Knowledge Exchange & Global Feature Story 10-Year Anniversary of HKU Body Donation Day Contributed by Dr. Jian Yang, Senior Lecturer, Coordinator of HKU Body Donation Programme
The Body Donation Programme started in 2012 and it has been 10 years since. At the very beginning when we started the programme, we only had about 270 registrants for body donation in total. And thanks to the generous contribution by the public in Hong Kong for the past 10 years, we currently have on average about 500 new registrants every year. The total number of registrants for body donation at this moment of the 10th anniversary is more than 8200. The number of donated deceased bodies the programme received in 2012 was 13, and this number is now approaching between 80 to 90 a year. In the early years, our faculty relied heavily on unclaimed bodies for medical education. But this trend has changed significantly after we introduced the Body Donation Programme in 2012. And currently, the majority of the deceased bodies used in teaching are mainly from the donated deceased bodies through the Body Donation Programme. Here in the School of Biomedical Sciences, the University of Hong Kong, we honour the donated deceased bodies as the Great Body Teachers, with utmost respect. The Great Body Teachers are the first encounter of real human body, moreover the first patient, for a medical student in her/his initial journey of the training as a healthcare professional. The Great Body Teachers play the irreplaceable role in the medical education because they do not only impart the knowledge of anatomy, but more importantly, grant the students with the once in a lifetime authentic hands-on experience of human body and the invaluable knowledge of life that these students will carry forward in their future long career as healthcare professionals. The Great Body Teachers were once, just like you and me, living persons with family and friends. But they extended their life and contribution to the society beyond death, and helped our students, scientists, and healthcare professionals to obtain all the necessary knowledge about not only human body but also the meaning life.
Through the selfless sacrifice of the Great Body Teachers, our medical students, scientists, and healthcare professionals learn the complex structures of our body structures, functions and diseases. And this form of learning is the golden standard of the medical education in the world, and cannot be replaced by digital illustrations, computer software or models. The LKS Faculty of Medicine has designated 3rd of March as the University’s Body Donation Day. In Chinese, the pronunciation of this day resembles the old adage, “san-san-bu-jin”, which highlights the continuous and everlasting of life after life. It also aims to promote the spirit of overcoming the presumed limitations of death and to encourage the passing on of knowledge.
This year is the 10th Anniversary of the HKU Body Donation Day. Because of the current Covid-19 pandemic, we are postponing the celebration to August. I welcome you all to join the Body Donation Day. And I hope that you will have a wonderful and meaningful time.
Video on Body Donation Programme
Upcoming Events
Upcoming Events
Apr 21, 2022 Invited Seminar by Prof. Rui Zhang, Department of Physics, HKUST
Apr 1 & 29, May 6, 13, 20 & 27, Jun 17 & 24, 2022 RPG Seminar
Apr 21, 2022 BBiomedSc Non-JUPAS interview
Apr 4, 2022 HKUMedify Summer Programme: “World of Proteins” by Dr. Masayo Kotaka Apr 7, 2022 Invited Seminar by Dr. Fei Sun, Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, HKUST Apr 11, 2022 Major-Minor Selection Talk (Biochemistry) by Dr. KM Yao Apr 11, 2022 Taster Week of Admission Office “What is the difference between a PCR test and a RAT test for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 virus” by Dr. Bonny Yuen
Apr 21, 2022 BSc(Bioinformatics) Non-JUPAS interview
May 10, 2022 Dissecting Lab visit for Aberdeen Baptist Lui Ming Choi College
Jun 9, 2022 Invited Seminar by Prof. Melissa Little, Theme Director of Cell Biology, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Melbourne, Program Leader of Stem Cells Australia and Professor, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne
Jun 22, 2022 BBiomedSc JUPAS interview
Apr 13 & 27, May 11 & 25, Jun 1, 2022 PDF Seminar
Jun 28, 2022 BSc(Bioinformatics) JUPAS interview
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