Body Donor Program

The University of Queensland conducts a Body Donor Program through our School of Biomedical Sciences. This Program accepts donations of human bodies to assist the School in providing educational and research opportunities for staff and students in the health, medical and science disciplines. By studying anatomy in this way, it is possible to examine the complexities and infinite variations of the structure of the human body.

Most bodies are used in undergraduate teaching dissection programs which allow students to develop a fundamental knowledge of the human body. The study of anatomy also includes surgical skills development and medical research to investigate issues that continue to perplex medical science.

Donated bodies help to advance medical and scientific knowledge locally, nationally and internationally in order to promote health and alleviate suffering.

How to register

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to a range of frequently asked questions about organ donation, acceptance criteria, talking with family, advice for solicitors and more.

As at 25 July 2022, the exclusion policy pertaining to anyone who spent a cumulative total of 6 months or more in the UK between 1 January 1980 to 31 December 1996 has been lifted. NB: If you have previously been declined registration with the program due to this exclusion, you are now eligible to register. Please contact the UQ BDP staff to begin the registration process.

Thanksgiving Ceremony

The University of Queensland holds a biennial Thanksgiving Ceremony to honour our body donors and recognise the support provided by donor families in making this decision. This Ceremony acknowledges the significant impact the Program has made to the advancement of teaching, training, scientific studies and research in Queensland.

If requested, invitations will be mailed to the next of kin of donors who were accepted into the program for the period of 2 years prior to the ceremony. Information on this important University event can also be found on the UQ events website closer to the date.

The names of all donors accepted into the Program are confidentially scribed in the UQ Books of Remembrance, handcrafted in parchment and leather. The books are a focal point of the Ceremony where families, friends, staff and students can lay a flower in memory of the donors.

Procedures following death

Call the UQ Body Donor Program (BDP) on (07) 3365 2702 to advise us of the death.

If the death is after hours or on a weekend, please leave a message when prompted and a staff member will contact you the next business day to begin the donor assessment process. We also advise that you discuss the intended donation with the family again at this time, to ensure there are no objections to the donation taking place.

Arrange for transfer of the body by a funeral director ASAP if death has occurred at home, in aged care or in a hospital without a mortuary— NB: Please follow the instructions for transfer as advised by BDP staff or the after hours phone message. If the death is in a public hospital you do not need to contact a funeral director until advised by the BDP staff.
The deceased will remain in care at either the hospital mortuary or funeral home mortuary whilst the preliminary assessment for acceptance into the program takes place. This includes checks into the intending donors medical history and cross checking of this information with an independent doctor which may take 1-2 days.
If deemed potentially suitable, the Body Donor Program will liaise with the appropriate teams to arrange for transfer of the body to the University for final physical inspection. Following inspection BDP staff will contact you immediately on whether the body has been accepted into the Program and the next steps.

Conclusion of involvement in the UQ Body Donor Program

Under a TYPE 1 Donation, following cremation the ashes will be offered to your next of kin, as nominated on your Body Donor Registration and Consent Form, or their nominee, free of charge for their own memorialisation. If your nominated next of kin’s details change during the time your body is in the University’s care, we ask that they contact us to provide the new details so that we can update our records.

NB: Where ashes are not collected within 12 months of notification or we are unable to contact your next of kin, they may be scattered or interred by the crematorium in accordance with the provisions of the Cremations Act 2003, at no cost to the family and with no further contact.

Under a TYPE 2 Donation, your ashes may be scattered or interred in a cemetery of the University’s choice, with no further contact with the next of kin.

Costs

Currently, your family will be liable for any costs involved with the transfer of your body to the University. The University is proposing the appointment of a contract funeral director(s) soon to act on behalf of the University. Once a contract funeral director is appointed, the University will then cover the cost of transferring your body to the University.

The University of Queensland will cover the cost of cremation of your body at a crematorium nominated by the University within Brisbane. Should you or your next of kin wish for your body to be buried in a cemetery of your choice, rather than be cremated, your family will be liable for these costs.

Memorial Garden

The University of Queensland Memorial Garden is located within the grounds of Mt Gravatt Cemetery in sections 2E & 2EE, on Gaiabau Avenue. Since the programs inception in 1927, this section of the Mt Gravatt Cemetery has served for many years as a fitting memorial and final resting place for many of our donors. A monument has been dedicated in this section to honour the thousands of donors that have so graciously and selflessly donated to our program for the advancement of education, training and research. Family and Friends of our donors are warmly invited to visit these gardens as a place to reflect and honour their loved ones.

Memorialisation options are available within these gardens. If you wish to organise a memorial in memory of your loved one within these gardens, please contact the Brisbane City Council Cemeteries on: (07) 3403 8888 or visit their website.

Memorial garden