A popular Keuka College professor is instructing students far beyond the College’s campus thanks to the publication of his latest academic text.
Dr. David Felten, Keuka College’s Distinguished Scholar in Residence, recently completed the second edition of Netter’s Neuroscience Coloring Book, a widely used resource in neuroscience education. The book combines artistic illustrations with scientific concepts, serving as a practical tool for students studying healthcare and neuroscience in colleges and universities worldwide.
A nationally recognized neuroscientist and prolific scholar, Dr. Felten is the principal author of the widely used Netter’s Atlas of Neuroscience, to which the interactive coloring text is a supplemental resource.
Each plate in the new work is accompanied by a description of the structures being studied, a list of anatomical features for students to color, and a clinical note explaining the real-world relevance of the material. The aim is to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and clinical practice.
“It’s a very scholarly text,” said Dr. Felten. “It’s used as a laboratory guide and exercise in the tradition of the Netter atlases.”
The second edition of the workbook, which has been in development for several years, features Dr. Felten’s numerous updates and refinements to the illustrations of Dr. Frank Netter, one of the most celebrated medical illustrators of the 20th century. Having spent decades working on updates to the widely used Netter’s Atlas of Neuroscience, Dr. Felten brings a singular depth of understanding to the work. He adapted Dr. Netter’s images, converting them into 145 detailed plates designed for students to color while learning complex neuroanatomy.
The work has been well received, ranking in the top five sellers in the "Anatomy (Books)" section on Amazon. “A lot of people are using it,” Dr. Felten reported.
Dr. Felten returned to the College in 2021 after having taught on campus in the 1990s.
That includes Keuka College students in Dr. Felton’s CHW 350 course, Clinical Neuroscience for Health Professionals. In a show of gratitude, Dr. Felten lobbied the publisher to provide complimentary copies of the new edition to Keuka College’s Occupational Therapy and Health Science students.
“It’s incredibly rewarding to share this achievement with my students,” he said. “Their feedback played a significant role in shaping this edition.”
Dr. Felten has long been involved with updates to Netter’s Atlas of Neuroscience, a key resource in medical and related health programs. His extensive work on the atlas, including the addition of more than 200 new color plates and expanded clinical notes, has made it an essential text for students and professionals alike.
“It’s a highly used and popular neuroscience text and atlas,” said Dr. Felten. “It’s suitable for medical courses, allied health courses such as the OT course here at Keuka College, and even medical board preparation or specialty board certification exams.”
The second edition of the supplemental text includes some 10 new plates that address important topics such as the insular cortex, traumatic brain injury, and the neurobiology of addiction. According to Dr. Felten, these updates reflect advancements in neuroscience and aim to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the brain’s structure and function.
For students at Keuka College and beyond, the Neuroscience Coloring Book offers more than a traditional study guide. It challenges learners to engage with the material actively, fostering a deeper understanding of neuroanatomy and its clinical applications.
Dr. Felten received a B.S. from MIT, and an M.D. and Ph.D. in anatomy/neuroscience from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. For his pioneering findings in neural-immune interactions, he received the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Prize Fellowship and has twice been nominated for a Lasker Award, given for outstanding contributions to medical science and public service.
In addition to his instruction at Keuka College, which includes contributing to courses in Occupational Therapy and Health Sciences, Dr. Felten is at work on the fifth edition of Netter's Atlas of Neuroscience.
