After graduation, he entered the medical faculty of the Stavropol State Medical Institute. Upon graduation, he was sent to the Chechen-Ingush ASSR, where he worked as a pathologist, head of the pathology department of the republican hospital, was the chief freelance pathologist of the CHIASSR Ministry of Health.

In 1980, Anatoly Vasilyevich received a new appointment – in the Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination of the Stavropol Territory, thus continuing the family tradition - his father, Vasily Mikhailovich Kopylov, Candidate of Medical Sciences, worked in the Bureau for more than 40 years. Anatoly Vasilyevich passed all stages of career growth from the interdistrict forensic medical expert, head of the interdistrict forensic medical department to the deputy head of the Bureau for Expert Work at Kavminvody. In 2003, he was appointed head of the regional Bureau.

In 2006, in the Council of the State Institution "Russian Center for Forensic Medical Examination" defended his PhD thesis on the topic: "Forensic diagnostics of acute and chronic cannabinoid intoxication".

He is an excellent student of healthcare, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Honored Doctor of the Russian Federation, author of more than 20 scientific papers and articles on forensic medicine published in collections and the scientific and practical journal "Forensic Medical Examination". Anatoly Vasilyevich Kopylov has been awarded many government awards. Among them are the medals of the Governor of the Stavropol Territory "For valiant labor" of the 3rd degree and "For services to the Stavropol Territory", the VVC "For success in scientific and Technical creativity", the Investigative Committee at the Prosecutor's Office of the Russian Federation "For assistance", a commemorative sign "55 years since the formation of criminology units in the structure of investigative bodies", Honorary certificates of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation and the Stavropol State Duma, as well as public awards – the Order of the World Academy of Sciences of Integrated Security "For Loyalty to Duty" and "For merits in the development of medicine and healthcare".

Since September 2014, he has been appointed Head of the Department of Forensic Medicine and Law at StSMU.

Since December 2016, he has been appointed chief freelance specialist of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation in the specialty "Forensic Medical Examination" in the North Caucasus Federal District and Stavropol Territory, member of the Presidium of the Expert Council at the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation.

In 2017, he was awarded the academic title of "Associate Professor" in the specialty "Forensic Medicine".

The Minister of Health of the Russian Federation, M.A. Murashko, was awarded the medal named after him on December 27, 2021. Nikolay Alexandrovich Semashko (certificate No. 47).