Department of Human Anatomy

Human anatomy is one of the most important foundational disciplines in medicine—“without anatomy, there is no medicine.” The Department of Human Anatomy at the School of Medicine of Southeast University was established in 1935. Its predecessor was the Teaching and Research Section of Human Anatomy at the Medical College of Central University. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the department successively belonged to the Medical College of Nanjing University, the Fifth Military Medical University, the Sixth Military Medical School (specialized), Nanjing Railway Medical College, the School of Basic Medicine of Southeast University, and the School of Medicine of Southeast University. In 2003, the Teaching and Research Section of Human Anatomy merged with the Teaching and Research Section of Histology and Embryology to form the Department of Human Anatomy and Histology & Embryology. In 2013, the Teaching and Research Section of Neurobiology joined the Department of Human Anatomy and Histology & Embryology, and the three sections together formed the Department of Human Structure and Neuroscience. In 2016, due to the needs of disciplinary development, the Teaching and Research Sections of Histology and Embryology and Neurobiology were separated from the department to establish the Department of Histology and Embryology, while the Teaching and Research Section of Human Anatomy was upgraded to the Department of Human Anatomy. The Department of Human Anatomy is an authorized program for doctoral and master’s degrees in basic medicine. Currently, the department has 7 full-time faculty members, all of whom hold doctoral degrees. Among the faculty, there are 1 professor, 3 associate professors and 3 lecturers; 1 doctoral supervisor and 2 master’s supervisors. Four members have overseas study or advanced training experience. Under the leadership of successive university and college administrators, the Department of Human Anatomy has consistently adhered to the principles of cultivating medical and life science professionals, firmly pursuing an elite education approach.Despite facing various challenges, the department has remained committed to nurturing top-notch talent in medicine and life sciences, making significant contributions to China’s medical and life science education as well as its healthcare sector.

In terms of teaching, this discipline undertakes the instruction of anatomy-related courses for students in various programs at Southeast University, including four- and five-year undergraduate programs in medicine-related majors, the 5+3 integrated program in clinical medicine, the elite innovation class in clinical medicine, graduate students, and MBBS students. The courses offered include"SystematicAnatomy,""Regional Anatomy," "Sectional Anatomy," "Clinical Neuroanatomy," "Anatomy and Physiology," and "Human Structure and Function," taught in both Chinese and English. The discipline’s faculty places great emphasis on teaching quality and curriculum reform. In recent years, the Department of Human Anatomy has undertaken three curriculum-integrated ideological and political education reform projects at Southeast University. The all-English course "Systematic Anatomy" has been recognized as an excellent English-language teaching course for international students studying in Jiangsu Province. Furthermore, the fully online, open-access courses "Systematic Anatomy" and "Regional Anatomy," both taught entirely in English, have been included on the China University MOOC platform.

In terms of scientific research, the discipline of human anatomy primarily conducts systematic studies centered on the neural circuitry underlying brain diseases, such as neurodegenerative disorders and central nervous system injury and regeneration. In addition to neuroscience,it also has extensive interdisciplinary connections with other fields, such as molecular biology, biochemistry, oncology, biomaterials at the nanoscale, and microbial immunology. In recent years, the department has successively obtained3 General Programs of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and 1 sub-project of the National Key R&D Program on Quality Infrastructure, and published more than 30 research papers.

Remaining true to our original aspiration and bearing in mind the mission of educating students, all faculty members of the department, under the leadership of the college and university, are guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. We will continue to uphold Southeast University’s school motto "Striving for Perfection", sharpen our professional capabilities, devote ourselves to cultivating talents in medicine and life sciences, sustain high teaching standards, further elevate teaching and research competence, and strive to make greater contributions to the advancement of China’s medical education and healthcare sector.