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Forms and Procedures

Interested in Becoming a Registered Body Donor?

Enrolling in the Anatomical Gift Registry

Enrollment in the Anatomical Gift Registry is open to all Wisconsin residents aged 18 years and older. Alternatively, the spouse or next of kin of a decedent may facilitate donation of their loved one’s remains. Individuals interested in body donation to the Medical College of Wisconsin can obtain applications in one of two ways:

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Download and Print the Body Donation Form (PDF)

Contacting the Anatomical Gift Registry

Individuals can contact the program directly to request forms be mailed to their home address. Alternatively, we can be reached by phone (414) 955-8261, or email BodyDonation@mcw.edu. Our office hours are Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (excluding major holidays).

Submitting Completed Body Donation Form

Please be sure to complete all required fields and pages of the application should you choose to apply. Registration is free and there is no need to re-register in future years. Should you change your mind about donating, simply call us to cancel your registration. Once completed, applications can either be submitted by mail, email, or fax. Confirmation of registration will either be mailed of emailed once donor information is added to the registry.

Fees and Administrative Costs

There is a fee for donation that helps alleviate administrative costs of the program. As of December 2021, the fee for body donation is $450. Payments cannot be made prior to a donor’s acceptance into the AGR, and an invoice is sent to the donor’s next of kin following acceptance into the program. The donation fee covers costs related to:

  • Transportation of remains 
  • Filing of the death certificate
  • Filing of the cremation permit
  • Cremation costs after a donor has completed their time within the AGR

Screening and Medical History

While we make every effort to honor a donor’s wish, we must review medical history prior to acceptance of remains by the Anatomical Gift Registry. Our team will run a quick screening via the healthcare professional of registered donors upon passing to ensure donors are fit for our program.

We cannot accept donors who test positive for, but not limited to, blood-borne pathogens such as HIV (AIDS), hepatitis, tuberculosis, sepsis, and MRSA. Acceptance to the program is determined on an individual basis at the time of death. Due to limiting factors that may disqualify donor acceptance, we strongly urge donors have a secondary plan for handling remains should they be declined from the AGR.

We ask that the funeral director call us prior to embalming so our anatomical curators can instruct them on our embalming protocols.

Procedures Following the Death of a Donor

The Anatomical Gift Registry should be notified immediately following a registrant’s death by calling (414) 955-8261 (monitored 24 hours).
When the donation is accepted, we will coordinate transportation of donors to our facility. Should a donor’s family wish to hold a funeral service, they can do so prior to transportation of donors to MCW.

Donors may be active within our program for ~1.5 – 3 years. Once a donor has completed their progression through the program, cremated remains can be returned to their family. If a family chooses not to have donor ashes returned, they will be interred in our MCW plot at the local Wauwatosa Cemetery.

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