This article is from the source 'washpo' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/unidentified-cadavers-in-gw-program-point-to-years-of-problems-poor-oversight/2016/02/12/202f8ff0-d014-11e5-88cd-753e80cd29ad_story.html

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Unidentified cadavers in GW program point to years of problems, poor oversight Unidentified cadavers in GW program point to years of problems, poor oversight
(about 3 hours later)
A box of incinerated human remains sits in Mary Louise Powell’s closet, waiting to be buried. It’s Powell’s mother. So she was told.A box of incinerated human remains sits in Mary Louise Powell’s closet, waiting to be buried. It’s Powell’s mother. So she was told.
“Now, I don’t know who’s in my closet,” she said. “I feel like I’m sleeping in the house with a stranger.” “Now I don’t know who’s in my closet,” she said. “I feel like I’m sleeping in the house with a stranger.”
George Washington University’s medical school announced last week that it had lost track of the identities of about 50 donated cadavers used to train future doctors. The cremated remains and body parts of the unknown 50 sit in the university morgue, a collection of neglected gifts to science that cannot be returned to loved ones for burial.George Washington University’s medical school announced last week that it had lost track of the identities of about 50 donated cadavers used to train future doctors. The cremated remains and body parts of the unknown 50 sit in the university morgue, a collection of neglected gifts to science that cannot be returned to loved ones for burial.
[At George Washington Med School, a tomb of unknown cadavers][At George Washington Med School, a tomb of unknown cadavers]
Medical school officials acknowledged the problem and have taken responsibility for it. But years of mismanagement, sloppy record-keeping and lack of oversight in the body-donation program have caused family members who already have received the ashes of their donated loved ones to wonder about the true provenance of those remains. Medical school officials acknowledged the problem and have taken responsibility for it. But years of mismanagement, sloppy record-keeping and lack of oversight in the body-donation program have caused family members who have received the ashes of their donated loved ones to wonder about the true provenance of those remains.
University officials now believe the problems may go back seven years, affecting an untold number of donors that the school had pledged to treat with “dignity and respect.” A team of experts is conducting DNA testing and trying to reconcile records to identify the remains still in the school’s possession. University officials now believe that the problems may go back seven years, affecting an untold number of donors the school had pledged to treat with “dignity and respect.” A team of experts is conducting DNA testing and trying to reconcile records to identify the remains still in the school’s possession.
For Powell, the details have sowed doubt.For Powell, the details have sowed doubt.
She picked up the small box of ashes from a crematory in Maryland last week. Days later, she heard the disturbing news.She picked up the small box of ashes from a crematory in Maryland last week. Days later, she heard the disturbing news.
She began replaying in her mind the conflicting information she had received from the medical school about the status of her mother’s body. In late January, before the problems surfaced publicly, a university employee who checked computer files told Powell her mother’s body was still in use and might be for another year. Three days later, she received a call that her mother’s remains had already been cremated and were ready for pickup. A letter from the crematory shows that the remains were incinerated in December. She began replaying in her mind the conflicting information she had received from the medical school about the status of her mother’s body. In late January, before the problems surfaced publicly, a university employee who checked computer files told Powell that her mother’s body was still in use and might be for another year. Three days later, she received a call that her mother’s remains had been cremated and were ready for pickup. A letter from the crematory shows that the remains were incinerated in December.
Powell, 70, has halted plans to bury the ashes in a family plot. Instead, she has begun a search for answers — and for her mother, Fidelia Ridgeway. On Wednesday morning, she hand-delivered a photograph of Ridgeway, 96 when she died last January, to the medical school. She hopes her mother is still among the bodies in the university morgue and can be physically identified.Powell, 70, has halted plans to bury the ashes in a family plot. Instead, she has begun a search for answers — and for her mother, Fidelia Ridgeway. On Wednesday morning, she hand-delivered a photograph of Ridgeway, 96 when she died last January, to the medical school. She hopes her mother is still among the bodies in the university morgue and can be physically identified.
“I feel like this has robbed me of my ability to honor her,” Powell said.“I feel like this has robbed me of my ability to honor her,” Powell said.
Other families, caught between disbelief and despair, are asking a basic question: How could this have happened?Other families, caught between disbelief and despair, are asking a basic question: How could this have happened?
A university official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak more freely about the details said that in some cases identification tags attached to the toes of cadavers were removed and never replaced when the bodies were moved between the university morgue and student labs. The person in charge of that process stopped working at the university when the problems surfaced internally in November, said the official, who declined to say whether the person was fired, citing limitations on disclosure of information on personnel. Disciplinary action of additional employees is under consideration, the person said. A university official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak more freely about the details said that in some cases, identification tags attached to the toes of cadavers were removed and never replaced when the bodies were moved between the university morgue and student labs. The person in charge of that process stopped working at the university when the problems surfaced internally in November, said the official, who declined to say whether the person was fired, citing limitations on disclosure of information on personnel. Disciplinary action of additional employees is under consideration, the person said.
“I’ve seen mismanagement,” said Richard Sherwood, whose two parents-in-law have been lost. “This is an ethical failure.”“I’ve seen mismanagement,” said Richard Sherwood, whose two parents-in-law have been lost. “This is an ethical failure.”
George Washington University is just the latest institution to lose track of bodies donated for research or study. Dozens of missing cadavers at UCLA in 2004 led to an investigation that resulted in a university official and a tissue broker being sent to prison for buying and selling body parts, as well as revelations about poor tracking and record-keeping. In 2009, a widow in Illinois sued Midwestern University for allegedly losing track of her husband’s donated body and giving the ashes to the wrong family.George Washington University is just the latest institution to lose track of bodies donated for research or study. Dozens of missing cadavers at UCLA in 2004 led to an investigation that resulted in a university official and a tissue broker being sent to prison for buying and selling body parts, as well as revelations about poor tracking and record-keeping. In 2009, a widow in Illinois sued Midwestern University for allegedly losing track of her husband’s donated body and giving the ashes to the wrong family.
