October 2025
Editor Elena Patera
Welcome to the October issue of Anastomosis. In this issue, we bring you the latest news from our members and from the Journal of Anatomy and Aging Cell.
If you have any news, events or announcements that you would like to see published in the newsletter, please send us an email by the 20th of each month. Items should reach the editor a minimum of 30 days before the date that the event is scheduled to take place. Please remember that you can visit our News Page at any time for the very latest news.
Education Paper of the Month
Patera, E., Pickering, M., Flanagan, T. (2025). Are neuroanatomy multimedia resources effective in improving medical students' understanding of structural and functional neuroanatomy? A systematic review. Anat Sci Educ, 00: 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1002/ase.70079
Would you like to tell the AS membership about your Anatomy Education Paper of the Month?
We are looking for contributors who would be willing to write a short review of either a recent, or seminal journal article. If you would like to contribute to an upcoming issue of Anastomosis, and join our bank of contributors please complete this form and we will be in touch!
World Anatomy Day with the University of Birmingham
18th October 2025
Interested in all things anatomy related? Come and celebrate World Anatomy Day with the University of Birmingham!
The University of Birmingham's Human Anatomy Unit and medical, biomedical, pharmacy and liberal arts and sciences students organised a 'World Anatomy Day' event on Saturday 18th of October 2025 at The Exchange, Centenary Square, Birmingham, UK from 11:00 until 15:00.
For more information please check out the image below:
Upcoming Conferences
Save the Date - Anatomical Society Winter Meeting
Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford
17th-19th December 2025
We are looking forward to welcoming you to the AS winter meeting in Chelmsford.
This meeting will focus on the role anatomy and anatomical knowledge has within our society, with a focus on its wider application and impact. Subthemes within the meeting will include:
- Anatomical education and the impact this has on learners of anatomy
- Anatomical outreach and public engagement and the impact this has on the public
- Anatomical research and the impact of this, under further subthemes of human interfaces and ergonomics, development, technology, EDI and clinical/ surgical applications
- The current landscape of ethics in anatomy
Registration will open in the Autumn and further details will be posted on our meetings webpage.
22nd Congress of the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists (IFAA), 13th-16th August 2026, Melbourne, Australia
Call for Abstracts NOW open!
The call for abstracts is now open!
This is an opportunity to share our work, insights, and innovations with a global audience of colleagues and thought leaders in anatomy and related fields, including:
- Anatomical Sciences Education
- Surgical and Clinical Anatomy
- Imaging Anatomy
- Neuroscience and Cell Biology
- Ethics and Law
- Anatomy for Everyone, including Biological Anthropology, Forensics, Histology, Developmental Anatomy/Embryology
Submission Deadline: 14 February 2026
Submit your abstract and learn more: https://ifaa2026.org/en-AU/pages/program/call-for-abstracts
Vacancies
Teaching Assistant in Anatomy, University of Aberdeen, UK
Closing date: 1st of October 2025
Anatomy Facility Manager, Brighton and Sussex Medical School
Closing date: 9th of October 2025.
Visit our Current Vacancies page for information on these posts and for updates on the latest career opportunities and also see our pages on Careers in Anatomy and Student Development in Anatomy. If you have a vacancy or opportunity that you would like to publicise please contact us.
Congratulations to the Latest Recipients of Anatomical Society Funding
If you would like to know more about how the Anatomical Society Funds our members, please see our full prize and funding matrix here. This month we would like to provide you with the reports of the successful endeavours of our recent awardees.
The Symington Bequest Fund Award
The Trustees of the Symington Bequest Fund make grants to Society Members towards costs associated with anatomical research. We would like to congratulate our latest recipient on receiving this award! We also provide the report of a recent awardee!
Round 4:
Dr Joanna Tomlinson participated in the ISMS 2025 - International Symposium on Morphological Sciences, Lisbon, Portugal, 23rd to 26th July 2025. Report Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4
Round 5:
Ms Lauren Barrett participated in the European Federation for Experimental Morphology (EFEM) IV Student Symposium on Anatomical Research, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain, 02.09.25. Report Photo 1 Photo 2
Mr Ricardo Godino participated in the 11th International Conference on the Mesolithic in Europe (MESO25), Ferrara, Italy, 15th to 19th September. Report
Dr Augusto Coppi participated in the 14th European Congress for Stereology and Image Analysis in Prague, Czech Republic, 15th to 18th September 2025. Report
Round 6:
Dr Joan Omosefe Osayande - to participate in the 35th Annual Symposium of the Network for European CNS Transplantation and Restoration (NECTAR), at the Colégio da Trindade, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal, 20-22 October 2025.
