The Royal Society of South Africa and the Academy of Science of South Africa invite to to a webinar on ‘A debt to the dead: Of art, science, ethics and the use of the human body’ on 19th November @ 17h00 SAST presented by Emeritus Professor Beverley Kramer, Department of Anatomical Sciences, School of Biomedical Sciences,
University of the Witwatersrand.
Abstract: The mysteries of the human body have fascinated individuals throughout history. Artists have revered the human body through painting and sculpture, anatomists have dissected it to learn its truths, while bioethicists have attempted to guide anatomists through evolving ethical issues on its use in teaching and research. This presentation by Emeritus Professor Beverley Kramer will display aspects of anatomy through art, science and ethics in explaining why we have a “debt to the dead”.
About the Speaker: Emeritus Professor Beverley Kramer was Professor and Head of Anatomy at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) for over 17 years. She also served as Assistant Dean for Research and Postgraduate Support in the Wits Faculty of Health Sciences for 8 years.
A dedicated anatomist, Professor Kramer was awarded for her excellence in teaching. International honours bestowed on Beverley include the “Anatomist Excellence Award (2012) and the Leonardo da Vinci Award (2021) from the International Committee of Symposia on Morphological Sciences, an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Oredea, Romania and prestigious Fellowships from global anatomical associations. In 2015, the South African Department of Science and Technology/SARIMA award was bestowed on her for “distinguished contributions to the research management profession”.
Beverley has been President of the Anatomical Society of Southern Africa (ASSA) and serves on the Board of the International Committee of the Symposium on Morphological Sciences (ICSMS). She was the first woman and first African to be elected President of the International Federation of Associations of Anatomists (2014-2024) and continues to serve on the Executive of the IFAA as Immediate Past-President.
Date: Wednesday, 19th November 2025
Time: 17h00
ALL WELCOME
– a video of this talk will appear on our website about a week after the event.
Website: www.royalsocietysa.org.za
‘promoting science – recognising excellence in research and scholarship’