Due to the sensitive nature of this type of program, the University will not accept donors less than 40 years of age at the time of death. There is no upper age limit.
While each donation is viewed as a generous gift, the University of Waterloo reserves the right not to accept a body. The following is a list of some of the reasons an individual may not be accepted at the time of death:
- Individual has been deceased for more than 24 hours (we have an after-hours calls service so that we can be reached outside of regular office hours)
- Individual has already been embalmed
- Individual has or has had an infectious disease (e. g., Tuberculosis, hepatitis, AIDS, etc.)
- Individual has tested positive for antibiotic resistant bacteria such as MRSA or VRE
- Individual has been diagnosed with Jacob-Creutzfeldt disease or rapid onset dementia
- Individual has experienced major trauma or surgery prior to death (e. g., car accident or open-heart surgery)
- Individual is either extremely emaciated or morbidly obese
The University of Waterloo has a relatively small anatomy program. We will accept as many donations as we can but space restrictions may mean that we are unable to accept at various times throughout the year. In this case, the laboratory supervisor will work with the executor or family members to make alternate arrangements.
This may involve contacting McMaster University or The University of Western Ontario. Please note that these programs may have slightly different operating procedures.