Body Bequeathal Program

The donation of a body for medical education and research is a most commendable humanitarian act. This gift provides our medical students with one of the most important rites of passage in medical school—the study of human anatomy.

First-year medical students express their gratitude to the families and friends of those who donated their bodies, the ultimate gift, each May during the Annual Convocation of Thanks. Through song, poetry, prose and art, the first-year medical students communicate their indebtedness to the people they did not know in life yet came to know intimately.

To Participate in the Program

If you are interested in advancing medical research, we thank you. The following preparations must be made, and regulations followed:

1. Email cindy_moonsammy@nymc.edu to receive the two forms below.
   
   1. Certificate for Bequeathing Body - If you are donating your own body, or the body of your next of kin, check the appropriate box. Your signature and the signature of two (2) witnesses are required.
   2. Body Bequeathal - Confidential Statistical Information. The personal data requested on this form is used for statistical purposes.
2. Email both (2) completed and signed forms together back to cindy_moonsammy@nymc.edu
3. A donor card will be mailed to donors upon receipt of a copy of the signed and witnessed bequeathal form.
4. At the time of death, please call: (914) 594-4025.

The College has the right to decline a donation due to recent surgery, autopsy, infectious disease, decomposition, or obesity.

New York Medical College will pay the Funeral Director's expenses for transportation if within a 75-mile radius of the Valhalla campus. All expenses relating to death certificates will be the responsibility of the donor's family and/or estate.

Eye Donation

If you wish to donate your eyes to an eye bank, please contact The Eye Bank for Sight Restoration, 120 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005-3902. Telephone: (212) 742-9000. This would not prevent the donation of your body.

When Scientific Research is Complete

After completion of the scientific research and study (approximately 2 years from the time of death), the remains are cremated privately in a dignified manner. The Medical College holds its own memorial service each spring in grateful acknowledgment of the donation. Family members are invited. If you wish, the cremains can be returned to a Funeral Director for burial or to a designated individual (see Confidential Statistical Information sheet). Burial without cremation can be arranged through your Funeral Director at your own expense.