Mackie O'Hara-Ali
Assistant Teaching Professor
Teaching Philosophy
My teaching philosophy centers on student engagement, critical thinking, and accessibility, ensuring that students are engaged, encouraged, and supported in their personalized pursuit of knowledge while being driven by their goals and inspired by course objectives. I help students navigate complex material and find connections between concepts by providing clear, reasonable expectations that focus on the big picture and by beginning each course with direct email contact to learn about their individual goals and interests. When designing courses, I emphasize transferable skills because many enrolled students might not be major, and I believe it's crucial that all students recognize the importance of what they're learning and see relevance to their lived experiences and career paths. I also end lectures with information about campus events, health resources, or local activities to build a sense of community and care where students feel supported both academically and personally.
Research Interests
As a biological anthropologist and evolutionary biologist specializing in the biology of human and primate teeth, my research provides a unique lens for understanding biology at multiple scales—from individual life histories to population-level adaptations across evolutionary time, with teeth serving as extraordinary windows into human development and adaptation by recording physiological stress events through daily cellular movement markers that are never remodeled or erased. My interdisciplinary research bridges evolutionary biology with contemporary health science through dental development, investigating three main areas: dental development and stress responses, mechanical properties of diet and phylogenetic considerations, and the evolution of enamel nanostructures using cutting-edge methodologies including synchrotron facilities and machine learning simulations.
Recent Publications (Last 5 Years)
2025:
•Lemmers SAM, Le Luyer M, Stoll SJ, et al. Inter-rater reliability of stress signatures in exfoliated primary dentition. PLoS ONE 20(3): e0318700. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0318700
•Gurian KT, Guatelli-Steinberg D, McGraw WS, et al. Inter-Observer Processing and Measurement Error Are Low for 2D Dental Measurements on Shared microCT Scans. American Journal of Biological Anthropology 186:e70001. DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.70001
2024:
•Mahoney P, McFarlane G, Taurozzi A, et al. Human-like enamel growth in Homo naledi. American Journal of Biological Anthropology 184:e24893. DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24893
•Gurian KT, Buzaribah K, O'Hara MC, et al. Relating metric crown dimensions to underlying internal daily secretion rates in antimeric premolars. Archives of Oral Biology 157:105852. DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2023.105852
2023:
•Guatelli-Steinberg D, Schwartz GT, O'Hara MC, et al. Aspects of molar form and dietary proclivities of African colobines. Journal of Human Evolution 180:103384. DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2023.103384
•O'Hara MC, McGraw WS, Guatelli-Steinberg D. Some orangutans acquire enamel defects at regular intervals, but not according to seasonal cycles. American Journal of Biological Anthropology 180:519-533. DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24690
2022:
•Guatelli-Steinberg D, Schwartz GT, O'Hara MC, et al. Molar form, enamel growth and durophagy in Cercocebus and Lophocebus. American Journal of Biological Anthropology 179:386-404. DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24592
•O'Hara MC, Guatelli-Steinberg D. Reconstructing tooth crown heights and enamel caps: A comparative test of three existing methods with recommendations for their use. Anatomical Record 305:123-143. DOI: 10.1002/ar.24637