Johannes Streicher, Anatomist
Highly practical, research-oriented anatomy teaching
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Johannes Streicher has headed the Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology at Karl Landsteiner University of Health Sciences since November 2015. As the very first professor appointed at KL, he has been pivotal in shaping the department and is a central figure in the training of prospective medical practitioners. Streicher works closely with the University Hospital St. Pölten, a training and research site of KL, plays an active role in shaping clinical anatomical research and, as Professor of Anatomy, leads in teaching dissection to students at KL.
Johannes Streicher studied medicine at the Medical Faculty of the University of Vienna. His doctoral thesis, entitled “Experimental and congenital fibula aplasia”, was awarded the Medical Faculty’s prize for best dissertation. His research at the Institute of Anatomy focused on the interrelationship between ontogenesis and phylogenesis in morphology. He initiated the first ERASMUS student exchange programme at the Faculty of Medicine in 1993 and remained ERASMUS and ECTS coordinator at the Faculty of Medicine (later Medical University of Vienna, MUW) for over 10 years.
His specialist training in anatomy was followed in 2001 by a double postdoctoral qualification in anatomy and embryology. As a member of the Curriculum Management Board from 2003 to 2007, he contributed to the implementation of the innovative Medical Curriculum Vienna (MCV). After holding senior positions in the Department of Systematic Anatomy at MUW, he was appointed to the Chair of Anatomy and Developmental Biology at KL Krems in 2015. There, he established a teaching and research concept that integrates students into subject-integrated, clinically oriented anatomy units at an early stage. Particular focus is placed on the dissection course, in which students work in small groups throughout their third year to dissect a human body donation in the pathology department of the KL University Hospital St. Pölten. Working directly on the human body not only provides a deep understanding of anatomy but also teaches students the ability to combine scientific precision with emotional sensitivity. “It’s only by working on a real human body, with all its unique characteristics, that students gain a three-dimensional understanding of anatomy,” explains Prof. Streicher.
Under his leadership, the teaching combines conventional dissection methods with modern digital and didactic approaches including 3D visualisation, sonography training in the dissection course, peer-to-peer teaching, and two tablet-based topography examinations (t-OSCANA 1 & 2). One key focus of Streicher’s work is training future doctors to strike a balance between engaging empathetically with patients and behaving in an objective, professional manner. “When a patient is in my medical office, they appear as a subject. In the operating room, however, they become an object, and I must be able to act in a highly professional manner, rather free of emotion.” This tension between subjectivity and objectivity is a core component of his teaching concept and has a lasting impact on medical training at KL.
Research and teaching are closely linked for Prof. Streicher, who leverages interdisciplinary synergies with the University Hospital St. Pölten and the department of Biomechanics at KL. He deploys high-resolution clinical imaging techniques such as foetal MRI, micro-CT and 3D printing to create models of spatially complex structures and topographies for research and teaching. “With 3D models, we can plan and train for complex procedures without negatively impacting patients. It’s an enormous step forward for training and clinical practice,” emphazises Streicher.
In their Master’s thesis projects, students at KL – under interdisciplinary supervision – conduct studies focusing on clinical issues in the fields of traumatology, abdominal surgery, ENT, gynaecology and neurosurgery and generate new, clinically relevant results.
In addition to teaching students, Prof. Streicher is involved in the KL Academy, which provides postgraduate training and continuing education for both medical professionals and paramedic professions.
As a graduate of a humanistic secondary school, Streicher enjoys combining his Latin and Greek skills with explanations of medical terminology in the blended learning course “Medical Terminology” at KL.
With his commitment, he has not only established anatomy at KL, but also redefined the connection between anatomy, clinical research and practical application. Since October 2025, Streicher has also held the position of Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, which was established at KL in the course of structural changes, along with the Faculty of Health Sciences and the Faculty of Psychology.
