Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Anatomical donation is the gifting of one’s physical, whole body upon death for educational or research purposes. Experience working with donated human bodies is essential for the training of physicians and other health care professionals. Anatomical donation also helps in the development of new medical knowledge through anatomical research.

Competent persons of at least 18 years of age may arrange before death to donate their bodies for the purpose of medical education and/or research. There is no upper age limit for donation. Donations may also be made after death by an authorized representative. There are several reasons why an individual may not be suitable for anatomical donation, a full description of which is found here. While most anatomical donations are accepted into the program, the donor and their family should be prepared to make alternative arrangements in the event that a donation is declined.

There are two ways that an individual can become an anatomical donor. First, prior to death they can register with our donor program, which signifies their intent to be an anatomical donor. To enroll in the program, the prospective donor will complete the “Registration for Anatomical Donation” form, which signifies intent to donate your body upon passing. This can be rescinded at any time.

The second way an individual can become a donor is through body donation by a family member or legal representative at the time of death. In those cases, the family member or representative will complete the “Consent for Anatomical Donation” form. They will also be asked to provide statistical information.

There is no cost to become an anatomical donor if the donor passes away within the State of New Jersey. If the donor is located outside of New Jersey, they may still be accepted into the program, but the authorized representative will be responsible for the cost of transport to the School of Medicine. By law, there is no payment that can be provided for the donation of a body.

Registered donors should let a family member or authorized representative know about their enrollment in the Program. Upon death, the family or representative should call the School of Medicine Anatomical Donation Program at (551) 497-1375 to make arrangements for the transport of the body. This is a 24-hour line.

We are unable to accept body donations from individuals who have donated organs at the time of death. The exception to this is corneal donation, which can be arranged through Eversight (www.eversightvision.org), a national eye donation program.

For a body to be used by our donation program, it must be transferred to our facility within 24 hours of death. This means that a wake or viewing is not possible. However, a ceremony of your or your family’s choosing may still be held without the body.

In general, the body will be studied at the School of Medicine facilities in Nutley, NJ. We reserve the right to transfer the donor’s remains to another institution of higher education if this benefits the educational and/or research Mission of our Anatomical Donation Program. After the completion of studies, the donor’s remains will be returned to the School of Medicine.

Anatomical studies generally take from between one and three years. In some cases, anatomical donations that are of significant educational value may be kept for study by future students. We reserve the right to retain selected parts of a donation for this purpose.

Once the donor’s body has been utilized for educational or research purposes, the remains will be cremated. Depending upon the wishes of the donor, the cremated remains will be either returned to the donor’s authorized representative/family or scattered in accordance with standard protocols and appropriate regulations.