Willed Body Program
The Most Generous Gift
One of the most generous gifts that an individual or family can make is to donate one’s body for medical education and research. Human bodies are valuable for training new physicians, physical therapists, and other health care professionals, as well as for advancing medical knowledge and helping specialists develop new surgical procedures.
The need for human bodies for medical education and research has never been greater. Willed body programs, such as the one at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, help meet this need. In Texas and other states, donating bodies is a widely accepted procedure, and an increasing number of Texas residents are making this contribution to advance medical science and education. Like other programs in Texas, ours is overseen by the State Anatomical Board. The mission of the Anatomical Board is to facilitate the distribution of deceased human remains for the purpose of teaching and research. In doing so, the Board protects the interests of donors and their families by requiring that only authorized educational and medical institutions receive human remains, and that the remains are treated with dignity and respect.
TTUHSC’s Willed Body Program facilitates donations. Our staff, which includes a licensed funeral director, and others experienced in anatomical education, can explain all procedures and answer any question that an individual or family member may have about this most generous donation.