Second-year Medical College of Georgia student Alaina Godbee has a close relationship with her grandmother, Jeannie Donaldson. During a recent visit home to Statesboro, Georgia, Godbee discussed the First Patient Discovery Project and the Anatomical Donations program at Augusta University (AU) with her grandmother. After learning about the program, Donaldson expressed interest in becoming a donor herself.
“With her personality, I was not surprised,” Godbee said. “The program is a great thing to do, and I really respect everybody that has donated their body for this. I think that it’s great that she wants to do it.”
The Anatomical Donations program is part of AU’s Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy and follows guidelines set by the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, which allows any adult of sound mind to donate their body to medical science. There is no maximum age limit for donors, and cremation services are provided at no cost to families after studies conclude.
Each year, AU receives between 70 and 80 body donations. The program supports educational activities and interdisciplinary research across medicine, dentistry, allied health, and graduate studies.
Morganne Manuel, PhD, director of gross anatomy at MCG, noted that hands-on learning with donors provides unique benefits compared to digital tools. “Being aware of how things are in the body, how they’re situated, the 3D and spatial awareness; there’s just nothing that compares to learning on your donors,” Manuel said. “Also, our students don’t just look at this as, ‘I’m learning anatomy.’ They also look at these donors as, ‘this is my first patient who I have to care for.’”
Godbee described her initial experiences in the lab as challenging but ultimately meaningful. She said: “It’s definitely something that feels different at first, but with anything that you do consistently, the initial shock fades. That allowed me to focus more on learning and the responsibility that comes with working with someone who chose to donate their body for our education. Even as the lab became more familiar, there were still moments that reminded me of the humanity of our donor and the privilege of being trusted with their gift. Those moments reinforced the seriousness of what we were learning and helped ground the anatomy lab in respect rather than routine.”
Third-year student Morgan Kuchar emphasized how crucial donor-based study was for understanding complex anatomical structures such as pelvic anatomy: “Pelvic anatomy is difficult to study from a textbook. It’s very three-dimensional,” Kuchar said. “I don’t think there’s any better way to learn than by dissecting a donor. The educational aspect is incredibly important but learning how to be uncomfortable and recognizing the gravity of the sacrifice donors have made is just as meaningful. Balancing gratitude and responsibility while trying to get the most out of the experience was an important part of the learning process.”
After studies conclude, AU holds two memorial ceremonies—one for students and one for families—to honor donors’ contributions. Families can choose private burial or interment in AU’s Memorial Garden.
At these ceremonies, students write letters expressing gratitude toward their donors. Kuchar shared: “The letter isn’t for the families to read, but it’s a way to say our own ‘thank yous’ and talk about our experience. That was really powerful,” she said.
Students are encouraged to humanize their anonymous donors by giving them names during coursework. Godbee reflected on this practice: “I think we all did a really good job of respecting our body donor…from how we talked about them or how we did our dissections to how we treated the lab and how we cleaned up.”
For some families like Rachelle Grant’s parents Ralph and Nancy Gammon—who learned about donation through church outreach—the decision came after careful consideration despite initial reservations from family members.
“I was pregnant at the time and I was asking, ‘Why are you doing this?’” Grant recalled questioning her parents’ choice until representatives explained its importance for medical education.
Grant found comfort knowing her parents’ donations contributed directly to future doctors’ training: “It was very important to both of them; they loved science…knowing that it would help with further education…These students had their hands on…and working with them…knowing that it was for a phenomenal reason…”
She added: “The ceremony was precious; I think each individual who got up there and spoke did it eloquently…They made it clear that they recognized that body as not just a body…it was someone’s mom…that meant a lot…”
