The University of Queensland conducts a Body Donor Program through the School of Biomedical Sciences. This Program accepts donations of human bodies to assist the School in providing educational and research opportunities for staff and students in the health, medical and science disciplines. By studying anatomy in this way, it is possible to examine the complexities and infinite variations of the structure of the human body.
Most bodies are used in undergraduate teaching dissection programs which allow students to develop a fundamental knowledge of the human body. Such knowledge is essential for all members of the health and allied health professions.
The study of anatomy also includes surgical skills development and medical research to investigate issues that continue to perplex medical science. Donated bodies help to advance medical and scientific knowledge locally, nationally and internationally in order to promote health and alleviate suffering.
Please click here to access an online version of our Body Donor Program information brochure.
Conditions of acceptance for the Body Donor Program
Expressions of interest in registering for The University of Queensland's Body Donor Program are accepted from persons aged 18 years or older who reside in Queensland's south-east corridor, including the Brisbane metropolitan area and the surrounding regions of the Gold Coast, Ipswich, the Sunshine Coast, and Toowoomba. There is no upper age limit for body donor registrants.
There are certain conditions which may exclude acceptance to the Body Donor Program. These include:
· Accidental death or recent surgery
· A coroner's inquiry
· A notifiable disease or medical condition
· A specific physical condition, obesity or emaciation
· Conduct of an autopsy
· Creutzfeld Jacob Disease (CJD)
· Death occurring outside the acceptance area
· Dementia
· Neurological disorder conditions
· Operational restrictions (including periods of non-acceptance)
· Other conditions which may be identified as a health or safety risk to staff and students
· Widespread cancer or tissue degenerative condition.
Registration in the Body Donor Program does not guarantee acceptance of a body. A final decision on acceptance can only be determined by the University following the death of the body donor and completion of the screening process.
Registering for the Body Donor Program
1. Enquiring about the program
The first step in registering for The University of Queensland’s Body Donor Program is to contact our Body Donor Program Manager, Mr Leo Brown. Leo can be contacted by:
· calling (+61 7) 3365 2703
· faxing (+61 7) 3365 1299, or
2. Confirming your interest in registering for the program
The next step is to provide written confirmation that you wish to leave your body, after death, to The University of Queensland for the purposes of education and research. Your letter can be sent to:
Mr Leo Brown
Manager
Body Donor Program
The University of Queensland
BRISBANE QLD 4072
The Body Donor Program Manager will then send you registration documents which you must complete and return to the University. These documents include important information for your next-of-kin about the Body Donor Program.
3. Confirmation of your registration for the program
When the completed registration documents are received by the Body Donor Program Manager, you will be advised that we have registered you as a body donor at The University of Queensland.
Instructions for Solicitors
Once confirmation of registration in the Body Donor Program has been received, you may wish to update your will by including the following statement:
‘I bequeath my body, after death, to The University of Queensland for the purposes of education and research’.
Procedures following death
The University of Queensland requires early notification following death to ensure that the donor's body can be received into care as soon as possible. This enables a screening process to commence prior to acceptance into the program.
Following notification, the next-of-kin and medical staff will be asked for information relevant to the screening process. Should a donor be accepted into the program, the University will arrange for transfer of the body by a funeral director to the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University’s St Lucia campus.
Conclusion of involvement in the Body Donor Program
The body of a deceased donor is normally in the care of The University of Queensland for a period of up to three years, after which time the body is cremated. This process does not involve the nominated next-of-kin. In certain situations, the studies involving some bodies are completed in a shorter timeframe. Therefore, those bodies are cremated earlier than the scheduled date.
Following this process, the Body Donor Program Manager and the crematorium will advise the nominated next-of-kin that the donor's ashes are available for collection.
The details and costs associated with the collection of ashes are private arrangements between the nominated next-of-kin and the crematorium.
Costs
The University of Queensland will cover the cost of cremation of donated bodies within Brisbane.
Contributions and bequests to cover such costs, or to support other education and research activities, are gratefully received by the University. Please contact the Body Donor Program Manager for further information.
A tribute to our donors
The School of Biomedical Sciences is grateful for the generosity of those persons involved in the Body Donor Program who provide a unique resource for students of human anatomy. A public expression of this appreciation and a celebration of thanks takes place each year when the School conducts its Annual Thanksgiving Service for Body Donors. Details about this service are available by clicking here.
The Annual Thanksgiving Service brings staff and students of the School of Biomedical Sciences together with donors’ families and friends to honour those donors whose bodies have been received into the School’s care during the two-year period leading up to the ceremony.
The Book of Remembrance, which lists the names of deceased donors, is a central feature of the service and is on permanent display in the foyer of the School’s Otto Hirschfeld Building.
Contact Details
Additional information on the willing of bodies for education and research is available by contacting the Body Donor Program Manager.
|
Mailing address
|
Mr Leo Brown
Manager
Body Donor Program
The University of Queensland
BRISBANE QLD 4072
|
|
Telephone
|
+ 61 7 3365 2703
|
| Fax |
+ 61 7 3365 1299 |
| Email |
anatsci@uq.edu.au |
| Web |
www.uq.edu.au/sbms |
‘Their gift is remembered forever’
An anonymous student