Commonly Asked Questions

COVID Protocol: As of May 5th, 2024: Donors must be free of COVID-19 for 5 days, prior to their passing, to be considered for anatomical donation for our program.

Overview, Criteria and Procedure for Anatomical Body Donation to Duke School of Medicine

 

silhouette of the Renaissance man, also called Universal Man or Uomo Universale

Thank you for your interest.

We appreciate your request for information about donating your body, or that of a loved one, for use by medical science through The Duke Anatomical Gifts Program. The program is a service of the Department of Medical Education at the Duke University School of Medicine.

All of the members of The Duke Anatomical Gifts Program are committed to working closely with donor families to ensure that each donation proceeds smoothly, that the donation is accepted in a thoughtful and respectful manner, and that the wishes of the departed and his or her family are honored whenever possible.

This section of our site was created to answer questions you might have about the program and about the procedures that are followed to make a donation. If you have questions that are not answered here or in the Overview, Criteria and Procedure for Anatomical Body Donation to Duke School of Medicine, please call us at (919) 681-5471 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Please reference our information packet (link) for the details, but generally: 

  • Older than 18 years of age, but NO age maximum 
  • Less than 6ft tall 
  • Less than 200lbs  
  • Within 3 days of one’s death  
  • No contagious conditions or trauma to the body  
  • Yes! Students and physicians learn a lot when our donors have medical devices/implants in their bodies. We can accept donors who have joint replacements, pacemakers, chemotherapy ports, stents, plates, screws, etc.   
  • No. If your family would a like a report of that type, they would need to have your remains autopsied. Bodies donated to the program are used for teaching and research, no formal diagnoses are made.  
  • No, a Next-of-kin (NOK) or health care power of attorney (HCPOA) can sign an “Agreement to Donation” on your behalf.  
  • If someone has passed without a properly signed donor card or are not able to sign a legal document, please contact our office (919-681-5471) so we can digitally send the NOK or HCPOA an “Agreement to Donation”.   
  • Yes, there is no obligation, at any time, for the donor to follow through with the “intent to donate” to Duke Anatomical Gifts.  
  • Please note that our body donation program is exclusively for educational purposes; we do not conduct research on diseases in our labs. Individuals wishing to donate their bodies for the study of specific medical conditions should explore clinical trials designed for that purpose.  
  • NO, WE ASSESS EACH DONATION AT OR NEAR THE TIME OF DEATH BASED ON THE DONOR’S FINAL MEDICAL HISTORY. Acceptance depends on whether the body will be suitable as a teaching model (considering things like contagious precautions, lab safety, etc.).  
  • Yes, assuming the body fits all the criteria for the other medical school. Sometimes Duke’s labs are at capacity and cannot accept donors who otherwise would be a good candidate for donation.  
  • Yes, we can accept out of state donors. However, the donor must be within ~4hrs driving distance of Durham, NC. We cannot accept donors who would have to fly their remains to Durham, NC.  
  • Please call our death call line at 919-812-7430 and leave a message.  
  • Our lab team only works during business hours (8:30 am to 4:30 pm on Monday through Friday). If someone passes over the weekend, on a holiday, or overnight, please keep their remains in cold storage (e.g., at the morgue or at a funeral home) and we will receive their remains on the next business day. 
  • When we accept a body, we will also need a copy of the death certificate signed by the physician with all information complete.   Our program does not file death certificates. The death certificate is usually facilitated by the funeral home or transport service that brings the body to our facility.  We do not need a certified copy. 
  • Yes, we just ask that the remains be in our care within about 3 days of death, so in most cases the remains will not be present at the funeral.  
  • We cannot move forward with body donation if an autopsy is required.   
  • All of our donors are cremated individually, and then the ashes can be returned to the family (picked-up or mailed) or scattered in the Duke Forest.  
  • Average time is about 1 year. However, it can be as little as a few weeks but as long as 2 years (maximum).   
  • If a donor wants to be a whole-body donor, no organs or tissues can be removed post- mortem. The only exception is that the corneas can be removed post-mortem (the corneas are typically procured within 12 hrs. of death, and then the body can be sent for donation). 
  • It is okay if organs were removed while the donor was living (a kidney, hysterectomy, etc.).  
  • We can also take donors who have been an organ transplant recipient.  
  • Duke Anatomical Gifts can cover the costs of the mortuary transport if it is a significant financial burden to the family/the estate. Once the donor has completed teaching, we cover the cost of cremation and the affiliated costs to get the ashes back to your family. All other costs (services, obituaries, etc.), should be billed to the donor’s estate or family.  

Next Step:

If you would like to donate, please get a Donor Card, which is included in our :  Information packet with our printable donor card and helpful forms

Please note, do not return any of the cards or forms to us.  Please read the cover letter for directions.

For Duke, there is no registration or paperwork to complete at this time. This process does not start until the death occurs.  Please do not mail the donor cards back to us.

If you would like us to mail you a Uniform Donor Card and an instruction sheet, or if you have more questions, please contact us:

 

Emerson Bennett
Program Coordinator, The Anatomical Gifts Program, Duke School of Medicine
On-Call Phone: 919-812-7430 – for imminent deaths and urgent questions
Office Phone: 919-681-5471
Fax: 919-681-5520

Mailing address:
Attn: Emerson Bennett
The Anatomical Gifts Program
DUMC 3952
Durham, NC 27710

 

We encourage you to check with The Anatomical Gifts Program every two years to see if any changes have been made to the process to ensure your donation can be completed in a respectful, efficient manner.