Donate Your Body to Science to Texas – How the Genesis Program at MERI Works
When you choose to donate your body to science in Texas, you give medical professionals the hands-on experience they need to save lives. Through MERI’s Genesis program, Texas donors receive no-cost transportation, death certificates, and cremation, all with the dignity and respect you deserve.
Why Choose Our Whole Body Donation Program
Legacy
The Genesis body donation Texas program gives you the chance to take part in groundbreaking medical training and research, even after passing away. Your gift creates a lasting impact on patients across Texas and far beyond.
Financial
At no expense to your family in Texas, the Genesis program covers transportation from Texas to our Memphis facility, filing of the Texas death certificate, and cremation services.
Environmental Responsibility
Cremated remains are returned to your loved ones or interred in a mausoleum in the Memphis, TN area, which avoids the ecological burden of a traditional burial. A final choice that honors both the person and the planet.
Peace of Mind
Every Texas donor is treated with the utmost dignity and respect during their time at MERI and 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 to Donate Your Body to Science in Texas With MERI
The Genesis Texas body donor program is designed to be simple and accessible. Texas donors who pass away in TX qualify for our service area. You can pre-register at any time during your lifetime, or in the event of your passing, a legal authorizing party may use the Third-Party Authorization form to arrange your 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 from Texas to the MERI facility in Memphis, Tennessee. All paperwork, including the Texas death certificate, is filed by MERI.
Donor participates in medical education and research
Each Texas 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.
What Happens After You Donate Your Body to Science?
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 Texas 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.
Texas Donor Requirements
Acceptance into the Genesis body donor 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 and hope to become anatomic donors.
MERI limits its acceptance to donors who, at the time of death, 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.
Texas donors qualify for the Genesis service area. We cannot accept donors who have moved to or passed away outside of the Genesis coverage states. If you are a Texas resident who passes away in Texas, you are within our service area.
Donor Registration Forms for Texas
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
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
Body Donation in Texas
To donate your body to science in Texas through the Genesis program, you can pre-register by completing the Genesis Donor Forms and mailing them to MERI in Memphis. Alternatively, a legal authorizing party can arrange a donation at the time of death using the Third-Party Authorization form.
Genesis then handles transportation from Texas to MERI’s facility, files all paperwork, including the Texas death certificate, and coordinates the 6–12 months the donor spends supporting medical education before the cremated remains are returned to the family
Yes. Texas is within the Genesis service area. Donors from across the state qualify — including Houston (Harris County), Dallas (Dallas County), San Antonio (Bexar County), Austin (Travis County), Fort Worth (Tarrant County), El Paso, Lubbock, and hundreds of cities and communities in between. Acceptance is subject to medical suitability at the time of death.
Donated bodies support hands-on medical education and research at MERI’s state-of-the-art facility in Memphis, Tennessee. Physicians, surgeons, nurses, EMTs, and other healthcare professionals travel to MERI to train in the latest medical techniques and technologies — including minimally invasive procedures, emergency response, and new medical device applications. They return to Texas and communities across 18 surrounding states with skills that directly improve patient outcomes.
No. The Genesis program covers all costs associated with Texas body donation, which includes transportation from Texas to MERI’s Memphis facility, death certificate processing, and cremation. There are no hidden fees at any stage. This makes whole body donation a meaningful and financially considerate option for Texas families across Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar, Travis, Collin, Denton, Fort Bend, Montgomery, and El Paso counties, among others.
Yes. Genesis allows donors to be registered organ, eye, or brain donors and still participate in the whole body donation program in Texas. If organs are recovered at the time of death, the remaining body may still be accepted by Genesis, subject to medical suitability. Texas donors with existing organ donor registration should inform the Genesis team when making arrangements.
No. There is no waiting period for Texas body donors. Families can pre-register at any point in the donor’s lifetime, or a legal authorizing party can arrange donation at the time of death, with no advance notice required. This is especially important for Texas families in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Fort Worth, El Paso, and Lubbock who may be making decisions quickly.
Genesis accepts whole body donors from across Texas, including Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano, Frisco, McKinney, Garland, El Paso, Lubbock, Amarillo, Midland, Odessa, Abilene, Waco, Round Rock, Killeen, Sugar Land, and The Woodlands, among many others. The program serves donors throughout Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar, Travis, Collin, Denton, Fort Bend, Montgomery, and El Paso counties, and all of Texas qualifies as part of the Genesis 19-state service area.
