About 150 medical students gathered Monday evening at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center for a memorial ceremony honoring the people who donated their bodies to the university for education and research purposes.
The bodies donated through the university’s Anatomical Bequest Program (ABP) are a critical aspect of training for the future health care workforce, providing unparalleled learning experiences that cannot be replicated through simulations or textbooks. The ABP and similar programs at schools across the country rely on the generosity of individuals who choose to donate their bodies after death to science.
“Each donor gave us the opportunity to learn from their life and body in order to become more prepared, empathetic physicians. This was a sacrifice for them and their families that should not go unnoticed, which is the purpose of the memorial ceremony,” said first-year medical student Ellis Ann Jackson, who is on the committee that planned the event. “We want to show our gratitude and pay our respects to the many people who allowed us to have this privilege.”
Held in Schreier Auditorium in the Student-Alumni Center, the ceremony included readings and songs performed by medical students and the university’s student choir, the Hippocratic Notes. As student Marlee Sanders and her mother Angela Sanders performed a duet on the bassoon and French horn, students wrote notes to the donors’ families to show their appreciation and describe the impact whole-body donation has had on their education.
“While we may not know our donors personally or know their life stories, we do know one thing about every single one of them: they wanted to give us the gift of learning from their anatomy,” Jackson said in her opening remarks. “They believed in our education and wanted to generously contribute to our growth and training as future physicians.”
The ceremony also included remarks from UT Health Science Center alumnus and retired faculty member David LaVelle, MD, who spoke about the importance of the anatomy lab and how it influenced his practice in orthopedic surgery.
“You will be taught that you do not treat the disease, and you do not treat the injury – you treat the person. And that is true, but what if the person is someone who, like your donor, you know nothing about?” Dr. LaValle said. “We treat people the best way we know how, not because they were a good person, or because we liked them, or because they had good insurance. As you learn in anatomy, we treat people well simply because we respect human life, and everyone deserves respect just because they’re human.”
Aaron Rowbury, a licensed mortician in the ABP, said donor memorial ceremonies at UT Health Science Center have always been planned and organized by the students voluntarily. “There is no mandate requiring them to do this, and it has no impact on their grades,” he said. “Considering the loaded schedule of a health science student, the fact that they are choosing to make time to honor and thank these donors tells us just how important whole-body donation is to the experience and success of our students here at UT Health Science Center.”
According to Rowbury, whole-body donation has far-reaching benefits for society. By donating their bodies, individuals contribute to the education and training of future health care professionals, providing them with hands-on experience that helps build their skills and confidence. Students in medical, dental, physical therapy, and other graduate programs can witness the structures of the human body and how diseases change the body. This training ultimately leads to better patient care.
Additionally, whole-body donations are critical for advancing medical research, allowing scientists to study diseases, develop new surgical techniques, and enhance treatments that can save or improve lives. Research conducted with whole-body donations has led to breakthroughs in areas including cancer, organ transplantation, and minimally invasive procedures.
“Ultimately, whole-body donation helps build a stronger, more skilled health care workforce and contributes to innovations that improve public health worldwide,” Rowbury said.
UT Health Science Center is preparing to upgrade the anatomy lab on its Memphis campus with $29.6 million the state appropriated last session. The upgrade will expand the lab from around 15,000 square feet to about 20,000 square feet, allowing more space for students and scientists to study while treating the donors with utmost dignity.
“Anatomy lab is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and an invaluable component of medical education here at UT Health Science Center,” Jackson said. “It has given us students the chance to bridge the gap between textbook knowledge and real-world application through interaction with whom many consider to be our first patient.”
In addition to benefiting trainees and researchers, whole-body donation can be a valuable option for the donors and their families. Rowbury said, since UT Health Science Center covers all final expenses, whole-body donation is a great alternative to traditional burial or cremation that can save families thousands of dollars. Furthermore, the selfless act of whole-body donation allows individuals to make an important difference in the current and future health care system.
“As I have helped future donors register for our whole-body donation program, the biggest benefit that stands out is that it gives them the ability to make a positive impact,” Rowbury said. “Most of the donors I speak with express a desire to use their body to help better the world in some way.”
Learn more about the Anatomical Bequest Program and how to register to be a donor on the program’s website.