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Duke University Job Description: |
Job Title: COORD, ANATOMICAL GIFTS PRGM |
Job Code: 2366 |
FLSA: E |
Job Level: 10 |
Revised Date: 08/01/2026 |
Job Family: JF 28 |
The Coordinator supports both the Gross Anatomy and Human Fresh Tissue (HFT) Laboratories and the Anatomical Gifts Program (AGP). This role manages daily laboratory operations, assists with embalming and specimen preparation, and serves as a liaison to donors, families, and external partners to facilitate whole body donations for medical education. The Coordinator ensures compliance with institutional and state requirements, maintains donor and cadaver records, and supports both instructional activities and public facing program responsibilities.
Anatomical Lab Operations
Prepare, clean, and supply the Gross Anatomy, Human Fresh Tissue, & teaching laboratories for courses serving up to 125 medical students.
Assist faculty, students, and other laboratory users as needed.
Empty cadaver drip buckets daily to maintain low formaldehyde levels and ensure cleanliness.
Interact daily with instructors and support teaching activities.
Perform embalming duties on all cadavers accepted for Gross Anatomy.
Conduct CT scans on cadavers prior to the start of each semester.
Provide hands on expertise during facility construction, upgrades, and specialized course setup.
Procure specimens from cadavers accepted to HFTL, including dissection, prosection, & specimen placement based on course needs.
Perform blood draws on cadavers and coordinate shipment of samples for testing.
Prepare special use cadavers, including latex injections for HFTL procedures.
Receive human donations within strict timeframes to ensure high quality preservation.
Prepare cadavers for cremation, arrange transport, receive cremains, and coordinate disposition (mailing or scattering in Duke Forest).
Maintain complete cadaver records, including embalming documentation, cooler logs, and biohazard disposal records.
Ensure laboratory safety protocols and compliance with Duke and state regulations.
Purchase, stock, and maintain supplies and equipment for Gross Anatomy, HFTL, and the embalming facility.
Provide backup coverage for the Anatomical Gifts Program on call phone during standard business hours.
Anatomical Program Administration
Assist potential donors, families, and Health Care Power of Attorney (HCPOA) representatives in planning for anatomical gifts.
Field inquiries via phone, email, mail, and in person visits at Duke Hospital and Clinics.
Provide supportive conversations, grief support, educational resources, and assistance with mortuary transport.
Refer families to other donation programs when appropriate.
Qualify donors by gathering medical history from nurses, physicians, hospice staff, and other care providers.
Liaise with Duke Risk Management, Decedent Care, Chaplains, VA hospitals, regional hospitals, social services, funeral homes, medical examiners, EMS, and law enforcement.
Coordinate all legal documentation, including HIPAA compliant forms, vital information, and HCPOA verification.
Maintain updated donor databases and complete paper or electronic donor files.
Edit donor information to enhance the learning experience for Gross Anatomy instructors and students.
Generate and send Acknowledgement of Reciept, Completion of Study, and Certificate of Cremation letters.
Verify addresses, coordinate mailing or pickup of cremains, and track delivery.
Follow USPS Priority Express protocols for mailing cremains.
Track down relatives when NOK/HCPOA is unreachable and obtain required signatures for any change in disposition.
Support families wishing to make memorial bequests and ensure proper processing.
Support Gross Anatomy students and instructors in planning the annual student run memorial service.
Organize the annual Anatomical Gifts Program Memorial Service, including Duke Chapel reservations, music, audio, floral arrangements, catering, parking, invitations, programs, and speakers.
Maintain service expenses within assigned budget.
Negotiate with funeral homes, identify new mortuary services, establish Duke Outside Service Agreements, and manage purchase orders.
Manage badge access for GA and HFT Labs and related classrooms; cancel access at course end.
Other Duties
Draft and disseminate program correspondence; manage AGP email.
Liaise with Duke SOM, Duke Health, and other body donation programs.
Deliver presentations to the public and internal audiences.
Provide monthly donor totals and stay informed of course needs.
Process invoices; order supplies for program compliance.
Coordinate meeting space when needed.
Maintain and update protocol documents, website content, and informational materials.
Manage confidential donor records and storage in accordance with Duke protocols.
Answer and triage phone calls.
| Education/Training: | Work requires an educational background generally equivalent to a high school education. |
| Experience: | Work requires the ability to design, develop, and implement a public relations program to promote donations generally acquired through five years of related experience. OR AN EQUIVALENT COMBINATION OF RELEVANT EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE |
| Skills: | Knowledge of human anatomy, laboratory safety, and medical terminology. Comfort working around cadavers, dissection, and death. Sensitivity and diplomacy when communicating with grieving families. Knowledge of legal processes around death, HIPAA, and death certificate procedures. Strong listening, discernment, and interpersonal skills. Proficiency with Microsoft Access, Excel, and Word. Ability to work independently, manage confidential information, and improve systems. Ability to answer the AGP phone during standard business hours. |
The intent of this job description is to provide a representative and level of the types of duties and responsibilities that will be required of positions given this title and shall not be construed as a declaration of the total of the specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.
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