Students from the University of Tartu are this year’s winners of the International Anatomy Olympiad

On 16 and 17 May the best 1st year medical students from the Baltic States gathered at the Institute of Anatomy and Anthropology of Rīga Stradiņš University (RSU) to participate in the XVI International Anatomy Olympiad. This year human anatomy was mixed with art – the theme of the Olympiad was Ars divina or Divine Art.

This was the 16th International Anatomy Olympiad and saw the participation of eight teams from RSU, two teams from the University of Tartu and two from the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences.

During this two-day event teams had the opportunity to mingle with one another, and to assess their theoretical knowledge and practical skills by filling out a test, or by participating in exciting tasks testing their abilities. Examples of what participants were asked to do includes leading their teammates through an obstacle course by naming anatomical structures, forming human organs out of clay with their teammates left to guess the organ, and trying to spot anatomy terms in songs. In addition teams demonstrated homework assignments they had been given before attending the Olympiad – a video that introduced the team, as well as gave an overview of how the human body has been portrayed in various periods in art history.

When interviewed, participants said that the Olympiad had given them the opportunity to get to know their teammates as well as their international peers better, to test their knowledge in anatomy and to explore ways in which to improve.

Winners of the International Anatomy Olympiad 2019