Global campaign to make anatomy teaching more inclusive

Anatomy for All, led by the University of Plymouth, is reaching out to educators worldwide

Anatomy for All poster, with diverse hands holding up empowering banners

Rosie Johnson and Peninsula Medical School

15 October 2025

The University of Plymouth is launching a global initiative to make anatomy teaching more inclusive.

The Anatomy for All campaign, led by the University’s Peninsula Medical School, aims to connect anatomists worldwide and help them learn best practice on representation, with and from each other.

The idea was sparked by global inclusive anatomy research co-led by the medical school’s Anatomy team aiming to understand representation in anatomy education and identify perceptions and practices. Data, from 24 countries, revealed that 1 in 3 students and 1 in 4 staff don't feel represented in anatomy programmes.

Most available teaching materials default to the anatomy of a young, white, male, slim, and able-bodied person, but that doesn’t represent most people. In healthcare, understanding anatomical variation can affect patient care.

The great news is that our research and experience shows that many anatomists and students share a vision of what inclusive anatomy education looks like, and are working towards this.

We’ve worked hard as a team to make our curricula more inclusive and representative and know it’s not easy. We hope that the Anatomy for All campaign will connect people so we can learn with and from each other.

Dr Siobhan Moyes
Associate Professor of Anatomy

Find out more

Download free posters and access other resources from Anatomy for All

Plymouth’s Peninsula Medical School has been at the forefront of transforming the space, with staff conducting research, speaking at conferences and starting conversations to highlight the issues.

As a medical school we are driven by our core values of equity and social justice; interdisciplinary teaching and research; excellence, innovation and curiosity; and engagement with the wider world.

Inclusive anatomy education is not just about visual representation – it requires curriculum design that normalises variation, avoids over-reliance on a single 'standard' body, uses inclusive language, and acknowledges historical injustices.

By embedding inclusive values in teaching practice and resources, we can prepare students to provide equitable care for real-world, diverse patient populations.

Dr Chloe Milsom
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead at the Peninsula Medical School

Dr Moyes has previously worked with anatomy model manufacturers, Adam Rouilly, to increase the diversity of the models in the University’s Life Sciences Resource Centre. Find out more about our improved diversity of medical teaching materials .

Students in the University’s Dermatological Society (DermSoc) have also run a campaign on ‘Skinclusion’, while Plymouth graduate Dr Humaira Ahmed received awards from Somerset NHS Foundation Trust for her project on advancing skin of colour education.

Now, local illustrator Rosie Johnson, has developed a series of posters based on the inclusive anatomy research findings, showcasing the voices of staff and students globally. The team hope these will spark discussion in the wider community, highlighting the message that ‘every body belongs’.

Rosie Johnson and Peninsula Medical School

The Anatomy for All campaign aims to share our research findings with the wider community, spark discussion, and connect anatomists globally through shared practice.

The next step is to help establish a worldwide community of practice that develops living guidelines to support inclusive practice across anatomy education and inform the development of an Inclusivity in Anatomy Education Toolkit.

It feels especially important to be launching this during Black History Month and on World Anatomy Day. We’d love people to get involved – whether that’s displaying a poster, sharing our campaign on social media, or connecting with us to reflect on or share your own inclusive practice.

Dr Louise Venables
Research Assistant on the Anatomy for All campaign

Find out more

Dr Siobhan Moyes with the new diverse anatomy models

New models improve diversity of medical teaching materials

Peninsula Medical School - making healthcare careers more accessible

Find out more about our Health courses