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Anatomy at Oxford

Human dissection was first recorded at Oxford in the 14th century, and the first school of Anatomy founded in the Bodleian library between 1613 and 1619. Across that long history, we have taught medical students, junior doctors, experienced surgeons, and clinicians as well as being responsible for research into the anatomical aspects of disease.

photo of heart models in the park

See further information about the rich history of Anatomy at Oxford.

Read about body donation

Today, we have an excellent reputation for supporting and delivering courses to students within the Medical Sciences Division. To help create an engaging and exciting learning environment for the students, we deliver sessions using the following methods:

  • Highly trained academic and technical staff
  • Prosections
  • Skeletal material
  • Anatomical models
  • Museum collection made up of normal and pathological specimens
  • Imaging
  • Living anatomy

Any queries, please contact us on: anatomy@dpag.ox.ac.uk,

Anatomy Suite and course booking

We are fortunate to have a state-of-the-art facility in the Medical Sciences Teaching Centre which has been open for 15 years. Within it we have a modern laboratory - the Anatomy Suite – and is where cadavers can be examined. We have a wide variety of specimens, both cadaveric and other, for students to study, and break-out rooms for lectures and tutorials. Every year we teach around 180 undergraduate medical students and 30 graduate entry students who will train to be our future doctors, and around 30 surgical trainees who are preparing for the membership of the Royal College of Surgeons Examinations, the first step in becoming an autonomous surgeon. Over the years we have welcomed students, doctors, and other health professionals from around the world and we pride ourselves on the quality of teaching that we offer.

If you are interested in booking out our Anatomy Suite for teaching, research or courses related to medicine and other health professions, please complete our DPAG Anatomy Course Booking Enquiry Form.

anatomy suite

Team

Rumyana Smilevska – Clinical Anatomist

Sharmila Rajendran – Clinical Anatomist

Samuel Snowdon – Anatomy Teaching Prosector

Ryan Green – Technical Manager

Beatriz Martinez-Trillo – Teaching Technician

Jeanne Gardner – Bequests Secretary

Amber Foley – Prosector

Kiara Delos Santos – Teaching Technician (Anatomy and Physiology)

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achievements:

 

Awards won

  1. Winner of Vice-Chancellor Award 2024  

Digital Synergy: Unleashing Dynamic and Inclusive Anatomy Education Inclusive Teaching and Assessment Award at the Vice Chancellor’s Awards 2024. 

Sharmila Rajendran, Helen Christian, Robert Wilkins, Rumyana Smilevska, Mary McMenamin, Samuel Snowdon, Kiara Delos Santos, Saiyma Iqbal  

Digital IT and CTL : Nandy Milan, Xavier Laurent, Sandra Morales Rios 

  1. Favourite Poster, Teaching and learning symposium, 2024 https://www.ctl.ox.ac.uk/view-2024-symposium-posters  

  1. Favourite Poster, Teaching and Learning Symposium, 2023, Digital Tools for Facilitating Anatomy Learning https://www.dpag.ox.ac.uk/news/sharmila-saran-rajendran-awarded-best-poster-at-the-oxford-teaching-and-learning-symposium 

 

Grants awarded 

  1. AI Teaching and Learning Exploratory Fund :The Labbot project, Sharmila Saran Rajendran, Helen Christian, Mary McMenamin, Damion Young, Rumyana Smilevska   https://www.ctl.ox.ac.uk/2024-25-funded-projects 

  1. Public Engagement and Outreach Award Recipient 2023-24 Round 5 , Anatomy unveiled: A hands-on journey through the human body, Sharmila Rajendran, Samuel Snowdon 

  1. Nuffield Oxford Hospitals Fund Application Grant 2024 , Handheld ultrasound probes for undergraduate teaching , Samuel Snowdon, Rumyana Smilevska and Sharmila Saran Rajendran 

  1. Project Grant Award MSD Teaching Excellence Award 2024 , Impact of virtual reality-based teaching of the anatomy of the gastrointestinal vasculature for medical students: a randomized controlled trial. Rumyana Smilevska, Sharmila Rajendran, Helen Christian.  

