BODY DONATION PROGRAM UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
The Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences at the University of British Columbia has a program for those wishing to offer their bodies to UBC .
To obtain detailed and essential knowledge of the structure and function of the human body, future doctors, dentists, rehabilitation therapists and scientists must study actual human remains as part of their training. Donation of your body is a very special gift to the future health-care professionals of our community.
Students preparing themselves for careers in medicine, dentistry and related professions are fully aware of the special privilege granted to them by law and the obligation that they have to conduct themselves in a professional manner during their training. People donating their bodies to the medical school may be assured that all human remains are accorded the dignity and respect that society customarily grants to the dead.
There is no upper age limit for whole body donation. Medical conditions that may prevent acceptance as a donor include: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (AIDS virus), advanced metastatic cancers, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Multiple Sclerosis, Tuberculosis and any disease of unknown etiology. Extensive trauma to the body at the time of death, recent surgery, decomposition, suicide, autopsy or obesity may also make the remains unsuitable for anatomical study. Individuals under the age of 30 are not accepted into the program. Many individuals wish to donate their kidneys, hearts, or other organs of the body to those in need of such a transplant, but we regret that if organs (with the exception of the eyes) are used for transplantation, we are unable to accept the body. Please be prepared to make alternate arrangements should the body be found unsuitable for donation after death.
For more details about the donation process and to receive the ‘A Unique Contribution’ brochure and body donor consent form from the UBC Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, email us at: anatomy@interchg.ubc.ca or call (604) 822-2578. For detailed legal information about donation, you can view the BC Anatomy Act online.
Downloadable Files: Brochure | Consent Form
