Meghan M. Cotter, PhD; Ryan Hillmer, PhD
WMJ. 2025;124(1):3.
To the Editor:
Wisconsin has two nonprofit academic, whole-body donation programs: the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) Body Donor Program and the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) Anatomical Gift Registry. Donation to these programs supports the education of undergraduate and graduate-level health science students in gross anatomy and research laboratories and postgraduate medical training. Anatomical education is a cornerstone of foundational science curricula in health science programs. Learning from anatomical donors provides students with hands-on application of anatomical knowledge, appreciation of human anatomical variation, and comprehension of 3D anatomical relationships. Whole-body donation also strengthens the training of postgraduate medical professionals as they practice and perfect clinical skills and surgical techniques.
Beyond scientific concepts, students also learn about donors as their first patients: people who lived full lives with varied experiences, health, disease, and access to health care. In the anatomy lab, students develop and reflect upon the skills needed to treat their future patients respectfully and holistically.1 Whole-body donors have lasting impacts on the students they help to teach. At both SMPH and MCW, students organize an annual memorial ceremony to honor and express immense gratitude to body donors and their families.
Whole-body donation to an academic program is different than organ donation or donation to a private body donation program, and the many options can be difficult for an individual who wants to “donate their body to science” to parse. The health care team, and especially those who help guide patients through end-of-life decisions, play an important role in education about all available options. For those individuals who seek to be part of health science education, whole-body donation to academic programs provides direct influence on hundreds of health science trainees each year in Wisconsin.
In 2020, due to COVID-19 restrictions, whole-body donation decreased significantly, and some programs have not yet recovered.2,3 The numerous positive impacts whole-body donation has on undergraduate and postgraduate health professional training should encourage health care providers to be open to discussing whole-body donation with patients interested in exploring this option during end-of-life planning. Planning and registering with donation programs ensures that a donor’s family can carry out their loved one’s last wishes, and individuals can have a memorial service for their families while also donating their body to science. The health care team should familiarize themselves with the legal requirements and program policies of donation programs to best assist patients through end-of-life decisions.
REFERENCES
- Ghosh SK. Cadaveric dissection as an educational tool for anatomical sciences in the 21st century. Anat Sci Educ. 2017;10(3):286-299. doi:10.1002/ase.1649.
- McCumber TL, Latacha KS, Lomneth CS. The state of anatomical donation programs amidst the SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) pandemic. Clin Anat. 2021;34(6):961-965. doi:10.1002/ca.23760.
- Hond, P. Body of knowledge: the benefits of donating your body to medical science. Columbia Magazine. Fall 2024. Accessed August 28, 2024. https://magazine.columbia.edu/article/benefits-donating-your-body-medical-science