OHSU Body Donation Program records, 1982-2022

Oregon Health & Science University's Body Donation Program was established in 1976 to support the anatomy education and training of medical, dental, and other allied health students by connecting these students with donors typically during their first year of medical school. Each year, approximately 150 to 250 people from the Pacific Northwest donate their bodies to the OHSU Body Donation Program to provide students with the opportunity to learn about anatomy and systems of the human body. As of 2019, 4,166 people have donated their bodies to the program. Each year medical students hold a memorial service to honor those donors that they refer to as their "first patient." The yearly memorial service has been held by students of OHSU since 2001.