Departments

The Department of Anatomy at UNSW is internationally recognised for its teaching and research excellence in neuroscience, biomechanics and anatomical sciences education, multi-disciplinary imaging and digital technologies. We teach gross anatomy, histology, and embryology to students from medicine, allied health, science, engineering and beyond. Our aim is to inspire our undergraduate and postgraduate students’ curiosity in the structure and function of the human body and in related ethical issues. Students learn hands-on in our technology-enhanced anatomy facilities from the generosity of body donors and innovative use of digital technology, and blended learning pedagogy.

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Anatomy GASU

The Department of Pathology is home to a world-class community of scientists undertaking cutting-edge biomedical and clinical research aimed at understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms driving the pathogenesis of human disease and the development of new clinically viable therapeutics. Our researchers are supported by major national and international funding bodies that underpin the performance of impacting research across highly topical areas in medicine including cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic disease, infection and immunity, the microbiome, ocular disease, and respiratory disease. This dynamic research portfolio provides an exceptional environment for the supervision and training of Honours and postgraduate (PhD, Masters) research students. It also supports our undergraduate teaching programs aimed at inspiring the next generation of medical doctors and biomedical scientists. The department is renowned for its innovative delivery of high-quality and up-to-date pathology teaching to medicine and science students on the molecular and cellular mechanisms of disease and the accurate interpretation and diagnosis of disease specimens. Our courses cover a variety of topics including basic pathological process, as well as specific courses on the molecular basis of disease, cancer pathology, musculoskeletal disease, clinical immunology, and imaging of disease. Our education-focused members are also leading new educational projects to further enhance learning and teaching in pathology more broadly.

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The Department of Physiology champions education and research on the function of body systems.

 We're passionate educators with discipline expertise that provides key input into the Medical, Health Sciences and Biomedical Science programs. We use a range of best practice and innovative teaching approaches blending digital resources, direct engagement with staff and student self-directed and team learning. Our Medicine and Health teaching provides the core backbone of learning of normal body function from which an understanding of diseases and treatments stem. Our educators include discipline experts engaged directly in cutting-edge research, enabling research-informed teaching, and supporting the development of emerging biomedical scientists, innovators and academics.

Research in the Department supports the continuous expansion of discipline knowledge, leveraging advances in technology that enable insight from the single molecule level, to cellular and systems physiology. Our specific research strengths span sensori-motor and cognitive neuroscience, endocrinology, cardiac and skeletal muscle, microcirculation and mechanobiology. The research programs support advanced training, and multi-disciplinary collaboration across Medicine, Science and Engineering, top research institutes in Australia and around the world. We focus on translating our discoveries at the bench to deliver new therapeutic solutions to long-standing health needs, and we work closely with Industry and clinical partners to deliver this vision.

Academics

The Department of Pharmacology delivers expert education to students in Medicine, Health, Optometry, Science & Medical Science programs, and is home to world-leading research across pharmacology. In research, staff within the department are exploring the effects of drugs and other molecules on biological systems relevant to cancer, ageing, obesity and metabolic disease, and the brain-gut axis. We have expertise in G protein-coupled receptors, the neuropharmacology of stroke and respiration, and gastrointestinal pharmacology. Pre-clinical research in the department examines cellular and molecular pathways in living systems across a range of model systems and pharmacology staff collaborate widely with clinicians and researchers in the Faculties of Medicine & Health, Science, and Biomedical Engineering at UNSW, as well as with national and international colleagues, including industry partners. As a one-stop shop for therapeutic development, our research aspiration is to take new drug or small molecule discoveries and develop these for delivery to the clinic. Leaning on this critical expertise base, the core business of the pharmacology teaching community lies in examining the effects of drugs on biological systems with courses covering everything from theoretical to practical aspects of developing and testing new drugs, understanding the molecular interactions through which drugs work, and therapeutic benefits of drugs for a range of diseases affecting both body and brain. The optional research-intensive year (Hons) provides a great springboard to a range of career opportunities, or to advanced research, with vibrant MSc and PhD research programs hosting students from varied backgrounds and countries.

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The Department of Molecular Medicine aims to pair the brightest minds with the best research infrastructure under a tailored mentoring approach. In research our core vision is to integrate across the scales how processes at the molecular level – the ‘bottom-up’ perspective of single-molecule research – drive function at the systems level – the ‘top-down’ perspective of cell biology and physiology. In line with the Health25 strategy, the Department of Molecular Medicine places the wellbeing and success of our people at the heart of our work. In doing so, we aim to foster a vibrant and inclusive research environment. We’re united by a common belief in the pursuit of innovative scientific research. We share a commitment to visionary science that involves taking big leaps in discovery and innovation. To be poised to make such big leaps, we have fostered a collaborative environment in a shared space where individual expertise, skills and perspectives can combine to advance our common goals. In education, we’ve established research collaborations and contributions to teaching with partners in the Kirby Institute, Garvan, BABS, Chemistry and Physics. We have a significant international footprint with numerous links to world class institutions and researchers. Our activities not only address biomedical problems – including force sensing in pain, immune cell swarming in cancer, subversion of innate immunity by HIV or SARS-CoV-2, and protein aggregation in Parkinson's disease – but also aim to drive technological advances, such as future approaches to DNA-sequencing, cutting-edge microscopy techniques, and novel methods of data analysis.

Academics