programs, including appointments at the University of Guam, Northern Illinois University, and the American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine.
Dr. Coffman-Rea's research interests focus on clinically relevant anatomical variations found in cadaveric specimens. Additionally, her Ph.D. research was identification and classification of microplastic particles in human respiratory tissues. Outside of academia, Dr. Coffman-Rea is an adventurer who loves travel, skydiving, scuba diving, and hiking. She finds that exploring the outdoors fuels her passion for science, education, collaboration, and life.
Education History
Degree Institution Year Ph.D. Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 2024 M.S. Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 2016 Professional Memberships
Role Organization Member The American Association for Anatomy Member The American Association of Clinical Anatomists Member Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS) Presentations
Title Location Date Micro-CT Analysis of Microplastics in Human Lung Tissue DeKalb IL 2025 CSAC – Facial Anatomy and Dissection Guam 2024 Atypical variation within the deep gluteal region St. Louis 2024 Publications
Journal Coffman-Rea K, Arwood S, Samonds KE, Fuchs DJ, Negrin JP (2024). Laterally Positioned External Carotid Arteries: Two Cadaveric Case Reports. Translational Research in Anatomy, ,
Coffman-Rea K, Arwood S, Samonds KE. (2024). Atypical variation within the deep gluteal region: A case report featuring double piriformis, non-forming sciatic nerve, and abnormal course of the gluteal vessels.. Translational Research in Anatomy, ,
Babin-Howard K, Coffman-Rea K, Samonds KE. (2026). Establishing a Microfiber Recovery Rate in Human Lung Tissue.. Microplastics, ,
Professional Skills
I am available to mentor medical students beginning in Fall 2026. My research focuses on anatomical variation and the clinical significance of different varients. Anatomical variation has implications for clinical practice, but the prevalence of many variants remains poorly established as variations often go unreported, and those that are published are described inconsistently. My work identifies and describes variations found in cadaveric donors, contributing to the record of how frequently they occur., I am available to be a faculty advisor for a student club.