Whole Body Donation in Tennessee - Honoring Life, Advancing Knowledge
Whole body donation is one of the most profound gifts a person can give – at no cost to your family, with no waiting period, and with every assurance of dignity and respect.
Why Choose Our Whole Body Donation Program
Legacy
The Genesis whole body donation program in Tennessee allows you to take part in groundbreaking medical training and research, even after passing away. Your gift creates a significant and enduring impact on patients across Tennessee and far beyond.
Financial
At no expense to your family, the Genesis body donation program covers transportation to our Memphis facility, filing of the death certificate, and cremation services. A dignified, honorable alternative for families who may be financially strained or opposed to traditional, costly funerals.
Environmental Responsibility
Cremated remains are returned to your loved one or interred in a mausoleum in the Memphis, TN area. This avoids the ecological burden of a traditional burial. A choice that honors both the person and the planet.
Peace of Mind
Every Tennessee donor is treated with the utmost dignity and respect throughout their time at MERI. Each donor is regarded as a living patient for every procedure performed. MERI holds AATB accreditation and is licensed by the New York State Department of Health.
How Do I Become a Donor?
To pre-register for the Tennessee body donation program, you can complete the donor forms at any time. In the event of your passing, a legal authorizing party may use the Third-Party Authorization form included in the donor packet to arrange for donation.
Complete the donor registration forms.
Download and complete the Genesis Donor Forms. These Forms can be completed online and printed, or printed and completed by hand. They must be signed by the donor and two witnesses.
Inform your family or legal authorizing party
Let your family or designated legal authorizing party know to contact Genesis at the time of death. The Genesis team is available 24 hours a day.
Genesis provides transportation
Upon notification, Genesis arranges transportation of the donor to the MERI facility in Memphis and files all appropriate paperwork, including the death certificate.
Donor participates in medical education and research
The donor supports hands-on medical education, training, and research at MERI for 6-12 months. This enables physicians, surgeons, and EMTs from across the country to develop life-saving skills.
Cremated remains returned to the family
Cremated remains are returned to a designated loved one or interred in a mausoleum in the Memphis, TN area, according to the donor’s wishes.
What Happens After I Donate My Body?
The Medical Education and Research Institute (MERI), located in Memphis, Tennessee, is a non-profit organization that supports the Genesis Whole Body Donation Program. Donors across Tennessee make critical training possible for physicians, surgeons, nurses, EMTs, and healthcare professionals from around the world.
These professionals travel to MERI’s Memphis facility to gain important hands-on experience in the latest medical techniques and technologies. They return to their communities and patients with skills that save lives.
Tennessee Donor Requirements
Acceptance into the Tennessee body donation program is contingent on each donor’s medical suitability at the time of death. MERI’s board, staff, faculty, students, and researchers appreciate all who generously plan to become anatomic donors across Tennessee.
MERI must limit its acceptance of anatomic donors to those who, at the time of death, can be “good teachers” and are free of infectious diseases that could harm the learner. The donor’s physical condition must also be suitable to support a safe, high-quality learning experience.
We cannot accept a donor who has moved to or passed away in a state outside the Genesis service area.
Donor Registration Forms for Tennessee
To submit your donor registration forms, please complete the following steps:
Download the Genesis Donor Forms. (Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to open the donor forms. Download the donor forms here.)
Complete the forms and then print, OR print first and complete nearly by hand
The completed forms must be hand-signed by the donor and two (2) witnesses before submission.
Send your completed and signed donor forms to the Genesis program address. Forms can also be mailed to you.
Genesis Whole Body Donation Program
Medical Education & Research Institute
44 South Cleveland
Memphis, TN 38104
Donor paperwork can also be sent through fax – (901) 722-9392
Forms can also be mailed to you to complete and return. Please click here to be directed to our online request form
No-Cost Cremation
Our Genesis Program offers no-cost cremation for eligible donors and their families. Cremation is fully covered with zero fees at any stage. Cremated remains are returned to a designated loved one or interred in a Memphis-area mausoleum according to the donor’s wishes.
The Genesis Program is currently available to donors in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia.
Learn More About Whole Body Donation Option
The Genesis Donation Process
You may pre-sign into the body donation program by filling out the donor forms available here, or at the time of death, a legal authorizing party may arrange for the donation using the Third Party Authorization form in the donor packet linked above.
Frequently Asked Questions About
Our Whole Body Donation Program
Donors make critical education and training possible through their selfless and generous gifts for physicians, surgeons, nurses, EMTs, and other medical professionals. Professionals come to MERI’s Memphis facility to gain invaluable hands-on experience in the latest medical techniques and technologies, taking this newfound knowledge back to their patients across Tennessee and 18 surrounding states.
In Tennessee, whole body donation is coordinated through the Genesis program at MERI in Memphis. When a donor passes, Genesis arranges transportation, handles all paperwork, including the death certificate, and brings the donor to the MERI facility. The donor supports hands-on medical education for 6–12 months, after which cremated remains are returned to the family or interred locally. Families across Tennessee — from Memphis and Shelby County to Knoxville in Knox County, Nashville in Davidson County, and Chattanooga in Hamilton County — can participate.
Yes. The Genesis program in Tennessee provides transportation, death certificate processing, and cremation at absolutely no cost to the family. There are no hidden fees. This makes body donation a meaningful and financially considerate option for families throughout the state, including those in Shelby, Madison, Tipton, Fayette, Williamson, and surrounding counties.
Yes. Genesis allows donors to be registered organ, eye, or brain donors and still participate in the whole body donation program. If organs are recovered at the time of death, the remaining body may still be accepted by Genesis, subject to medical suitability. Families should inform the Genesis team of any existing organ donor registration when making arrangements.
No. Unlike some programs, Genesis has no waiting period. Families can pre-register at any point, or a legal authorizing party can arrange a donation at the time of death. This is especially important for families in Memphis, Jackson, Clarksville, and Murfreesboro who may be making decisions quickly and without advance planning.
Genesis accepts whole body donors from across Tennessee, including Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Clarksville, Murfreesboro, Jackson, Germantown, Collierville, Bartlett, Brentwood, and Franklin. The program serves donors throughout Shelby, Davidson, Knox, Hamilton, Montgomery, Rutherford, Madison, Tipton, Fayette, and Williamson counties. Genesis also serves donors across 18 surrounding states.
MERI conducts programs in all areas of medicine based on the needs of sponsors, so we are not able to specify the area of research. MERI does not conduct autopsies on donors or determine the cause of death. As a Genesis donor, you can be assured your gift will be part of critical, life-saving training, education, and research that greatly affects lives across Tennessee and beyond.
