The U of M’s body donation program provides students with a deeper understanding of human anatomy through hands-on experience, while offering donors the chance to make a meaningful contribution to advancing the health sciences.

“The [body donation program] is a very, very wonderful program that we have here at the University of Manitoba,” said Alexa Hryniuk, assistant professor in the Max Rady college of medicine and section head of the gross anatomy lab. “It allows different individuals who want to donate their body for the education of health-care students and contribute to all of their learning.”

Hryniuk explained that donors provide students with a unique understanding of how the human body is structured, which cannot be fully replicated by digital models, 3D renderings or textbook illustrations. Donated bodies bring the diversity of human anatomy to life.

“While we all are composed of the same anatomical structures, they’re very different from individual to individual, even though they’re the same,” she said. “What it helps bring is this idea of uniqueness to individuals […] We think that the colour of our skin, the way our hair looks, how our eyes look, all of those make us unique, but also our internal structures make us unique as well, and I think that that is very much highlighted to the students when they get to observe and study from our anatomical donors.”

The decision to donate is a personal one.

All adult residents of Manitoba are welcome to consider registering as a donor. The body donation program encourages potential donors to discuss donating with their families, as securing the agreement and understanding of all family members is vital. If any family member disagrees with donation, the program advises donors to reconsider their decision. Anyone who registers as a donor and later changes their mind will have their wishes honoured without question.

“It’s very, very much an individualistic choice,” Hryniuk said. “These individuals, early on, decided that as something to leave, they want to become teachers to the next generation of health-care workers. And I think that that’s really special.”

Once a donor passes, the program coordinator discusses the donor’s medical history with their caregiver or next-of-kin. In certain cases — such as if the donor has extensive trauma, a donor carries a contagious disease or antibiotic-resistant infection, family members disagree with donation or an autopsy is conducted — a donation may be declined.

Notably, body donation is separate from organ donation. Here, a donor’s organs or tissues are transplanted into a recipient and individuals who donate organs (aside from eye donations) are not able to donate their bodies to the U of M’s body donation program.

Hryniuk emphasized the importance of the program not only to educators, but to students at varying points in their education journey. While some students participate with donors in the first year of their program of study, others do not begin until they have begun practicing as health-care professionals.

“We have this wide range of health-care individuals who are participating in our anatomy lab and using the donors as what we refer to as silent teachers,” Hryniuk said. “This is one of those programs that is unique [and] just this wealth of learning for the student population.”

Hryniuk stressed the tremendous respect all donated bodies are given.

“We take extreme care with all of our donors that are here,” Hryniuk said. “We have this very beautiful ceremony once a year for the donors that leave our program at that time, and family can come and participate.”

Following the ceremony, families make the deeply personal decision about how to honour their loved one’s body, whether through burial, cremation or other meaningful arrangements, in line with their beliefs and wishes.

“If the family would like to take their family member back to be buried in a family plot, that is one thing that is available for them,” Hryniuk said. “Or if they don’t, we have a burial plot ourselves.”

“We respect the fact that they chose to be even part of this program, and we consider it an amazing gift.”