‘From the gift of the body, progress in knowledge’

What happens to our bodies after death can involve deep reflection and be emotionally challenging, but it was a relatively easy process for Sherry Wynn Perdue, Ph.D.

That’s because as soon as the director of Oakland University’s Writing Center learned of a new opportunity to donate her body to science, she was in.

The opportunity?

Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine’s Body Donation Program — a critical part of the school’s curriculum that allows medical students to learn anatomy through the study of real human bodies.

It relies on people like Wynn Perdue to volunteer as body donors. Since launching in February, Wynn Perdue is among 60 to have signed up for the program.

“I always wanted to donate my organs,” says Wynn Perdue. “But I’m fifth generation breast cancer and had a bilateral mastectomy…and there are other cancers in my family. I started thinking that I really wouldn’t feel right about donating my organs with the potential that somebody could get cancer.”

“Instead, I made the decision to ensure that students could learn from my body.”

It’s a decision that will positively impact countless others, said Malli Barremkala, M.D., associate professor, Department of Foundational Medical Studies, and director of OUWB’s Body Donation Program.

“I believe Sherry is incredibly generous and she will play a vital role in advancing medical education and research,” he said. “Her selfless act will help future OUWB students to learn and improve their skills, which will eventually improve patient care and outcome.”

‘Crucial for medical students’

Medical students at OUWB have been working with donors since the school’s launch in 2011. So far, however, OUWB has secured body donors through agreements with other schools like University of Toledo.

Establishing a body donation program for OUWB has long been a top priority for OUWB officials.

Among other things, having its own program offers OUWB a “great opportunity to liaison with the community,” and enables the school to collect the medical history of the donors, which will aid in the overall educational experience for students.

“(The OUWB Body Donation Program) is crucial for medical students because it provides humanistic education with hands-on experience with real human anatomy, which is a must for their learning,” said Barremkala. “It not only helps them understand the complexity of the human body but also prepares them to be better physicians.”

Of course, having such a program also requires a place for interment of ashes once donors are cremated (unless alternate arrangements are made). That’s where the OUWB Mausoleum and Receiving Vault comes in.

Located in Mount Avon Cemetery, near downtown Rochester, the vault will house those who donate their bodies to medical education. Use of the building was donated in-kind by the city of Rochester with redesign overseen by Pixley Funeral Homes. (OUWB also holds a special memorial service for donors annually, too.)

Local media coverage of a ribbon-cutting event for the mausoleum is how Wynn Perdue first learned that OUWB had its own body donation program.

‘Very easy to sign up’

Wynn Perdue, who grew up near Flint and attended high school in Lapeer, began teaching at Oakland University in 1996 after returning from the District of Columbia, where she worked after graduate school. Since 2008, she has served as director of the Oakland University Writing Center. (She also is president of the International Writing Centers Association.)

Almost as soon as Wynn Perdue learned of the opportunity to donate her body to science, she began the process.   

The paperwork is essentially a simple three-page form that can be found on the OUWB website or otherwise sent to an individual interested in the program. Potential donors like Wynn Perdue provide basic information about themselves, next-of-kin contact details, and other facts for the health department. It must be signed by a witness. There are no costs for donors. Further, donors can change their mind, too.

“It was very easy to sign up,” said Wynn Perdue.

Wynn Perdue notes that while some people may feel uneasy about donating their bodies to science, it was never an issue for her.

“I have more aversion to being placed on display at a funeral home than on a gurney in a gross anatomy lab,” she said.

“I know a lot of doctors and I know how much they appreciated the opportunity to work with body donors,” she added. “Besides, we don’t want our future doctors only learning by viewing simulations or working with dummies, right?”

Wynn Perdue said doctors she talked to prior to signing up helped her understand the strict standards to which students must adhere when working with donors. For example, taking any kind of photos in the anatomy lab is strictly prohibited.

“Medical students treat the body with the utmost respect,” she said. 

Barremkala said OUWB is grateful for those who have signed up and to those who are considering becoming donors. He notes that the school’s anatomy lab is commemorating donors by adding a sign that reads “Ex dono corporis, scientiae progressus” — Latin for “From the gift of the body, progress in knowledge.”

“Becoming a whole-body donor is a profound way to contribute to the future of medicine,” he said. “Your donation can make a significant difference in the education of medical students and the advancement of medical science, benefiting countless patients in the long run.”

For more information on the OUWB Body Donation Program, visit https://tinyurl.com/OUWBBDP24 or email [email protected].