The Academic Leagues play a fundamental role in universities, offering extracurricular activities that expand students’ knowledge beyond undergraduate learning, including academia and society. However, the pioneering process of implementing an Academic League at a campus under construction is a great challenge. The Academic League Anatomy of the UFRJ Macaé Campus (Laanamac) aims to encourage student interaction, develop research, community outreach and teaching projects and to be a model for the creation of new leagues. This paper reports on the first year of Laanamac and its achievements, such as increased student interest in anatomy, the opportunity to partake in a Scientific Initiation, the dissection of corpses, interaction with teachers and students from other institutions, the development of skills such as league management and organization of events, and the promotion of the institution’s name at congresses. A newly formed league can add significantly to the development of new campuses, by opening up new possibilities, especially for those who are establishing themselves far from the big cities.
Anatomy; Universities; Education; Research; Medical Education