Departmental Seminar Grants
The Anatomical Society runs a scheme to provide financial help to fund visiting speakers for departmental seminars. Congratulations to Professor Fabio Quondamatteo from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) for being awarded an Anatomical Society departmental seminar grant to host Dr Hazel Allardyce from the University of Aberdeen!
Round 6
Award Holder: Professor Fabio Quondamatteo
Hosted by: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI)
Location: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI)
Date: October/November 2025
Key Speaker: Dr Hazel Allardyce, University of Aberdeen
Topic: Guest Talk within the weekly meeting of the Tissue Engineering Group, RCSI
Public Engagement and Outreach Grants
The Anatomical Society's public engagement and outreach grants support the public engagement and outreach activities of members of the Society in the field of Anatomy. We would like to congratulate our latest recipient on receiving this award!
Round 6:
Awardee: Dr Mutahira Lone
Institution: University College Cork, Ireland
Event dates: 22nd October 2025
Activity Title: Inside Anatomy: A Virtual Reality Journey
Anatomical Society Education Innovation Award 2025 Award
Congratulations to Dr Aaron Beger (Team Lead, Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Virginia, USA), Dr Eva M. Sweeney, Ms Sarah Hannan and Ms Riya Patel - for their work, The use of Virtual Escape Rooms (VERs) as an instructional tool as an innovative and creative educational strategy!
New Studentships - Early Career Investigator Studentship
The Anatomical Society ++
Lead Supervisor: Dr Claire Conway
University: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI)
Co-Supervisor: Dr Caroline Curtin
University: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI)
Project Title: The Development of a Library of Digital Reanimated Mitral Valves
Student: Mr Daniele Giampietro
Start Date: 01.10.2025
Honorary Fellowship Recipients 2024/2025
Emeritus Professor Gordon Findlater - elected by 17.07.25 Council
Professor Stefan Milz - elected by 17.07.25 Council
Professor Tracey Wilkinson - elected by 17.07.25 Council
Deadlines for next round for Receipt of Applications
Award application deadline date for round 1 of the 2025/2026 award year:
- Symington Bequest
- Barclay Smith Travelling Fund
- Fellowship of the Anatomical Society
- Public Engagement and Outreach
- Departmental Seminar Awards
Deadline: 13.11.2025
Award application deadline date for round 1 of the 2025/2026 award year:
- Support for Student Societies
Deadline: 30.10.2025
N.B: For academic year 2025/2026 onwards, there will only be 5 prize rounds and council meetings.
Anatomical Society Best Image Prize
The next deadline for the Anatomical Society's Best Image Prize is 31st of October 2025.
There are two categories that images can be entered under: scientific image category and artwork image category.
- Scientific images include histology, microscopy and radiological images and are typically produced from anatomical research projects.
- Artwork images include drawings, paintings and photographs and are typically produced for educational purposes.
Applicants will be asked to choose which category they are entering their image for on the application form.
The maximum size limit for submitted images is 3.0MB. The JPEG or TIF file should have a minimum resolution of 300dpi. For more information click HERE.
To find out more about your eligibility before applying click here.
Anatomy Research Development Award 2025/2026
The Anatomical Society Council is pleased to announce the 2025/26, 'Anatomy Research Development Award' aimed at researchers in the early stages of their academic careers.
Applications are currently being invited from eligible researchers to commence in 2026.
The closing date for applications is midnight 31st December 2025.
Further details can be found here
Journal of Anatomy
For a summary of many of the published articles check out @JournalofAnat. As a member of the Anatomical Society you have access to these articles and to the Journal of Anatomy through Wiley Online Library.
Access the journal here.
The cover image for the latest issue is from a paper by G.Funston et al. titled ‘Palaeohistology and life history of the early Palaeocene taeniodont Conoryctes comma (Mammalia: Eutheria). This study aimed to reconstruct the life history of the early Palaeocene mammal Conoryctes comma, and found that it grew rapidly to near adult size, reached sexual maturity within a year, and showed placental-like reproductive strategies, suggesting such traits arose early in eutherian evolution.
Access the paper here
Aging Cell
Aging Cell is a bi-monthly peer-reviewed, open access journal that aims to publish the highest quality, innovative research addressing fundamental issues in the biology of aging. We would like to remind you that our colleagues Aging Cell are now back on Twitter and sharing exciting news and updates on articles from their journal. Please give them a follow @aging_cell
Access the journal here: Aging Cell