UND's Deeded Body Program to host interment service for donors on Sept. 20
GRAND FORKS, N.D.—An interment ceremony honoring the memory of those who donated their bodies medical education in North Dakota will take place this week at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences (SMHS) plot at Memorial Park Cemetery in Grand Forks.
The service begins at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 20, as the School pays respect and tribute to donors of the School’s Deeded Body Program.
“The interment service allows our students, staff, and faculty to honor those who have selflessly donated their bodies to advance the education of medical and health science students,” said Deeded Body Program manager John Opland. “It is also a way for us to thank the families of the donors for sharing their loved ones with us. The Deeded Body Program takes the greatest care in ensuring that our donors are treated with the utmost respect and dignity, which includes laying to rest those who have chosen to be buried in the school’s plot.”
The SMHS conducts the interment ceremony once every three years to inter the cremated remains of donors who have chosen to be interred in the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences plot. Family members of donors being interred have been invited, as have the School’s faculty, staff, and students, who often look forward to the opportunity to show their respect and appreciation for the donors who contributed to their learning and scholarship.
“This service is a way to give thanks to both the donors and their families, and a way to express honor for the gift we have been given through their donation,” added Mandy Meyer, associate professor in the Departments of Occupational Therapy and Biomedical Sciences and director of the Deeded Body Program at the SMHS. “The education these individuals have given is invaluable to our future healthcare providers. They truly teach students about the form of the human body and in many ways are students’ first patients.”
Kenneth Ruit, senior associate dean for education, medical accreditation, and faculty affairs at the SMHS, will provide opening remarks. Along with musical performances, medical students will provide remarks about the value and significance of the Deeded Body Program.
UND clergy participating in the service include Sarah Raymond of Christus Rex Lutheran Campus Center and Chris Markman of St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Center.
Meyer will give closing remarks.
To attend the service, which is open to the public, turn east off of Columbia Rd. onto 10th Ave North and proceed to the Memorial Park entrance. Signs will be posted to direct participants to the exact location.
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Brian James Schill
Director, Office of Alumni & Community Relations
UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences
701.777.6048 direct | 701.777.4305 office
brian.schill@UND.edu | www.UND.edu