The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) established its Body Donation Program in 1968 to create a philanthropic opportunity for donors to assist the medical school with the appropriate quality and quantity of anatomical materials necessary for the medical school curriculum.
UC Davis receives donations from the Northern California community. Donations are unsolicited and donors hear of the program mainly through word of mouth. Many donors are alumni of UC Davis, relatives or friends of students or alumni, have University of California (UC) affiliated physicians or are familiar with the research and academic reputations of the medical center and university. To date, the program has received about 3,000 donors. Currently, there are about 8,000 living people in the community registered as donors.
In the first year of the program there were very few donations. As our community's population has grown, donations have increased over the years. Since 2005, the program has maintained an average of 150 donations per year. Yearly increase in donation have enabled the Body Donation Program to supply teaching materials not only to the medical and undergraduate classes of UC Davis. It's also helped the programs of many area colleges and universities who rely on this program to fulfill the needs of their curriculum. The increase has also supported research at UC Davis, other UC campuses, non-UC researchers and occasionally to privately funded research institutions.
The mission of the Body Donation Program includes gratitude to the donors and their families, respect for all cultures and beliefs, and the program's duty to serve public education within our community.
Please complete the donor application and return it to the Body Donation Program by mail, fax, or email. After your application is reviewed and approved, you will receive a confirmation letter along with your donor identification card by mail within approximately three weeks. This card will include your donor number and the contact number to call at the time of death. We recommend keeping a copy of your completed application for your personal records.
We encourage you to inform your family, physician, and/or care facility about your decision and the necessary contact procedures. If needed, applications can be expedited—processing can often be completed the same day or within one to two business days. Please contact our office for assistance.
Important: We accept handwritten or stylus-applied signatures. At this time, we cannot accept digital signatures (such as those submitted through Adobe Sign).
If you need to request a hard copy of the application by mail, please contact our office: 916-734-9560.