Work underway on UEA’s new high-tech anatomy centre
By: Communications
Aspiring healthcare professionals in the region will soon be benefitting from state-of-the-art, fully accessible anatomy training facilities at the University of East Anglia (UEA), following the start of building works at the site on Norwich Research Park.
The innovative new centre, built as a two-storey extension to the Edith Cavell Building (ECB), is situated adjacent to the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, and will provide the very latest facilities to deliver the highest standards of training.
The new Anatomy Suite is due to be finished in the latter part of 2025 and will become operational during 2026, offering 390m2 of teaching space in seminar rooms, an immersive anatomy teaching space, improved preparation areas for both staff and students and associated storage and academic office facilities.
The centre will offer significantly more space, which is needed for teaching and practical skills development and will support the recruitment and retention of highly skilled health care professionals both regionally and nationally.
With NHS recruitment at the heart of the new Government’s priorities, the Anatomy Suite will be crucial in delivering the next generation of heath care professionals.
Charles ffrench-Constant, Pro-Vice-Chancellor, UEA Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, said:
“Our anatomy teaching facilities have been at the heart of our healthcare student training for two decades and it’s now wonderful to be able to fully modernise this vital part of our buildings to increase the number of students we can train and provide them with state-of-the-art facilities.” 
Image: Phase 2 external (credit: LSI Architects)
The new facility, which replaces the existing suite on campus, will be one of the first in the country to meet contemporary standards set by the World Health Organisation, following new legislation relating to the exposure of the preservation chemical formaldehyde. This means UEA can remain compliant with legal developments for the health and safety of staff and students, which is not possible within the constraints of the current facility.
The new Anatomy Suite will increase the capacity for teaching and the additional provision of courses at undergraduate, postgraduate and specialist training levels, and provide flexibility to react to technological changes in teaching methods, sitting alongside the immersive training facilities within the ECB.
Stephen Chapman, Senior Faculty Manager, UEA Medicine and Health Sciences, said:
“The new Anatomy Suite will be a worldwide exemplar facility incorporating current best practices, and it will also increase our capacity in terms of the variety of courses we are able to offer. Meeting the needs of an expanding NHS requires major increases in student numbers for courses that require experience with the suite, and this development ensures that we can meet that demand and benefit the population of our region.”
With an increase in demand forecast for courses, the Anatomy Suite will serve current and future healthcare professionals on courses including the MB BS and MSc Physician Associate Studies, Nursing, Physiotherapy, Paramedic Science and, should UEA’s bid for a new dental school be successful, dentists and dental therapists.
In addition, the centre will provide numerous postgraduate opportunities, specialist training programmes and growth in research, supporting development and improvements to national healthcare provision.
Image: Welcome room (credit: LSI Architects)
LSI Architects were appointed to work on the design of the new Anatomy Suite.
Peter Durrant, Director at LSI, said:
“As a design team, we have enjoyed working very closely with the Anatomy team and wider UEA stakeholders to design a new facility that will be at the forefront of new ways of teaching. We’re very much looking forward to seeing this project come to life over the coming months.”
Funding for the new Clinical Anatomy Suite is supported by a grant of £4.8m from the Office for Students, with additional contributions drawn from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and the wider University of £1.6m, with a further £1.14m to be raised by a UEA fundraising appeal to help secure the future of the new facility and to ensure its timely opening.
To find out more about this urgent appeal for charitable support, please email DAC on supporter@uea.ac.uk , call +44 (0)7990 438106 or donate directly via our website. UEA is a registered ‘exempt charity’ and gifts can be tax deductible and are eligible for gift aid.
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