Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Anatomical Donors topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Anatomical Board describes donor oversight; board has no paid staff, expenses handled by OU and OSU
Summary
The Oklahoma Anatomical Board told lawmakers it oversees donor programs and approves facilities and users for cadaveric teaching and research, has no paid employees, and relies on two university agents to manage costs and storage.
The Anatomical Board told a legislative committee it oversees donation programs used for medical education and research, approves facilities and users, and does not have paid staff or a standalone budget.
Kayla McNeil, executive director, told the committee the board was established in 1935 and was converted from an ex officio board to a statutory board; its duties include registering donor programs and approving users and facilities that use cadavers for training and research. She said the board meets twice a year and has seven statutory members: deans or designees from accredited medical schools, anatomy department chairs or designees, jointly appointed university representatives and one governor appointee who is a funeral director.
McNeil and board chair Dr. Kent Smith said the board has no appropriated budget; instead, agents at the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University serve as the board’s agents, directing payments into and disbursements from accounts that cover donor care and related expenses. McNeil said the board has no paid employees and that most board members are university employees; the governor-appointed member is a funeral director in the Lawton area.
Dr. Smith described the board’s oversight role: evaluating requests to use cadavers or tissue for teaching and research, verifying expertise of requestors, approving or rejecting out-of-state cadavers or tissue, and ensuring donor anonymity and safety for those who use donor materials. He said donors provide an important resource for medical and allied-health training across Oklahoma and noted board visits to facilities for approval and updates.
Committee members asked how costs are handled. Board members said agents at OU and OSU manage transportation, embalming, storage and cremation costs and may recover costs through institutional budgets, research grants or student fees; one rough example given was a total cost around $1,000 per cadaver to cover embalming, cremation and delivery, though the board said costs vary by institution and service.
McNeil referenced statutory history and cited changes to Title 63, Chapter 6, Section 91 and related amendments when describing the board’s statutory conversion and duties.
No committee action was taken; the board invited further questions and indicated it would provide follow-up information if requested.
