USD Sanford School of Medicine hosts Donor Memorial Service

"We started the service to acknowledge our appreciation to the donors and their families," event coordinator Carleen McNeely said. "It is important for donors’ families to know what a wonderful gift body donation is and to know that their loved one was treated with respect."

The ceremony will include testimonials from students and faculty members of the human gross anatomy course at the medical school. Every year, more than 100 students from the medical, physician’s assistant, and occupational and physical therapy programs learn in great detail the wonders of the human body through four months of careful dissection in the school’s gross anatomy laboratory.

"Many family members say that they didn't know that it meant so much," said Jane Gavin, director of medical anatomical laboratories. "And for our students, the service offers a sense of closure. There is both an emotional and educational impact."

About the Sanford School of Medicine

For more than a century, the Sanford School of Medicine of The University of South Dakota has set the standard for medical education of students, residents and professionals in the state. The school’s mission includes education, research and service. It emphasizes family practice to help create the next generation of doctor’s for all parts of the state. The school’s economic impact includes attracting $17 million annually in research funding as well as hosting two of the four 2010 Research Centers designated by the governor.

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