The Department of Anatomical Sciences at Stony Brook University consists of award-winning faculty who are internationally recognized researchers in organismal biology and are dedicated educators who foster a long-standing culture of teaching excellence. As evolutionary morphologists and paleobiologists, we use anatomical data to elucidate the biology and relationships of living and extinct species. Our research and teaching is unified by the evolutionary perspective that the vertebrate body, including our own, is shaped by natural selection. Understanding how systems function – and how they fail – begins from this principle. We believe our research informs and enriches our teaching, and provides a context for students to better understand the human body. We uphold the highest professional and academic standards. Our work appears in high impact publications such as Nature, Science, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and in specialty journals. We train future physicians and other health professionals in clinical anatomy emphasizing the core competencies of teamwork and critical thinking. Our Ph.D. graduates teach and conduct innovative research at other major medical centers and research institutions, thus elevating the profile of Stony Brook Medicine and Stony Brook University as centers of medical and research excellence. We strive to be leaders in service to the University community on both east and west campuses, promoting the success of the various schools and programs in which we participate.

Stony Brook University is deeply committed to the recruitment, retention and success of diverse students in its competitive graduate degree programs.