The Department of Anatomy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is entering one of the most exciting periods in its distinguished history.

Traditionally, the department's teaching efforts were focused on the core of anatomical courses taught to medical students at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health and, in keeping with its name, the department's research had historically emphasized studies of anatomical structure.

In recent years, the hiring of talented new faculty, development of graduate courses beyond the medical curriculum and an upgrading of core facilities has transformed the department into a modern center for research in cellular, molecular, neural and developmental biology.

Department research makes use of cutting-edge techniques ranging from dynamic high-resolution imaging of cytoplasmic structures inside living cells to manipulation of genes regulating development of cells and organs to single cell recording in the brains of behaving animals.