Names are read as music plays. Carnations are gifted from grateful hands. It’s a token of appreciation for uncommon altruism — the gift of one’s own body. Each spring, Indiana University medical and health professions students honor their “first patients” during a Service of Gratitude attended by donors’ families.
“Behind each donor is the legacy of a life lived and loved ones left behind,” said Ryan Badger-Bridewell, director of the Anatomical Education Program at the IU School of Medicine. “We organize this service to honor the donors, but also to express gratitude to their families for following their loved one’s wishes and allowing them to be a part of furthering medical education in the state of Indiana.”
About 325 donors are needed each year for anatomical education courses offered at IU’s nine medical school campuses. The Anatomical Education Program also provides donors to partner institutions throughout the state, including Marion University, Indiana State University and the University of Indianapolis.
This sacred gift is respected by students — future doctors, dentists and other health care professionals — who learn about the human anatomy and its normal variations from working with a body donor.
“A student’s relationship with their donor can be quite profound,” Badger-Bridewell said. “Oftentimes, it is their first palpable interaction with death, and with that can come a plethora of emotions they have to sort through in conjunction with learning the fundamentals of anatomy. Consequently, a student’s work with their first patient, as the donor is often referred to, is foundational and sticks with them throughout their careers as health care professionals.”
Who donates their body to medical science?
Some body donors are doctors or other health care professionals who understand the value of foundational education in human anatomy. Yet they only represent 19% of all donors to the Anatomical Education Program.
IU Anatomical Education Program Service of Gratitude
Diversity among donors helps learners understand the range of normal variations that are present within the human anatomy and in people with different body types.
“No matter how the textbook depicts it, it isn't until your first patient in the lab that you truly witness how the human body is a miracle of a machine,” said Sebastian Aguirre, who is pursuing a master’s in athletic training at IU.
Aguirre volunteered to speak at the Service of Gratitude on April 13 at the Indiana University Auditorium in Bloomington. Students will serve as greeters, flower givers, speakers and musicians, and student artwork will be on display.
“It takes a very special type of person to be willing to donate your body for educational purposes,” said Elizabeth Agosto, PhD, program leader for the Center for Anatomy and Physiology Education (CAPE) outreach program at IU School of Medicine.
“Our students take that gift very seriously, and we try to learn everything we can from our donors,” she said. “It really is their first patient and the first person they’re working with to hone skills that they will be able to take into the clinic.”
What is the process for body donation?
Any adult living in Indiana may bequeath their body to medical science. Donors must be pre-registered with the Anatomical Education Program prior to their death. The program provides transportation and embalming as well as assistance in filing a death certificate and other paperwork.
Students give their 'first patient' presentations, including a histopathology report, as part of an IU gross anatomy course.
The Anatomical Education Program maintains high ethical standards. Human bodies used for medical education are obtained entirely through consented donations. Those who donate their bodies make a significant contribution to health education and health care in Indiana.
“These are people who wanted us to learn from them,” Agosto said. “We honor that wish and the gift they provided.”
Why should I consider body donation?
Digital anatomy education tools work when it is not possible to use a human donor such as distance learning, introductory anatomy classes or when a person’s religious beliefs restrict them from working with human remains. But a screen is no substitute for hands-on learning.
Jessica Byram, PhD, teaches graduate students as director of the education track for the PhD program in anatomy, cell biology and physiology at IU School of Medicine. She also organizes high school tours of the anatomy lab and launched IU’s first undergraduate gross anatomy course for students entering health professions.
“It’s a typical gross anatomy course, but we added humanism elements and reflections as part of the First Patient Project,” Byram said. “Treating your donor like a first patient means you’re not detaching from the scenario, which happens a lot when dealing with disease and death. It encourages respect for humanity.”
Along with exploring anatomical variations and examining pathologies that impacted a donor’s quality of life, students also learn skills like teamwork, professionalism and empathy from time spent with their first patient, Byram said.
“Not everyone has the ability to see within the human body,” she said. “This is a privilege.”
Aguirre views time with his “first patient” as foundational for treating all other patients he will encounter in his future practice.
“I believe that it is natural for one to be both nervous and slightly uncomfortable at the beginning of the gross anatomy course,” Aguirre said. “However, by noting that this is someone's gift to you for your personal development in the understanding of the human body, those feelings of unease quickly go away. It is from this experience that we begin our journey in the medical field and, thanks to their investment in our knowledge, we will be better suited to assist others with their health, within our respective careers.”
