AU and Medical College of Georgia honor body donors with a memorial service
AU staff honors body donors with flowers in the memorial garden on Health Sciences Campus. (photo by Liz Wright)
By Aaron Smith | Staff writer
The 2022 annual memorial service for body donors was held at the Lansing B. Lee, Sr. auditorium on Nov. 11, with many university students, faculty and families paying their respects.
Held by students and faculty from the Colleges of Medicine, Dentistry, Allied Health, Graduate Studies, Nursing and the Augusta University/UGA Partnerships, the memorial service represented a chance to give thanks to the selfless sacrifice donors made for the advancement of medicine and learning.
For Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Neil J. MacKinnon, the service has profound meaning to him.
“The university that I attended 23 years ago was different,” he said. “They did not have a ceremony like we’re having right now, and I have to admit that I took it for granted. I never reflected on what it meant to be a donor and so today, this is my first time taking part in this ceremony, and I’m reflecting on what it meant to me as a former health professional student to have that experience.”
Missy Hewitt, a graduate student in the Dental College of Georgia, shared her gratitude for the experience she gained through the generosity of those who gave their bodies to medicine. “I’m thankful for the opportunity to learn from these donors in anatomy lab,” she said. “Anatomy is one of our toughest subjects and one of the most vital, so having this opportunity gave me a deeper understanding, respect and empathy for the human body. These donors were my first patients, and I’ll never forget that.”
Sylvia B. Smith, Regents’ professor and Chair in the Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomy, at the Medical College of Georgia, referred to these donors as “teachers after life,” and discussed what it means to donate your body to medicine.
“Persons who donate their bodies for medical education are from many walks of life,” Smith said. “They believed that the study of their bodies would contribute to the advancement of medical science. I’m a registered body donor, and I believe that in spite of the lectures that I’ve given and assistance I’ve provided in the laboratory over my career, when my body is studied, I believe my contribution will be far greater.”
Contact Aaron Smith at madsmith@augusta.edu.
This story is published in the Monday, Nov. 28, 2022 print edition of The Bell Ringer on page 3.
