Human Biology
The Department of Human Biology brings together several medical scientific and clinical academic disciplines, divided into six Divisions, namely:
- Division of Biomedical Engineering
- Division of Cell Biology
- Division of Clinical Anatomy and Biological Anthropology
- Division of Exercise Science and Sports Medicine
- Division of Human Nutrition
- Division of Physiological Sciences
Undergraduate Teaching
The department's undergraduate teaching contributes to the
- MBChB programme (in Years 1-3 and the Intervention Programme)
- Health and Rehabilitation (1st and 2nd year Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Communication Science students)
- Faculty of Science (years 2 and 3 of the BSc programme majoring in Human Anatomy and Physiology)
- Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment (a one-semester introductory course to medical engineering).
Postgraduate Programmes
Human Biology has the largest cohort of postgraduate students in the Faculty of Health Sciences, participating in a wide range of programmes in niche areas such as:
- applied anatomy
- biokinetics
- biological anthropology
- biomedical engineering
- cell biology
- exercise science
- health care technology management
- nutrition and dietetics
- physiology
- sports and exercise medicine
- sport management (offered together with the Faculty of Commerce)
- sports physiotherapy (offered together with the Division of Physiotherapy in the Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences)
Facilities & Programmes
We host a number of facilities and programmes unique to the University of Cape Town
- Confocal & Light Microscopy Imaging Facility specialising in advanced fluorescence image acquisition and image analysis
- M. R. Drennan Museum an important hub of teaching and learning in all of our programmes
- Body Donor Programme for training and research
- Histology laboratories for the preparation of tissues and slides for teaching and for research is widely used by several research programmes within the department, Faculty & other Faculties of UCT and external institutions.
The Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Cape Town acknowledges, with deep respect, the rare gift of whole body donation. These bequests are vital for the teaching of anatomy to medical, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and science students.
Bequests may also be used to train professionals for example surgeons in new techniques. It is for these reasons that the anatomy departments of Medical schools are legally empowered to receive bodies. Learn more