Northeast College holds donor memorial ceremony

Northeast College of Health Sciences held its 2023 Memorial Ceremony on Oct. 26 to honor all who donated their bodies for study.

This selfless gift allows students to learn and improve the human condition through healthcare education and research. Each year the College community joins to give thanks and recognize each donor, while also extending gratitude to families for their loved one’s role in furthering healthcare education.

During the ceremony, Northeast College President Michael Mestan said donating one’s body is a “testament to the deep-seeded desire to contribute to the betterment of humanity – even beyond ones’ lifetime. Through this act, donors become instrumental in advancing knowledge in the health sciences, research and education.”

These contributions to the future of healthcare are made possible by individuals who donate their bodies to the College’s Anatomical Gift program. With these whole-body donations, Northeast provides opportunities for students to learn through human cadaveric dissection, considered the gold standard for learning human anatomy and a hallmark of a Northeast College education.

Director of the Northeast Anatomy Center and Anatomical Gift program Michael Zumpano, PhD, said, “there is no greater gift than the gift of oneself,” and that even as technology expands, nothing can replace the human body for learning anatomy.

“Donors become silent teachers, and to us, these donors truly serve as our first patients,” Mestan said. Zumpano echoed this sentiment and exemplified the College community’s deep respect for donors by referencing a sign above the Anatomy Center lab entryway that reads: Mortui Vivos Docent (the dead teach the living).

While speaking at the ceremony, chiropractic student Sean Kallan (D.C. ’25) expressed his agreement. “Donors are our first patients, but they are also our greatest teacher,” he said.