Health Related Philanthropy: The Donation of the Body (And Parts Thereof)

Abstract

This report consists of three volumes. Volume 1 is the Final Report of the Health Related Philanthropy Study Group. Volume 2 is the IUPUI Public Opinion Laboratory's Survey on Health-Related Philanthropy in the US. Volume 3 the accompanying annotated bibliographies.The academic study of philanthropy has focused on private action for the public good, and on the area of various determinants of giving. Yet one very obvious act of giving in the health field has been largely neglected in philanthropic studies; the literal donation of self: blood, tissue, DNA, organs and bodies. There is a long tradition in bioethics research involving the ethical, legal and policy issues associated with donation, including factors involving the donation of bodies and their parts whether for transplantation, treatment, research, or education. This report describes the main outcomes of the Study Group, specifically the results of a national telephone survey conducted on our behalf by the IUPUI Public Opinion Lab; and the publications, scholarly presentations, and related outreach efforts in the media and elsewhere.Indiana University Center on Philanthropy, Lilly Endowment, Inc., IU School of Medicine, the IUPUI School of Liberal Arts, the Indiana Organ Procurement Organization, and the Indiana Blood Center