Anat Sci Educ. 2022;00:1–9. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/ase | 1 © 2022 American Association for Anatomy INTRODUCTION Anatomical science is a fundamental element of undergraduate medical education, thus it is imperative that the course serves fu- ture medical professionals when entering clinical practice (Turney, 2007). Traditional resources used to teach anatomy include didac- tic lectures and interactive cadaver dissections (Turney, 2007; Papa & Vaccarezza, 2013). However, literature debates over the efficacy of traditional resources, as more clinically relevant pedagogies are on the rise. In Africa, the efficacy of shifts in anatomical curricula is under reported, although it has been medical schools around the continent are adopting these modern and clinically relevant anatom- ical pedagogies (Kramer et al., 2008; Siwela & Mawera, 2017). In the era of technological advancements in clinical practice and the shift to online learning due to the Covid-19 pandemic beginning in March of 2020, modern anatomical curricula are incorporating Received: 5 April 2021 | Revised: 13 December 2021 | Accepted: 1 February 2022 DOI: 10.1002/ase.2175 DESCRIPTIVE ARTICLE Clinicians' opinions on the clinical relevance of anatomy education at Stellenbosch University Robyn Lunn-Collier 1 | Jodie I. Layman-Lemphane 1 | Karin J. Baatjes 1,2 | Janine Correia 1 1 Division of Clinical Anatomy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa 2 Division of Surgery, Department of Surgical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa Correspondence Ms. Robyn Lunn-Collier, Division of Clinical Anatomy, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Francie van Zijl Drive, Tygerberg, Cape Town 7505, South Africa. Email: rlunncollier@gmail.com Abstract Anatomical science is a fundamental element of undergraduate medical education; thus, it is imperative that the course serves future medical professionals when enter- ing clinical practice. However, anatomical education has faced challenges in recent years including decreased allocated time, increased class sizes and over-stretched staff. Technological advancements in anatomical education may provide relief to these issues. Therefore, exploring clinicians' perspective on the clinical relevance and efficacy of anatomical education, within an African context, can inform its fu- ture. This study used a qualitative research approach within an interpretive paradigm. Eight semi-structured one-on-one interviews were conducted with clinicians asso- ciated with Stellenbosch University and Tygerberg Hospital. Thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data, creating themes and codes. Trust worthiness of the data was ensured through peer debriefing and member checking. Results reveal that clinicians find clinically relevant anatomy valuable to students. However, some feel that this is not delivered effectively at present. Clinicians see potential for the incor- poration of clinical technologies into anatomical pedagogy. Although clinicians are hopeful for new technological developments in anatomical education, concerns were reported about its autonomous nature. This study concludes that although clinically relevant anatomical education is beneficial to students, the time and the resources via which it is delivered should be considered. There is optimism for the future of anatom- ical education with the advancements of technologically based educational resources, however, new resources should be incorporated with planning and supervision. KEYWORDS clinical perspective, gross anatomy education, medical education, pedagogy, qualitative study