Anatomical Gift Program

In accordance with the Massachusetts Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, an individual may arrange for the donation of their remains by executing the Instrument of Anatomical Gift (the “Instrument”), as well as the HIPAA Authorization Form (Attachment A to the Instrument) and the Donor Data Sheet (Attachment B to the Instrument). This Instrument and the accompanying consent and authorization forms may be obtained by contacting the AGP for physical copies or downloading the Instrument and forms. To be valid, the Instrument must be witnessed by your next of kin and a disinterested witness. The original, completed Instrument, the original signed HIPAA Authorization Form (Attachment A), and the completed Donor Data Sheet (Attachment B) should be sent to the AGP, after which you will be registered in the program, and will receive your letter of acknowledgment and two donor cards.

You may revoke your offer to donate at any time by notifying the AGP in writing of your change of intention. Please note that Massachusetts law prohibits payment for a body donation.

At the time of the donor’s death, the person responsible for making final arrangements should call HMS at 617-432-1735 (workday hours) or 617-432-1379 (after hours, weekends, and holidays) as soon as possible to determine if you are eligible to donate your body.

If the gift is accepted, a funeral director chosen by the family should be contacted and instructed to consult HMS for instructions about the transportation of the body.  HMS will offer a stipend (set in advance by HMS) to the funeral director to defray the reasonable costs associated with transporting the donor from the place of death to HMS and obtaining the Burial/Removal Permit and a certified copy of the Death Certificate.  

The donor’s next of kin or executor of the donor’s estate will be responsible for any costs charged by the funeral director that exceed the HMS stipend. If death occurs outside of Massachusetts, Harvard’s stipend to the funeral director will apply; however, any additional out-of-state travel expenses will fall to the donor’s estate. Families are encouraged to discuss with the funeral director, before the remains come to HMS, whether and to what extent there may be any additional charges.

If HMS determines that you are eligible to donate, HMS must receive your body within 24 hours after death. There must be no autopsy or embalming performed upon your body after your death.  After acceptance of the donation, HMS may embalm your body and/or perform dissection for the purposes of education and/or research.

HMS generally retains bodies for up to two years, but may retain them for longer. After HMS determines that your body is no longer needed for purposes of medical and dental education and research, HMS will be responsible for the disposition of your remains according to your direction. You may choose among four options:

• For HMS to arrange the cremation of your remains and bury your cremated remains at HMS’s expense at Pine Hill Cemetery. HMS will notify your next of kin at the time of final disposition, and your next of kin will be invited to a nondenominational ceremony held each year.
• For HMS to arrange for the cremation of your remains and for those cremated remains to be sent to a designated contact at HMS’s expense.
• For HMS to arrange for the cremation of your remains at HMS’s expense and notify your designated contact that your cremated remains are available for pick-up.
• For HMS to release your remains without cremation to the funeral director/home you identify (or otherwise identified after your death by your next of kin or representative of your estate), for disposition to be arranged by your estate and at the expense of your estate. Please note however that after use by HMS your remains will not be in a condition suitable for viewing.

Acceptance of an anatomical gift is contingent upon the decision of Harvard Medical School at the time of death of the donor. Harvard Medical School reserves the right, at any time, to decline a particular anatomical gift for any reason.

The School has an ongoing need for donations and carefully reviews all possibilities for utilizing donations for purposes of education, research and the advancement of medical or dental science or therapy. Although most anatomical donations are accepted at the time of death, a donor (or donor family) should plan alternative arrangements for private cremation and/or burial in the event a donation must be declined.

Instructions for Making an Anatomical Gift Donation

After you have studied the information about our program, please register your intent to become an anatomical donor after death by completing the Instrument of Anatomical Gift form (including attachments), and have it witnessed.

If you would like to donate your body to HMS after your death, please:

1. Review, complete and sign this Instrument.
2. Review, complete and sign the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) Authorization Form (Attachment A).
3. Complete the Donor Data Sheet (Attachment B).
4. Make two photocopies of this Instrument and the HIPAA Authorization Form (Attachment A):
   1. One copy should be retained for your personal records, and
   2. One copy should be retained by your next of kin or the executor/administrator of your estate.
5. Provide a copy of the Instructions for Family Members and Legal Agents (Attachment C) to your next of kin, executor of your estate, family and/or close friends.
6. Send by mail to the address below: (a) the original signed and completed Instrument; (b) the original signed HIPAA Authorization Form (Attachment A); and (c) the completed Donor Data Sheet (Attachment B):

Anatomical Gift Program
Harvard Medical School
260 Longwood Avenue
Boston, Massachusetts 02115

After HMS has received the completed materials at the above address, an HMS staff member will review the information and contact you if any information is missing. If all required information is complete, HMS will send you a letter of acknowledgement and two donor cards. It is recommended that you keep one donor card with your other important daily documents and cards (e.g., your driver’s license and your health insurance card), so that your decision to make an anatomical donation to HMS can be recognized quickly, and that you give the other donor card to your next of kin. In addition to your next of kin, executor of your estate, family and close friends, HMS also recommends that you notify your physician or attorney (if applicable) about your decision to donate, and that you make sure that your intent to donate does not conflict with any end-of-life directions you have given to your family or in legal paperwork.

