Deeded Body Program
The Deeded Body Program at UND has been serving the people of North Dakota for more than 50 years.
The UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences Deeded Body Program will begin accepting whole body donors on a limited basis effective March 1, 2021.
Due to the continued COVID-19 pandemic, the Deeded Body Program will accept whole body donors on a limited basis so that the safety of our students, staff, and faculty can be maintained. We will be unable to accept any donors who have tested positive or are suspected of being COVID-19 positive within ten days prior to their death. This will also include close contact with someone who has either tested positive for or is suspected positive of COVID-19. In addition to COVID-19 being a condition of refusal for whole body donation into the Deeded Body Program, please follow our communicable disease criteria found in our brochure.
We appreciate any disappointment families of donors who cannot be accepted into the Deeded Body Program may feel. We sympathize with families and extend our services to help with any questions you may have in navigating alternative arrangements for loved ones. We may be contacted at 701.777.2101.
The program serves as an educational resource for faculty, medical students and residents, as well as graduate, allied health and other undergraduate students.
Thanks to the generosity of donors who made a conscious decision to begin or continue their teaching career after their death, we are able to continue our long-standing tradition of providing excellence in health sciences education, as well as the highest regard for humankind.
The UND SMHS Deeded Body Program strives to meet the highest standards regarding anatomical donation as determined by the North Dakota Uniform Anatomical Gift Act.
Certificate for Bequeathing Body Form
When completing the form below, it is common practice that relatives and/or friends sign as witnesses as we do not require signatures to be notarized. Please be sure to complete both pages of the Certificate for Bequeathing Body form. Send one copy to us and retain a second copy for your files. You may wish to make copies for your next of kin, the funeral home of your choice or your physician. We will send a donor card identifying you as a donor to the Deeded Body Program at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences once we receive the completed certificate from you.
One question commonly asked is whether a prospective donor may donate individual organs after death to another program in addition to donating to our program. We accept only whole body donors. With the nature of our studies, we cannot utilize bodies that have had internal organs (other than corneas) removed after death. Donors that have had surgeries in which organs may have been removed before death are still acceptable for our teaching needs.
Another question commonly asked is the length of time the donors may be utilized as a part of our teaching program. Our donors are such an integral part of the educational experience that they may remain in the Deeded Body Program for up to three years. In unusual cases the time required may be longer.
Concerning the expenses involved with donation, the UND SMHS Deeded Body Program will reimburse $300 of the embalming and transportation costs incurred by the funeral home. This payment to the funeral home is usually only enough to offset a portion of the costs. Typically, it is necessary for the family to be responsible for additional expenses to the funeral home, particularly for transportation costs over long distances.
Questions?
Please contact us if you have further questions about the UND SMHS Deeded Body Program:
Deeded Body Program
Department of Biomedical Sciences
UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Room W315
1301 North Columbia Rd Stop 9037
Grand Forks, North Dakota 58202-9037
701.777.2101 or 701.777.3377