Willed Body Program
The University of Washington's Willed Body Program is a whole-body donation program for donors from Washington State. The gift of your body to the UW School of Medicine is an invaluable contribution to the education of future healthcare providers, enabling them to study and understand the complexity of the human body in a way that is not possible by any other means.
In addition to helping students in the health professions master complex anatomy, your donation will allow medical researchers to develop and maximize important tools to help patients. The University of Washington is one of the foremost medical research institutions in the world, conducting studies that will not only further develop the body of knowledge within the field of medicine, but eventually alleviate human suffering.
We are deeply grateful for your consideration of this extraordinary gift. Donating your body is a significant decision, and we understand there are complex questions that arise when considering it. We have prepared a letter that answers many of the questions potential donors have asked us over the years, and also includes legal and medical reasons that a donation may be declined. In order to fully benefit from the exceptional gift you are providing, it is important that you, your family and the University of Washington have a mutual understanding and agreement about the donor process. This letter is prepared in the spirit of promoting this understanding.
Donation resources
Program information
Main Phone Number: 206.543.1860
Email: uwwilledbody@uw.edu
Office Hours: 9am-2pm Monday thru Friday, excluding holidays.
Available by phone 24/7 to report death of a potential donor.
If you are calling during our office hours to report a recent death, please call our main number and one of our staff will assist you.
If you are calling after hours to report a recent death, please call our main number and follow the voice message prompts to reach an after-hours technician.
If you wish to receive information about our program and a donor registration form via mail, or if you would like to speak with one of our staff about the program, please call our main number during business hours or leave a voice message with your contact information. For any other non-urgent questions or to receive information electronically, please use our email address. We respond to emails and phone calls within one business day.
Catrin Pittack, Ph.D.
Willed Body Program Director
Shawn Kamke
Embalmer and Operations Manager
Jessica Lacy
Anatomical Embalmer
For the safety of our staff, we do not accept donors - registered or unregistered - who are COVID positive at the time of death or who have tested positive within 10 days of death. The only exception is if the decedent tested negative five days after a positive test and was free of COVID symptoms at the time of death. Please call our office at 206-543-1860, if you have any questions regarding this policy.
Thank you for your understanding and patience during these last few years of uncertainty regarding in-person gatherings that required us to cancel our 2020 and 2021 Annual Ceremony & Burial Service. Since COVID regulations have loosened a bit these past several months, we have decided to host our ceremony this Fall so that we can express our gratitude for the donors and their families.
This Fall, we will be hosting two ceremonies in order for us to accommodate all the families of donors who joined our program and would have been honored in either the 2020 or 2021 ceremonies. The dates of this year's ceremonies are:
Thursday, October 13, 10am - 12pm PT
Friday, October 14, 10am - 12:00pm PT
Location: Evergreen-Washelli Memorial Park, 11111 Aurora Ave. North, Seattle WA 98133
We welcome donors' family and friends to attend either memorial service.
We will be hosting our non-denominational services in the Evergreen-Washelli Chapel starting at 10am PT and for those who are interested, we will be walking to the University of Washington, School of Medicine community gravesite.
In the upcoming weeks, Willed Body Program staff will be preparing invitation letters to send to families of donors whose cremated remains will be buried this September 2022. We realize that there are many donors whose cremated remains were buried in our community gravesite in September of 2020 or September 2021 and we welcome family and friends of these donors to join us for either ceremony as well but we apologize that we are unable to send you an invitation letter.
Additionally, donors whose cremated remains were returned to their families for private burial, are also more than welcome to attend either ceremony. Our ceremonies are meant to honor the donors and express gratitude to their families regardless of where the donor's cremated remains are located.
More information about our 2022 Annual Ceremony and Burial Service will be posted on our website in the next few weeks, but we wanted to be sure to let you all know the dates now so you can make plans.
If you have any questions, we encourage you to email us at the address below. Our hardworking staff has limited time so please be patient as we get more detailed information to you via individual letters or on this website.
Thank you for your understanding and we look forward to a much anticipated ceremonies this October.
Email: uwwilledbody@uw.edu
Phone: 206.543.1860 (M-F, 9am - 2pm)
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: Do I need to RSVP?
A: No
Q: Will you be reading the names of individual donors during the ceremony?
A: Our ceremony is a service intended to express our sincerest gratitude for the donors and their families, but we do not read the individual names of each donor during the ceremony.
Q: Will my loved one's name be engraved on the University of Washington plaque?
A: If you would like your loved one's name engraved on the UW plaque, please contact the Evergreen-Washelli business office 206. 362.5200 for more information. Please note that the E-W business office does not have the names of individual donors in our program; these records are with the UW Willed Body Program only. Engraving consists of first and last name, date of birth and death. Also note that the UW does not cover the cost of engraving.
Q: How many donor's family members can attend?
A: We welcome any family members and friends but ask you to be mindful of the fact that there is limited space in the chapel.
Q: Will I need to wear a mask during the indoor ceremony in the chapel?
A: We recommend mask wearing to protect everyone attending but are not requiring them.
Q: Will there be refreshments?
A: Yes, light refreshments including coffee, tea, and water will be available.
Q: Are there restrooms at the chapel, I'm driving a long way?
A: Yes!
Q: Is there parking near the chapel?
A: Yes! Plenty and it's free.
The Willed Body Program is a resource for the following Research Programs:
- Genetic Anatomy: genome sequencing in modern human anatomy
- Alzheimer's Disease Research Program
- Prostate Cancer Research Program
- Cardiovascular Research and Education
- Neurological Surgery: catheter guidance system to improve patient safety during brain surgery
- Structural Informatics: spatial and symbolic representations of human structure
Publications
1. A Kumar, M Dougherty, GM Findlay, M Geisheker, J Klein, J Lazar, H Machkovech, J Resnick, R Resnick, AI Salter, F Talebi-Liasi, C Arakawa, J Baudin, A Bogaard, R Salesky, Q Zhou, K Smith, JI Clark, J Shendure, MS Horwitz. (2014) Genome Sequencing of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in Conjunction with Medical School Human Anatomy PLOS One 9(9): e106744; doi:10.1371/journal.pone.010674
2. CL Fligner, JI Clark, JM Clark, LW Larson & JE Poole (2018) Surgical Anatomy for the Implanting Physician. in Surgical Implantation of Cardiac Rhythm Devices, 1st Edition by JE Poole & LW Larson. Elsevier. Philadelphia PA.”
UW Anatomy was ranked tenth in the world, and fourth in the USA (behind Harvard, Vanderbilt and Utah) by the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR). CWUR reviewed academic programs in 26,000 educational institutions in sixty countries. The Willed Body Program is essential for the success of Anatomical research and education at the University of Washington.