Posted on February 23, 2001 at 12:31 p.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Medical students at UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) will pay their last respects to those who have donated their bodies to scientific study at a memorial service for the Total Willed Body Donor program at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 3, in the Margaret Cameron Spain Auditorium, corner of 19th Street South and 7th Avenue South on UAB’s campus. The service is hosted by the members of the Class of 2004 of the School of Medicine.

“The service is held each year to offer a sense of closure for the medical students,” says organizer Archie Dean Hooper IV, a first-year medical student. “It gives us a chance to extend our appreciation to the families of the donors for their gift.”

Over 200 family and relatives of donors are expected to attend the service, along with students and faculty of the School of Medicine. The program is conducted by first year medical students and Michael Casey, Ph.D., associate professor of anatomy and the director of the Anatomical Donor Program.

“UAB’s course in anatomy and the examination of the human body teaches first-year students a great deal about science and practical medicine,” Hooper says. “Additionally, the example of the donors teaches us the selflessness behind giving of ourselves to help others, which is a fundamental aspect of our chosen careers.”

The Total Willed Body Donor program receives about 75-100 bodies each year for study at the medical school. For more information on the program, call (205) 934-4494.