Anatomy and Regenerative Medicine

The Anatomy Room Gallery began in 2009 with the commissioning of its first painting, The Anatomy Lesson of the Irish College of Surgeons. Since then, all artworks have been gifted to the collection, principally by the artists themselves. This complements the generosity of those who donate their remains for medical teaching and research. Such altruism is an inspiration to all who teach and learn in the Anatomy Room.

View the Anatomy Room Gallery catalogue. 

Professor of Anatomy & Head of Department

• Clive Lee

Professor of Bioengineering & Regenerative Medicine, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation and Head of Tissue Engineering Research Group

•  Fergal O'Brien

Associate Professor of Anatomy

• Fabio Quondamatteo

Associate Professor in Human Biology

• Brendan Kavanagh

Senior Lecturers in Anatomy

• Jane Holland
• Oran Kennedy

Senior Lecturer in Biological Sciences

• Jacqueline Daly

Lecturers in Anatomy

• Shane Browne
• Caroline Curtin
• Aamir Hameed

Clinical Lecturer in Anatomy

• Cara Connolly

StAR Lecturers in Anatomy

• Claire Conway
• Ciara Murphy

StAR Lecturer in Biology

• Olga Piskareva

Lecturer in Biology

• Shane O'Grady

Honorary Professors

• Garry Duffy
• Anil Kokaram
• Una Sealy

Honorary Associate Professors

• Conor Buckley
• Daniel Kelly
• Ciaran Simms

Honorary Senior Lecturer

• Glenn Dickson
• Cathal Kearney
• Alice McGarvey

Honorary Lecturer

• Alan Hibbitts

Honorary Research Lecturer

• Tanya Levingstone

Surgeon Prosectors

• Alexander Blayney
• David Charles
• Patricia Eadie
• Michael Earley
• Paul Farrell
• Tom Farrell
• Ray Fitzgerald
• Jim Griffin
• Thomas Gorey
• Parnell Keeling
• Brian Lane
• Catherine Riordan
• Frank Thompson
• Alfred Wood

Senior Demonstrator in Biology

• Ellen King     

Demonstrators in Biology

• Ciaran Campbell
• Karen Conboy
• Unwana Emagha
• Thomas Frawley
• Ciara Gallagher
• Katelyn Genoud
• Edmund Gilbert
• Paige Hinton
• Camille Hurley
• Kelvin Lau E- How
• Catherine Murphy
• Roberta Pacifico
• Sean Patmore
• Rachael Power
• Aisling Rehill
• Luis Soriano

Anatomy Room Manager

• Bob Dalchan

Lab Manager

• Vincent McDonagh

Senior Technician

• Andrew Lynch

Technician

• Patrick Conlon

Secretary

• Laraine O'Brien

Research Coordinator/Clinical Trial Manager

• Sarah Casey

Research Fellows & Postdoctoral Researchers

• Ronaldo do Amaral
• Colin Boyle
• Lara Costard
• Adrian Dervan
• James Early
• Sarinj Fattah
• Lia Blokpoel Ferreras
• Arlyng Gonzalez
• Pedro Jose Gouveia
• Tom Hodgkinson
• Kulwinder Kaur
• Zuzana Koci
• Ashang Luwang Laiva
• Andrew Malone
• Mariángela Meyer Villamandos 
• Joanna Sadowska
• Eamon Sheehy
• Ian Woods

A list of the principal investigators involved in the Tissue Engineering Research Group is available here.

The staff in the Department of Anatomy and Regenerative Medicine are active in research, in areas as diverse as tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, medical devices, medical education, surgical anatomy, ornithology, cultural diversity and art.

The RCSI Tissue Engineering Research Group (TERG) – named Irish Research Laboratory of the Year 2017 – is a large multidisciplinary, collaborative group, headed by Prof. Fergal O’Brien. TERG develops natural polymer-based biomaterial ‘scaffolds’ for the repair and regeneration of bone, cartilage, skin, cardiovascular, ocular, respiratory, nerve and other tissues.

Several technologies developed in TERG have been patented resulting in the spin-out of a high potential start-up, SurgaColl Technologies, in 2011. The first technology from the group commercialised by SurgaColl  – a collagen-hydroxyapatite bone graft substitute – received regulatory approval (CE mark) in November 2015 and has been used in more than 30 patients to date, while a second product, a multi-layered scaffold for cartilage repair, is now also being used clinically.

The department currently has 39 postgraduate scholars – including 30 PhDs, one MD and eight MSc students – working on a diverse range of research projects.

We teach our students the applied anatomy appropriate to their area of interest and level of training. Some of our students are Undergraduates studying Medicine, Physiotherapy or Pharmacy. Others are graduates studying Medicine or Physician Associate Studies, and some are Postgraduate trainees in surgery or radiology.

We also teach biology in Foundation Year and run short courses for specialist surgeons, engineers and artists.

Members of the Irish public donate their remains after death for medical teaching and research through our Anatomical Gift Programme – they will be your first patients; their example will teach you about generosity, and how to work professionally in a team for the greater good.

As an Undergraduate student, twice a week, you will begin your day with an anatomy lecture. You will then go into the Anatomy Room for a 90-minute session when, in groups of 10, you will study the same region guided by a surgeon prosector. You will be involved in dissection and study bones, cross-sections and radiological images – by hearing the theory in the lecture, and actively learning-by-doing in the Anatomy Room, you will know all about the heart or femoral triangle by lunchtime.

Your future patients will ask you lots of questions, so we prepare you by having regular card signings; these are sessions around the table in the Anatomy Room when we ask you and your fellow students to point out anatomical structures and answer questions. All the students take part, and you’ll soon get used to thinking on your feet and learning from your colleagues.

Surface anatomy

In 2011, in collaboration with SFI, RCSI developed the world’s first 3D surface anatomy online guide. This unique, interactive guide provides a video learning resource for medics, physiotherapists and artists involving 3D views of muscles and joint movements, and emphasises living anatomy. View the Surface Anatomy Guide in its entirety.