After your death, your next of kin and any individuals who are legally responsible for your remains are expected to carry out your wishes to donate your body by cooperating with HMS, and you should instruct them to help in this way. In order for HMS to accept your self-donation after your death, the following requirements must be fulfilled:

• Immediately upon your death, your next of kin must notify HMS by calling 617-432-1735 during business hours, or 617-432-1379 after hours or during weekends/holidays, to alert HMS of your death.
• HMS must determine that you are eligible to donate your body, based on the criteria set forth above in Section II of the Instrument of Anatomical Gift.
• Consistent with the HIPAA Authorization Form (Attachment A) you have signed, and with this Instrument, HMS must obtain relevant information about your health from your physicians and other health care provider(s) to confirm that you remain eligible.
• If you are still eligible to donate, HMS will notify your next of kin. HMS will coordinate with your next of kin and the relevant funeral director for the transportation of your body to HMS. You and your family are responsible for selecting the funeral home. HMS will offer a stipend (set in advance by HMS) to the funeral home to defray reasonable transportation, applicable permit/death certificate, and administrative costs associated with the transport of your body to HMS. Your next of kin or executor of your estate will be responsible for any costs charged by the funeral director that exceed the HMS stipend.
• There must be no autopsy or embalming performed upon your body after your death. After acceptance of the donation, HMS may embalm and/or perform dissection for the purposes of education and/or research.
• Transportation of your body to HMS must occur within 24 hours of the time of your death.

HMS reserves the right, at any time, to decline a particular anatomical gift, and acceptance of your body is contingent upon the review and determinations made by HMS at the time of your death. For this reason, if HMS declines your offer to be a donor, your next of kin will need to make alternative arrangements for private interment or cremation.

Please inform your next of kin that we will be glad to assist them at the time of your death. If you or they have any questions regarding the enclosed forms, or the Anatomical Gift Program, please do not hesitate to call our office at 617-432-1735. Some conditions and provisions of this Program may be altered over time to conform to changes in State or Federal laws or regulations, the policies of the Medical School and standard practices of the mortuary science industry.

List of Questions

• How can I donate?
• How should I be sure that my family and next of kin are aware of my intent to donate and the procedural steps they will need to take at the time of my death?
• What should my family or next-of-kin do at the time of my death?
• For what reasons would my body not be accepted by Harvard Medical School?
• What are the costs, if any, associated with donating my body?
• What if my death occurs out-of-state?
• What will my body be used for?
• May I donate my organs as well as my body?
• What length of time will my remains be at Harvard Medical School?
• What happens with my remains after HMS determines that they are no longer needed for medical and dental education and research?
• Will Harvard Medical School conduct research relevant to the cause of my death and provide my family with a report?
• Will there be a memorial service?
• If I have additional questions, whom may I contact?

Answered Questions

Question: How can I donate?

Answer: In accordance with the Massachusetts Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, an individual may arrange for the donation of their remains by executing the Instrument of Anatomical Gift (the “Instrument”), as well as the HIPAA Authorization Form (Attachment A to the Instrument) and the Donor Data Sheet (Attachment B to the Instrument). This Instrument and the accompanying consent and authorization forms may be obtained by contacting the AGP for physical copies or downloading the Instrument and forms. To be valid, the Instrument must be witnessed by your next of kin and a disinterested witness. The original, completed Instrument, the original signed HIPAA Authorization Form (Attachment A), and the completed Donor Data Sheet (Attachment B) should be sent to the AGP, after which you will be registered in the program, and will receive your letter of acknowledgment and two donor cards.

You may revoke your offer to donate at any time by notifying the AGP in writing of your change of intention. Please note that Massachusetts law prohibits payment for a body donation.

Question: How should I be sure that my family and next of kin are aware of my intent to donate and the procedural steps they will need to take at the time of my death?

Answer: After you submit the required forms to HMS and an HMS staff member determines that those forms are complete, HMS will send you a letter of acknowledgement and two donor cards.  HMS recommends that you keep a donor card with your other important daily documents and cards (e.g., your driver’s license and your health insurance card), so that your decision to make an anatomical donation to HMS can be recognized quickly. HMS further recommends that you give a second donor card to your next of kin; notify the executor of your estate, family, and close friends of your decision to donate; and provide the document “Instructions for Family Members and Legal Agents” to your next of kin, the executor of your estate, family, and close friends. Note that the “Instructions for Family Members and Legal Agents” is Attachment C to the Instrument of Anatomical Gift.

