Donor FAQ

Yes. Organ donation does not affect the skeletal remains. You will need to set up your organ donation contract separately, however. In the State of New Mexico, call Donor Services at (505) 843-7672 to get an application. If you are residing in another state, check your phonebook. Please be sure to discuss with them that you intend to be a Maxwell donor, as this may affect the process and transportation.

At the present time, we cannot accept the skeletal remains from medical school cadavers. If it is your wish to donate to the UNM Medical School cadaver program, please call (505) 272-5555. Please be aware that cadaver programs may decline donations due to traumatic injury, autopsy, extensive surgery, and some terminal illnesses. Several of our donors have chosen to rank their donation priorities: first to a cadaver program and, if rejected, to our program. We make note of this when we receive completed paperwork from possible donors.

We are required by law to refuse individuals with blood-borne diseases such as HIV, AIDS, Ebola, and Hepatitis A, B, or C. These diseases can be transferred during the rendering process. While we will accept individuals that have previously had COVID-19, we will refuse anyone with an active infection (testing positive) at the time of death.

We will provide a three-part form that you need to return to us, or you can access the forms online. The first part of the form (Deed of Gift) is a statement to certify that you are of sound mind and are donating your remains of your own free will. You and two witnesses need to sign this statement. The second portion of the form (Donor Information Form) is an information sheet that asks questions such as your date of birth, your primary occupation, location of any broken bones, your typical physical activity level, etc. This information is important for us because it will provide researchers with a full background.

You may choose to receive a donation card. However, please be advised that until we have received the completed form, this card is not considered valid. The third form is to give consent (or to abstain from) potentially having your skeletal remains cast. Additional information on casting is provided on the form.

Yes, two witnesses are required to sign your donor form and card. They do not, however, have to be related to you. Many donors ask friends or family members, but you may also get two notary publics to sign and stamp the form.

Yes. At any time, you may submit a written and signed statement to the Maxwell Museum’s Laboratory of Human Osteology requesting that your donation be nullified and the original forms returned to you.

We will be occasionally sending you a form to update your information. You can also call us or contact us through mail or email to make any updates to your information.

Yes, however, transportation of your body to the Office of the Medical Investigator in Albuquerque is the responsibility of the donor and/or their estate. Contact a local funeral home or mortuary transport service and they should be able to help you make arrangements, including coordinating with services in Albuquerque. All costs associated with transport are the responsibility of the donor.

As much as you're willing to share! Any lived medical and health history is important for understanding your skeleton. This includes dental history. We love when donors provide us with medical history summaries, x-rays, and other medical imaging. Please include the year of onset of conditions and injuries, and duration when possible.

All of our donors must be transported to the Office of the Medical Investigator upon death. OMI, which is just up the road from our lab, is where we can safely process donor bodies. It is the responsibility of the donor and/or their estate to arrange for transport of the donors body to OMI. Your body will remain in storage at OMI until we are able to process (this is dependent on how many donors have passed away ahead of you, and how many anthropology cases are pending at OMI since we share their space). Once your remains have been skeletonized, they will be transported to the Laboratory of Human Osteology at the Museum and will be curated for research.

There are a number of funeral homes and non-emergency medical transport services in the Albuquerque area. You can find a list of funeral homes by searching online.

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And a list of non-emergency medical transport services here:

https://www.nm-prc.org/consumer-relations/company-directory/non-emergency-medical-transport/

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Any costs associated with transport are the responsibility of the donor/their estate.

Yes.

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Your remains can be commercially cremated (at the donor's expense), but cannot be pulverized. Having cremated remains available for researchers is important to learn about burn cases and archaeologically cremated remains. As this is still the donation of your skeletal remains, they will not be returned to your NOK.

No.

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Hospitals and dental practices will not release any medical information to our lab. You are welcome to request your own medical histories and send them to us. We always appreciate any additional lived history and medical information to inform future research.