The Virginia State Anatomical Program (VSAP) provides the opportunity to give the ultimate gift, which is donating your body to medical science. The primary mission of VSAP is to educate health professions by providing human donors for the teaching of anatomy, surgery and medical research to the Commonwealth’s medical schools, universities and research facilities. Established in 1919, VSAP is the only program in Virginia authorized to receive donations of human bodies for scientific study. VSAP does not receive state funding, nor does it pay for donated bodies.
Whole-Body Donation
Your gift will improve the lives of Virginians by:
- Furthering medical education and scientific research.
- Learning from disease processes and their effects on the human body.
- Contributing to new surgical treatments.
- Improving surgical outcomes.
- Providing your family with an option to alleviate burial and cremation costs.
Candidates for Donation
- Donors for VSAP must have legal next of kin or an authorized agent to finalize donation.
- Donors must be free from contagious diseases.
- All potential donors are assessed and handled on a case-by-case basis.
- Unfortunately, not all potential donors are accepted. Some medical conditions or circumstances of death may cause a potential donor to be unsuitable for anatomical examination.
The need for anatomical donors is great and the number of healthcare educational programs in Virginia is increasing.
For information on the Virginia State Anatomical Program and how the process works, visit: www.vdh.virginia.gov/vsap.
“Abundant gratitude for this gift which was so dear to you and your family. I am humbled to learn from your worldly vessel. Your selflessness and vulnerability carry your legacy beyond your time. I will treasure this experience so that your impact on the world will persist.”
Excerpt from, “A Patient and Professor,”
written by a University of Virginia Medical School student.