Perelman School of Medicine Morgue

Welcome to the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine Morgue. Here you will find resources pertaining to the Morgue and its relationship to medical education and research.

Research and medical education are indispensible at an institution such as the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Every day researchers are finding new and innovative ways to advance the study and practice of medicine, and students are expanding their knowledge via hands-on learning techniques. The need for cadavers and cadaveric materials is essential. To this end, the Perelman School of Medicine would not be able to function without the generosity of its human gifts donors. These are the people who donate their bodies to the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine through the Humanity Gifts Registry, the "nonprofit agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania concerned primarily with the receipt and distribution of bodies donated to all medical and dental schools in the state for teaching purposes". It is through this program that Penn continues to educate the leaders of tomorrow in patient care, biomedical research, and medical education.


To learn more about donating your body or the body of a loved one, please visit the Humanity Gifts Registry or call 215-922-4440. If you wish, you may specify to the HGR that your donation go directly to the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.


If you are seeking information concerning a deceased patient or about performance of an autopsy at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania or Pennsylvania Presbyterian Medical Center, please use the link to the Perelman School of Medicine Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Medical Pathology website.


Request for the use of cadavers or recognizable human body parts for research or education: The Operational Committee of the University of Pennsylvania is responsible for oversight of specific projects governed by the University of Pennsylvania policy on the use of cadavers and recognizable body parts for education and research purposes.  These include (1) review and approval of all cadaver and body parts requests submitted to the Operational Committee; and (2) oversight of the activities involved in the procurement, use, storage, transfer, transport, and final disposition of cadavers and recognizable body parts.  Current committee members are:

  • Dr. Neal Rubinstein - Associate Professor, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology (chair)
  • Dr. Carolyn L. Cambor - Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
  • Mr. J. Dwayne Hallman - Manager, Perelman School of Medicine Morgue
  • Nicholas Baionno - Administrative Coordinator, Perelman School of Medicine Morgue

Researchers and faculty interested in initiating an educational or research project must use the University of Pennsylvania Cadaver and Body Parts Request form.


Please refer to the Policy on the Use of Cadavers and Recognizable Human Body Parts for Educational and Research Purposes for guidelines on the use of cadaveric materials and the Cadaver and Body Parts Requests User Guide.


Links of Interest