About the Anatomical
Gift Program
Why have an Anatomical Gift Program?
Providing an excellent, high-quality medical education
requires support at many levels. Those who practice medicine recognize that
a strong foundation in the basic medical sciences is fundamental to their
practices. All medical specialties depend on a knowledge and understanding
of physiology, microbiology, biochemistry, and pharmacology. In fact, these
last four disciplines are sometimes described as the pillars upon which medical
science is built. But the foundation for all these pillars and for medicine
itself is human anatomy. Without the generosity of donors to the Anatomical
Gift Program, Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine could
not provide the foundation upon which medical careers are built. Because
diseases and dysfunctions all have anatomical components, it is imperative
that all medical students, as well as graduate physicians in all arenas,
be trained in the discipline of anatomy. This is the inestimable value of
the Anatomical Gift Program and those who contribute to it.
Who donates to the Anatomical Gift Program?
The hallmark of donors to the Anatomical Gift Program is that they were "givers" throughout their lives. These are the people who were concerned about the well-being of others. It is safe to say that the primary motivation for people to become part of this program is one of altruism. Almost to a person, they are concerned that others have the opportunity to learn, either through medical education or medical research.
Diversity is emblematic of this program. Clearly, members
of all ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic, and educational groups comprise our
registry of donors. Donors are of diverse religious backgrounds, come from
the lowest as well as the highest socioeconomic groups, and include those
with no formal education as well as those with multiple doctoral degrees.
Men and women are represented in approximately equal numbers. An abbreviated
inventory of vocations includes machinists and military officers, automotive
workers and nurses, secretaries and university professors, housewives and
entrepreneurs, physicians and truck drivers, teachers and laborers.
Who benefits from the Anatomical Gift Program?
The answer to this question is quite simple: we all benefit
from the Anatomical Gift Program. Medical and nursing students are accorded
the opportunity to learn normal as well as some pathologic anatomy from the
gifts they receive. Residents are able to review anatomy, practice old procedures
and learn new ones. Medical research personnel are able to study such things
as pressures within the eye, cervical spine injuries, magnetic resonance
imaging techniques, and laser surgery procedures. Experienced professors
and physicians are enabled to expand their knowledge bases and become more
competent teachers and practitioners. Paramedics, emergency medicine technicians,
and nurses are able to practice their lifesaving skills through these gifts.
Since medical personnel have an impact on the lives of all of us at one time
or another, each of us is the recipient of benefits from the generosity of
the donors to the Anatomical Gift Program.
What does the Anatomical Gift Program provide to the donor?
Because each of the donors has a deep commitment to his
or her ideals of providing service to others, the most significant gift the
donor receives is the knowledge that, even in death, he or she will aid the
learning of others, facilitate the art of healing, and perpetuate the accumulation
of medical knowledge. Of a more pragmatic nature, many of the details that
must be attended to at the time of death are expedited by the Anatomical
Gift Program and the Boonshoft School of Medicine. In addition, a memorial
service and a serene, well-landscaped interment site graced with a beautiful
black granite monument are offered to our donors and their survivors.
Download and print a PDF  document
of the above information, HERE.
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