The origins of Maryland State Anatomy Board whole-body donation program trace back to 1882, when the Maryland State Legislature enacted the Anatomy Act, establishing a formal system for anatomical donation in the state, which laid the foundation for the Maryland Anatomical Gift Act in the early 1960’s and the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act that most states adopt across the country.
The Maryland State Anatomy Board’s mission is to manage with care and dignity the decedent affairs of all who have donated themselves to the Maryland State Anatomy Board and with this selfless act of generosity, provide member medical schools and other public health education programs unparalleled resources to teach theory and techniques that promote medical-dental education, improve clinical-surgical practices, positively impact research and improve public health for generations to come.
There are many responses to the question of Why donate; some donate through valuing education or a personal involvement in medical care, others donate through a commitment to making the world a better place, to leave a lasting legacy to future generations. No matter your reason for choosing the selfless act of whole-body donation in the State of Maryland, your personal choice will allow educators, students, and health care professionals the opportunity to advance the study of anatomy, surgery, and become better healthcare providers for generations to come.
If it were not for past and future donors, our 3 board member institution (the University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University, and the Uniformed Services of Health Sciences) and many other in-state and out-of-state institutions  would not be able to train medical students and other professional programs in allied health; first responders, surgeons, and other doctors  would lack the resources to learn how to provide lifesaving care and undertake efforts to identify new techniques as well as new cures.Â
At the Maryland State Anatomy Board, we support other donation choices, such as Tissue and Organ donation, or Brain & Tissue Bank for Development Disorders at University of Maryland, Baltimore. The whole-body donation to the Maryland State Anatomy Board does not exclude you to be a Tissue and organ or a Brain & Tissue Bank donor, and vice versa. When you are both an organ and a whole-body donor, if your living organs can help someone with transplant, that procedure will take precedence.
To become a donor to the Maryland State Anatomy Board, download the donor register packet at https://health.maryland.gov/anatomy/Pages/BECOME-A-BODY-DONOR.aspx.
If you need more information, please call us at 410-547-1222.
