Rate My Professor Tracey Wilkinson

Professor Tracey Wilkinson holds the Sands Cox Chair of Anatomy and serves as Head of Anatomy in the Department of Biomedical Sciences within the College of Medical and Dental Sciences at the University of Birmingham, joining the institution in February 2023. She is medically qualified, holding an MBChB from the University of Zimbabwe, a PhD in biomechanics and anatomy from the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education Teaching (PGCHET) from Queen’s University Belfast. Prior to her current role, she worked for several years at the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification in Dundee, where she developed expertise in the Thiel embalming technique. Her career spans educational institutions in Africa, Germany, and all four UK home nations, with extensive experience teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students in medicine, dentistry, anatomy, and allied health disciplines. Wilkinson has received teaching awards at three different universities and directed the Anatomy Training Programme for the Anatomical Society and American Association for Anatomy from 2014 to 2022. She is the current President of the Anatomical Society, founded in 1887, marking her as only the fourth woman to hold this position.

Her research specializations include medical and anatomy education, biomechanics, clinical and functional anatomy, Thiel embalming, and human variation. Notable publications encompass 'The use of technical grade chemicals and on-site production of ammonium nitrate: a cost-effective and safer approach to Thiel embalming' (2025, Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy), 'Changes in deep neck muscle length from the neutral to forward head posture. A cadaveric study using Thiel cadavers' (2022, Clinical Anatomy), 'Spatial ability and anatomy learning performance among dental students' (2022, Korean Journal of Medical Education), 'Neutralisation of SARS-CoV-2 by anatomical embalming solutions' (2021, Journal of Anatomy), and 'Exploration of temporal bone anatomy using mixed reality (HoloLens): development of a mixed reality anatomy teaching resource prototype' (2020, Journal of Visual Communication in Medicine). With 19 research outputs, her contributions advance anatomical teaching methodologies, embalming safety, postural analysis, and innovative educational tools through collaborative international studies.