  1. Project Grant Award MSD Teaching Excellence Award 2023 Enhancing inclusive learning environments using smart whiteboard and virtual reality. Sharmila Rajendran. 

  1. Project Grant Award MSD Teaching Excellence Award 2023: Dissecting medicine's past: an exploration of the historical, legal and ethical context of cadaver use in medical education for students about to start their anatomy teaching) Emma Sadler, Gina Hadley, Rumyana Smilevska, Sharmila Rajendran. 

 

Projects undertaken

 

Previous Events 

2024 

  1. Talk: Pilot study on virtual reality teaching of the gastrointestinal tract vasculature Rumyana Smilevska, Sharmila Rajendran, Barbara Kirbi, Samuel Snowdon, Robert Wilkins, Helen Christian. Anatomical Society Summer meeting: 24th-26th July 2024., Edinburgh.  

  1. Poster: Cost-effective 3D Model Reconstruction from The Medical Images for Educational Training, Sharmila Rajendran, Adam Meredith, Damion Young, Anatomical Society Summer meeting: 24th-26th July 2024., Edinburgh. 

  1. Poster: The role of anatomy facilities in the continued professional development of clinicians: An Oxford Neurosurgery perspective. Snowdon S., Smilevska R., Rajendran S., Wood J., Christian H.  Anatomical Society Summer 2024 Meeting.  

  1. Exploring the introduction of ultrasound into the preclinical anatomy curriculum at Oxford Medical School with a ‘Learning Anatomy with Ultrasound’ Workshop, Samuel Snowdon, Sharmila Rajendran, Rumyana Smilevska, Helen Christian https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joa.14112 

  1. Poster: Advancing medical education through digital technology: empowering students with 3D models, Adam Meredith, Sharmila Rajendran, Damion Young, Teaching and Learning Symposium 2024, Centre of Teaching and Learning, University of Oxford https://www.ctl.ox.ac.uk/2024-teaching-and-learning-symposium  

  1. Poster: Enhancing spatial understanding of anatomy by integrating ultrasound alongside gross anatomy practical classes, Samuel Snowdon, Rumyana Smilevska ,Helen Christian, Sharmila Rajendran Teaching and Learning Symposium 2024, Centre of Teaching and Learning, University of Oxford https://www.ctl.ox.ac.uk/2024-teaching-and-learning-symposium  

  1. Poster: Examining Student Perspectives: Integrating Virtual Reality and Instructor-Led Dissection Room Sessions for System-Based Learning in Cardiovascular and Respiratory Anatomy. Mingwan Lin, Kangyan Zhao, Samuel Snowdon, Sharmila Rajendran. Teaching and Learning Symposium 2024, Centre of Teaching and Learning, University of Oxford https://www.ctl.ox.ac.uk/2024-teaching-and-learning-symposium 

  

2023 

  1.  Talk: The Digital Anatomy Tool Kit for Dynamic Education, Sharmila Rajendran, Anatomical Society Summer Conference 2023, Bangor University, UK 

  1. Poster: Peeling back the layers of time: A comparison of historical and digital methods for teaching anatomy, Samuel Snowdon, Sharmila Rajendran, Rumyana Smilevska, Helen Christian, Anatomical Society Summer Conference 2023, Bangor University, UK

  1. Talk: How can the integration of new technologies in medical education transform the teaching process and what strategies can be employed to facilitate their adaptation. Sharmila Rajendran, Xavier Laurent, Sandra Morales Rios, Association of Learning Technology 2023, University of Warwick, UK 

  1. Poster: Digital Tools for Facilitating Anatomy Learning, Sharmila Rajendran, Teaching and Learning Symposium 2023, Centre of Teaching and Learning, University of Oxford 

  

2022  

Poster: Evaluating the self-exploring experiences of using 3D VR Anatomy Application, Samuel Snowdon, Sharmila Rajendran, Early Career Anatomy Academics Conference 14th-15th July 2022, University of Bristol, UK 

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