The Institute of Anatomy plays a central role in medical practice and medical research. For students, we try to develop a solid foundation for the medical profession. However, several hundred trained doctors also visiting our institute every year to repeat the different aspects of anatomy that are important for their field, to practice invasive procedures or to learn new surgical methods.
The exchange with these colleagues (many of them have decades of clinical experience and knowledge) is invaluable for us to adapt our teaching to current medicine. We are proud about our dissection course, because its the best-evaluated course of medical studies in Leipzig. We are striving to keep it that way.
Anatomy is not only describing visible things. It also has the task of making the unknown in tissues visible and understandable in order to develop new therapies. To this end, we are networked with world-leading groups, and our publications and articles have repeatedly found their way into the best journals such as Lancet, Nature Medicine or Cell.
Our doctoral students publish their own scientific papers in internationally peer-reviewed journals and regularly receive excellent grades for their dissertations. Creating an appropriate scientific environment is a daily challenge that we are happy to face. However, we not only pursue our own scientific interests, but also like to put our techniques and know-how at the service of the projects of others as a junior partner.
We know that many people, young and old, have a great interest in human anatomy, even if they do not have a medical profession themselves. We meet this interest through regular guided tours through our anatomical collection, which gives a great insight into the organ systems and their function in a dignified setting. We know that a look at the anatomy of man can cause deep admiration for nature, ours and that of others. That's why we open up, but don't leave our visitors alone with the exhibits, but explain their basic functions of the human body. We hope that more and more people in and around Leipzig know their Institute of Anatomy and are proud of it.
Our facility is financed by taxpayers' money and our work is largely only possible thanks to the generous gift of our body donors. Their legacy reminds us every day of our mission: to serve the living.
