Education Committee Tip of the Month

Written by Danya Stone (Brighton and Sussex Medical School)

All educators have experience with students who rarely speak during teaching sessions. While it is easy to attribute this silence to tiredness, disengagement, or lack of preparation, research shows that a significant minority of students experience social anxiety, social inhibition, or communication apprehension. These students may want to participate but avoid speaking due to fear of judgement or scrutiny.

For quiet students, silence can lead to missed learning opportunities, both in the formal curriculum (asking questions, clarifying structures, practising anatomical terminology) and in the informal curriculum (discussing emotional responses, exploring professional identity, asking about pathologies and variations).

Practical Strategies for Engaging Quiet Students

1. Create low-pressure moments for informal conversation.

Dedicating time in the session for informal interaction with students can help establish rapport and make it more likely that hesitant students will speak during teaching.

2. Increase social and cognitive congruence.

Adopt approachable behaviours such as normalising difficulty and demonstrating empathy. These strategies reduce the perceived authority gap and make speaking feel safer.

3. Make participation non-threatening.

Invite voluntary contributions and allow students to rehearse terminology with peers before speaking aloud. When asking questions directly, make it clear that getting the answer wrong is okay and the option to pass is available.

4. Notice quiet coping behaviours.

Students may avoid eye contact or stand back from the table. Instead of assuming they are disengaged use gentle, non-judgemental prompts

Would you like to tell the AS membership about your 'Tip of the Month', 'Anatomy Education Paper of the Month' or 'Anatomy Resource of the Month'?

We are looking for contributors who would be willing to write a short review on a 'Tip of the Month', 'Anatomy Education Paper of the Month' or 'Anatomy Resource of the Month. 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!

New Awards of Anatomical Society Studentships

The Anatomical Society is delighted to announce the award of three new research studentships.  These awards are the outcome of the Society’s annual studentship competition open to its members.

Studentships will start in October 2026 and each award funds 3 years of postgraduate training and study towards a PhD.

Studentships provide funding for research focused on specific projects associated with anatomical science.  Details of these funded projects are below:

Lead Supervisor: Professor Fergal O’Brien

University: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI)
Co-Supervisor : Dr Adrian Dervan
University: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI)

Project Title: Development of anatomically mimetic biomaterial scaffolds as model systems to interrogate aging effects in the adult human central nervous system

Lead Supervisor: Professor Tanya T. Whitfield

University: University of Sheffield
Co-Supervisor : Dr Emily S. Noël
University: University of Sheffield
University: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI)

Project Title: Post-embryonic development and anatomy of the zebrafish inner ear

Early Career Investigator Studentship

Lead Supervisor: Dr Rebecca Rolfe

University: Trinity College Dublin
Co-Supervisor: Professor Paula Murphy
University: Trinity College Dublin

Project Title: Exploring sex-based differences in ligament development and maturation: Do they contribute to tissue vulnerability?

Deadlines for next round for Receipt of Applications

Award application deadline date for round 2 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: 17.02.2026

Award application deadline date for round 2 of the 2025/2026 award year:

• Support for Student Societies

Deadline: 03.02.2025

N.B: For academic year 2025/2026 onwards, there will only be 5 prize rounds and council meetings.

Education Committee Workshop Summary: Winter Meeting Anglia Ruskin December 2025 

Qualitative Bites: A taster menu of research methods. (Written by Prof. Gabrielle Finn)

The Education Committee were delighted to host Professor Gabrielle Finn (University of Manchester), who delivered both a Keynote lecture and workshop, showcasing some innovative qualitative research methods for scholarship, discussing their strengths and how they can be applied in a range of contexts. Prof. Finn addressed some common reservations that researchers might have in using such methods and demonstrated the strength of insight these approaches can generate.

The workshop began with participants exploring Love and Break up letters with delegates having the opportunity to put their skills into practice, applying thematic analysis to some example letters. The exercise highlighted the powerful nature of the dichotomy between the two types of letter, and how the method can elicit strong emotions and statements from study participants, resulting in educators gaining a deeper insight into students’ experiences and perceptions. Following this, participants attempted to create I-poems using an extract from a qualitative interview. Attendees discussed the depth that this method brought to the participant’s voice, before the power of poetic enquiry was explored further through examples from the University of Manchester’s Differential Attainment research. Attendees watched videos of poetry performed by Dr Emmanuel Oladipo which prompted sharing of personal experiences with inclusion in higher education.

As this was a live session, there is no recording available however slides and further materials from the session can be accessed here.

22^nd Congress of the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists (IFAA), 13^th-16^th 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

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 Crompton et al. titled ‘Bipedalism or bipedalisms: The os coxae of StW 573'.

The study aimed to analyze the pelvic (os coxae) morphology of the Australopithecus specimen StW 573 to assess variation in early hominin bipedalism. It found that StW 573’s pelvis is more human-like than many other australopiths, supporting the presence of multiple Australopithecus species and distinct forms of bipedal locomotion in early hominins.

Access the paper here

The cover image for the journal's January issue is shown below

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