UTMB Willed Body Program

The Willed Body Program (WBP) at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston is accepting donations. Donated bodies contribute to the advancement of medical science and the education of students and physicians.

To enroll as a pre-registered donor in our Willed Body Program, please complete the Will Form and return the completed document to our office for processing. The return address is located at the bottom of the form. After the Will Form has been received and processed, you will receive an acknowledgment letter and a wallet card.

You may also call the UTMB Willed Body Program office at (409) 772-1293 during business hours to request that a Will Form Information Packet be mailed directly to you.

To donate an individual after death, a Donation Form must be completed.

For general inquiries, please call (409) 772-1293.

To report a death, please call the UTMB Willed Body Program office at (409) 772-1293 during business hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. On nights, weekends, and holidays, please call (409) 772-1011.

No. It is illegal to receive payment for the donation of a body or body parts.

Autopsies are of interest to pathologists and clinicians and, in certain instances, may be necessary. To meet the educational objectives of our program, UTMB requires intact, non-autopsied bodies. Therefore, we do not accept bodies that have undergone an autopsy.

No. However, if the donor had a contagious disease or if the body was severely damaged at the time of death, the donation may not be accepted.

Yes. For the UTMB Willed Body Program, all bodies are embalmed immediately upon arrival.

When studies are complete, the remains are cremated. If there is no request for the ashes to be returned to the family, the cremated remains will be scattered at sea.

Yes. A donor may revoke the bequest at any time. Simply send us a signed written request, and we will remove your name from our registry.

If death occurs in another state, transportation costs and regulatory requirements can be substantial. In that situation, the family may choose to donate the body to a local medical institution with a willed body program. We are happy to provide a list of accredited programs upon request.

Embalming and cremation are provided at no charge by the UTMB Willed Body Program. We cover transportation within 150 miles of Galveston. Beyond that distance, a mileage-based fee applies and is the responsibility of the donor's estate or family. Please contact our office for an estimate.

Eyes and skin may be donated, and the body can still be accepted by the UTMB Willed Body Program. If you choose to make these tissue donations, please arrange them in advance through a certified organ procurement organization and inform us of your plans so that we can coordinate the timing of the donation.