On a crisp February morning, warm light glimmers through the broad windows of lofty Hannah Hall’s third floor into Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine’s Anatomy Lab. The expansive, well-lit room is far removed from the sepulchral depths of the previous Dodge Hall basement space.

Within, thanks to the efforts of dedicated faculty and staff, students are now studying human anatomy directly from local donors who chose to give their bodies to science through the recently-instituted OUWB Body Donation Program, granting the final wishes of generous OU community members in the form of crucial firsthand anatomical experience.

Program Coordinator Christina Drakos explained that whole body donation functions as both a “truly impactful end-of-life planning option, and an alternative to organ donation.”

Malli Barremkala, associate professor of anatomy in the Department of Foundational Medical Studies, helped establish the program and serves as its founding director.

“When I came here 11 years ago, I was surprised that there was no body donation program for a medical school of this size,” Barremkala said.

For years, OUWB had relied on donors provided through other universities, including programs at other universities across the state, as well as the University of Toledo and Wright State University in Ohio. Establishing a local program required extensive planning, even calling for changes to state legislation.

“It seemed that Michigan legislation only allowed the three big universities — Wayne State University, University of Michigan and Michigan State University — to have a program, so the first step was to change the legislation.” Barremkala said. “We then worked with the OU administration and legal teams to meet all the requirements needed to operate the program.”

Two years ago, the program officially launched. Its first donor arrived in Nov. 2024, and study commenced this year, marking the beginning of a new chapter in localized anatomy education at OU.

“As more and more local people register with our program, we’ll have less of a need to obtain donors from Ohio,” Drakos said. “We never take their trust for granted, and we’re always mindful that we’re always earning it all the time.”

For faculty and staff involved in the program, respect for the individuals who constitute this gift is central to how students are introduced to the lab.

“From day one, we tell students these donors are their first patients,” Barremkala said.

“We’re trying to further emphasize donor agency and remind people that they gave willingly,” Dan Schlegel, anatomy lab manager, said.

The anatomy lab itself opened in Hannah Hall in 2013 and supports a range of hands-on learning experiences for medical and health sciences students.

“Our primary anatomy course is full body dissection,” Schlegel said. “Medical students and physical therapy students both study the entire body through dissection.”

The donors also support advanced training opportunities for students preparing to enter clinical practice.

“For surgical boot camps, surgeons come to our lab and guide students through procedures step by step,” Barremkala said. “They practice procedures on donors before working with actual patients.”

The program additionally aims to expand awareness within the broader community, where body donation can often be misunderstood.

“A lot of the public confuses it with organ donation,” Drakos said. “They don’t realize it’s something different, and many people don’t even know we exist.”

For students involved in the program, the educational experience is rooted in a consistent understanding that anatomical study was the express wish of each donor.

“It’s very normal to have fear and anxiety when you’re about to dissect for the first time.” Drakos said. “It helps students to know that their first patient asked to be there… They consented to this. They become teaching partners.”

Each year, OUWB holds a memorial ceremony to honor the donors who make such irreplicable close study possible.

“I think of it as a gratitude ceremony,” Drakos said. “It’s somber and respectful. It’s about honoring what they have given.”

More information on the OUWB Body Donation Program can be found at the program’s webpage or by email at [email protected].