An overview to body donation

Body donation in England is strictly governed by the Human Tissue Authority, with donors giving consent while they are alive. You can find out more about this process in our bequeathal leaflet.

All donors are treated with the utmost respect and dignity. 

What will my body be used for?

Bodies that have been donated may be used for one or more of the following purposes:

    Anatomical examination
    This includes teaching, studying and researching the form, shape and structure of the human body. It allows us to use your body for teaching anatomy to undergraduate students (including medical and dental students), related healthcare professionals and participants on authorised courses.
    Education or training related to human health
    Health professionals derive great benefit from the opportunity to develop surgical skills and other clinical procedures on a body. In our Vesalius Clinical Training Centre we run and support many courses that develop clinical and surgical skills. This includes both internally delivered courses developed and led by the School of Anatomy Staff, and working with external course providers, such as specialist surgeons and other allied health professionals. All course proposals are discussed by a committee to ensure they demonstrate a medical benefit to society, such as teaching or improving clinical and surgical skills within health care or improving health or allied professionals' anatomy knowledge. A fee is charge to cover the cost of delivering a course, this includes charging for the administrative and staffing costs, and use of the facilities. We charge recovery costs associated with body donation but do not make a profit on body donation.
    Research
    Our School supports research projects that have been ethically approved. These projects can be with postgraduate students, healthcare professionals, or healthcare companies developing products for use in the healthcare profession. All research proposals are conducted to the highest ethical standards, under the scrutiny of the School of Anatomy's Research Governance sub-Committee.

Material Transfer Agreements

The University of Bristol has material transfer agreements in place with other institutions that hold a Human Tissue Authority Licence. Your body or body parts may be used in another institution for the purposes for which you have given consent. The School of Anatomy does not make a profit on the body donation, however, we charge recovery costs concerning the preparation of the body or body parts. For more information on material transfer agreements, or to discuss further, please contact the Bequest Office.