1970s - 2020: Giving Back to Dartmouth
From the 1970s on, the anatomical donation program at Dartmouth continued its formalization and growth. In the late 1970s the program began accepting only registered donors; a Body Donation Program Summary completed June 26, 1980 listed 312 registered inactive donors (131 male and 181 female) and 696 registered active donors (280 male and 416 female).
According to James Reed III, the current Director of the Anatomical Gifts Program, there are currently around 1,700 living donors registered with the program - all of whom reside in New Hampshire or Vermont, the only two states from which the program accepts donors. Reed notes that "Uniquely at Dartmouth, we have a very strong relationship with the community. Most of the donors we have registered with us are within 50 or so miles from campus." There are a significant number of faculty, staff, and alumni on the registry, who often note that giving back to Dartmouth is an important reason for their donation. Because the Anatomy program can only take 40 donors in a given year, many donors are also registered with other regional medical students such as the University of Vermont and Harvard.
Reed notes that in earlier decades the anatomy course was treated as a rite of passage and something students simply had to "get through", but this has changed significantly in recent years. For the past six years the program has hosted a Donor Panel, which includes people who are registered in the program and family members of people who are currently or have recently been a donor. The medical students plan a memorial service at Rollins Chapel at the conclusion of their Anatomy course in the first year, to which donor families are invited and given the opportunity to speak directly with the students who benefitted from their family member's donation if they choose. According to Reed, students are always eager to meet the families and express their gratitude for the donor's gift.