In addition, HMS recommends that you inform your physician or attorney (if applicable) about your decision to donate, and that you make sure that your intent to donate does not conflict with any end-of-life directions you have given to your family or in legal paperwork.  

Question: What should my family or next-of-kin do at the time of my death?

Answer: At the time of the donor’s death, the person responsible for making final arrangements should call HMS at 617-432-1735 (workday hours) or 617-432-1379 (after hours, weekends, and holidays) as soon as possible to determine if you are eligible to donate your body. HMS must receive your body within 24 hours after death. There must be no autopsy or embalming performed upon your body after your death.

Question: For what reasons would my body not be accepted by Harvard Medical School?

Answer: HMS may determine that your remains are not suitable for donation for a number of reasons, including autopsy, embalming, emaciation, obesity, advanced decomposition and history of certain diseases (e.g., HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, tuberculosis). HMS reserves the right, at any time, to decline a particular anatomical donation for any reason. Although most anatomical donations are accepted, donors and their families should plan alternative arrangements in the event that a donation must be declined.

Question: What are the costs, if any, associated with donating my body?

Answer:  If the donation of your body is accepted, HMS will offer a stipend to the funeral home to defray the reasonable costs associated with transportation, as well as any necessary permits and authorizations, including the certified copy of the death certificate provided to the medical school.  The donor’s next of kin or executor of the donor’s estate will be responsible for any costs charged by the funeral director that exceed the HMS stipend.

Question: What if my death occurs out-of-state?

Answer: HMS may be able to accommodate an out-of-state donation if your remains are suitable for donation and your family is able to make the arrangements and bear the costs associated with delivery of your remains to HMS within 24 hours. Please note that the next of kin or executor of the donor’s estate will be responsible for costs that exceed HMS’s stipend. Alternatively, you may refer to this state-by-state directory to find a program in another state.

Question: What will my body be used for?

Answer: The study of the human body is an indispensable part of medical and dental education and research. Each year bodies are needed for the teaching of medical and dental students, postgraduate physicians, and students of related disciplines. Private self-donation is the only source of human anatomical donations for Harvard Medical School’s Anatomical Gift Program.

Question: May I donate my organs as well as my body?

Answer: The Anatomical Gift Program at Harvard Medical School is a whole-body donation program. The only organs that you can donate elsewhere and still participate in our program are the eyes. As described above, your remains will need to reach HMS within 24 hours of your passing, which can present challenges to also donating your eyes. If you wish to inquire about eye donation, the phone number for the New England Donor Services, Waltham, MA, is 1-800-446-6362.

Question: What length of time will my remains be at Harvard Medical School?

Answer: HMS generally retains bodies for up to two years, but may retain them for longer.

Question: What happens with my remains after HMS determins that they are no longer needed for medical and dental education and research?

Answer: Harvard Medical School will carry out the disposition of your remains in the manner elected on the Instrument of Anatomical Gift. You may choose among four options:

• For HMS to arrange the cremation of your remains and bury your cremated remains at HMS’s expense at Pine Hill Cemetery. HMS will notify your next of kin at the time of final disposition, and your next of kin will be invited to a nondenominational ceremony held each year.
• For HMS to arrange for the cremation of your remains and for those cremated remains to be sent to a designated contact at HMS’s expense.
• For HMS to arrange for the cremation of your remains at HMS’s expense and notify your designated contact that your cremated remains are available for pick-up.
• For HMS to release your remains without cremation to the funeral director/home you identify (or otherwise identified after your death by your next of kin or representative of your estate), for disposition to be arranged by your estate and at the expense of your estate. Please note however that after use by HMS your remains will not be in a condition suitable for viewing.

Question: Will Harvard Medical School conduct research relevant to the cause of my death and provide my family with a report?

Answer: Harvard Medical School does not perform autopsies, determine the cause of death, nor provide a report regarding the donor’s cause of death. At the time of death, the attending physician must sign a death certificate, unless the matter falls under the jurisdiction of the medical examiner. The death certificate will document the cause of death.

Question: Will there be a memorial service?

Answer: Friends and families of donors buried in the Pine Hill Cemetery are invited to a graveside memorial service that takes place each year in the fall. Harvard Medical School students conduct a private memorial service in honor of the donors at the conclusion of their studies as well.

Question: If I have additional questions, whom may I contact?

Answer: Please call our office at 617-432-1735 or email us at agp@hms.harvard.edu with any additional questions you may have.