Anyone who is alive and deemed capable of informed consent can donate their body for medical education and research.

No. Brown may decline an anatomical gift for any reason. Several reasons a donation may be declined include, but are not limited to:

• Failure to contact the funeral home within 24 hours of passing
• Extremes of weight
• An autopsied body
• Open wounds or extensive trauma at time of death
• Certain infections/communicable diseases including (but not limited to) AIDS/HIV, hepatitis, meningitis, sepsis, tuberculosis, Creutzfeldt Jacob disease
• Signs of tissue decomposition
• Individuals with plans to donate their organs
• Embalming that has occurred prior to the donation
• Objections from the next-of-kin
• Current need of the program

Because of this, alternate funeral arrangements should be made in the event Brown cannot accept your donation.

Once Brown University receives your fully completed registration materials, you will receive a letter of acknowledgement and a wallet donor card. It is your responsibility to communicate with your next-of-kin or executor to ensure that your wishes are followed.

Please contact Monahan, Drabble & Sherman Funeral Home at (401) 421-9887 within 24 hours of the time of passing.

A donation may be withheld from burial for up to 3 years to allow for the completion of anatomical studies. The body is then cremated, and the cremains are returned to the next of kin, or to the person designated on the donor form.

Yes. This decision is made with your content and you have the ability to withdraw from the program at any time. Please notify us in writing that you wish to withdraw from the program.

In order for us to accept a body, the body must remain intact after death. Unfortunately, that means we cannot accept a body donation if an autopsy has been performed or if any organs have been removed.