The Inclusive Anatomy curriculum – antecedents and approaches

The subject of Anatomy has not been immune to the growing call to decolonise curricula. Often this leads to examining whether different skin colours are represented in textbooks. An internal audit of our institutions’ Anatomy teaching resources unsurprisingly concurred with literature in being images of predominantly white male individuals. Adding images of people of colour, while a good start seemed a tokenistic approach. Looking through a lens of cultural humility, we felt we needed at the outset to acknowledge the forgotten colonial history of anatomy (the antecedents) and its role in shaping Anatomy teaching. Next, we used the critical reflection methodology to understand what decolonisation meant in Anatomy. We believe what is needed is to step away from the white cisgender heterosexual male universal model. Therefore, perhaps using the term “Inclusive Anatomy Curriculum” (IAC) in place of “decolonisation” is more representative. We propose that three domains of the curriculum need to be examined - learning outcomes, teaching materials/methods and assessments. Impact assessment of current practices and/or a literature review within these three domains on people with various characteristics will guide educators understand what to include to create an IAC. Our review of literature has led us to believe that characteristics beyond the protected characteristics described in the Equality Act 2010 need to be considered. We therefore propose a more comprehensive model for creating an Inclusive Anatomy Curriculum which we hope will aid educators in their own quest to ultimately make Anatomy more inclusive.