There are an estimated 90 to 100 body-donation programs nationwide that collect 10,000 to 12,000 bodies annually, said Richard L. Drake, a professor and director of the donor program at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. Having conscientious, careful employees and strong oversight is critical to these important programs, he said. Problems do occur but rarely on the scale of those uncovered at George Washington University, he said.There are an estimated 90 to 100 body-donation programs nationwide that collect 10,000 to 12,000 bodies annually, said Richard L. Drake, a professor and director of the donor program at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. Having conscientious, careful employees and strong oversight is critical to these important programs, he said. Problems do occur but rarely on the scale of those uncovered at George Washington University, he said.
“It’d be hard for me to guess how they lost so many,” he said.“It’d be hard for me to guess how they lost so many,” he said.
The program at GWU, established in 1958, received dozens each year, allowing first-year medical students to work with a human body in anatomy classes.The program at GWU, established in 1958, received dozens each year, allowing first-year medical students to work with a human body in anatomy classes.
Former employees of the program described a system of joint responsibility but little administrative oversight.Former employees of the program described a system of joint responsibility but little administrative oversight.
A curator, a licensed funeral director, was in charge of the day-to-day upkeep of the bodies. The curator assigned each incoming body an identification number imprinted on a metal tag that was supposed to stay with the body. The numerical tagging protected the donors’ identities from the students who dissected them but was crucial to keeping track of the bodies.A curator, a licensed funeral director, was in charge of the day-to-day upkeep of the bodies. The curator assigned each incoming body an identification number imprinted on a metal tag that was supposed to stay with the body. The numerical tagging protected the donors’ identities from the students who dissected them but was crucial to keeping track of the bodies.
Separately, a computer file with vital information corresponding to each tag number was maintained by an administrative employee, called a coordinator, in the medical school’s front office. Typically, after 18 months to two years of use, the bodies were released by the curator. Tags were matched with computer data. Families were contacted by coordinators. And the remains went to a crematory in Beltsville and were then returned to family members if they had requested them. On average, about half of families wanted their loved ones’ remains returned, a university official said. The rest are buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Northeast Washington. Separately, a computer file with vital information corresponding to each tag number was maintained by an administrative employee, called a coordinator, in the medical school’s front office. Typically, after 18 months to two years of use, the bodies were released by the curator. Tags were matched with computer data. Families were contacted by coordinators. And the remains went to a crematory in Beltsville and then returned to family members if they had requested them. On average, about half of the families wanted their loved ones’ remains returned, a university official said. The rest are buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Northeast Washington.
A university official and two former coordinators said licensed funeral director James O. Agee was the curator in charge of tagging and maintaining the bodies in the morgue. The university official, who would speak only on the condition of anonymity, said that the identification tags in some cases were removed from the bodies when they were transported to labs and were never put back on some bodies when they were returned to the morgue. A university official and two former coordinators said licensed funeral director James O. Agee was the curator in charge of tagging and maintaining the bodies in the morgue. The university official, who would speak only on the condition of anonymity, said that the identification tags in some cases were removed from the bodies when they were transported to labs and that tags were not put back on some bodies when they were returned to the morgue.
Agee, a longtime employee who stopped working for the program on Nov. 17, declined to comment during a brief phone interview other than to say that he had not been informed of the problems with the program.Agee, a longtime employee who stopped working for the program on Nov. 17, declined to comment during a brief phone interview other than to say that he had not been informed of the problems with the program.
“I don’t know what’s going on,” Agee said Tuesday. “So I’d rather not say anything.” Agee did not respond to messages left on his cellphone on Wednesday and Thursday. “I don’t know what’s going on,” Agee said Tuesday. “So I’d rather not say anything.” Agee did not respond to messages left on his cellphone Wednesday and Thursday.
The American Association of Anatomists recommends that institutions with body-donation programs have an oversight committee that appoints and oversees the person in charge and reviews the program on an annual basis. George Washington University had no such committee, former employees said. University officials would not say who had responsibility for overseeing the program but that the duty has been moved to the dean’s office. The willed body-donor program was previously part of the school’s Department of Anatomy & Regenerative Biology.The American Association of Anatomists recommends that institutions with body-donation programs have an oversight committee that appoints and oversees the person in charge and reviews the program on an annual basis. George Washington University had no such committee, former employees said. University officials would not say who had responsibility for overseeing the program but that the duty has been moved to the dean’s office. The willed body-donor program was previously part of the school’s Department of Anatomy & Regenerative Biology.
“There were procedures, but they weren’t consistently followed,” the university official said. “There was oversight, but it was poor oversight.” The university believes that the problems are limited to the last seven years because “other people were supervising the program” until that point, the person said.“There were procedures, but they weren’t consistently followed,” the university official said. “There was oversight, but it was poor oversight.” The university believes that the problems are limited to the last seven years because “other people were supervising the program” until that point, the person said.
The medical school’s spokesman, Anne Banner, said that the families of donors have been the school’s “foremost concern.” The medical school’s spokesman, Anne Banner, said the families of donors have been the school’s “foremost concern.”
“We have been working very hard to reconcile the records, and we will answer any questions from family members privately,” she said.“We have been working very hard to reconcile the records, and we will answer any questions from family members privately,” she said.
Some families contacted by The Post, however, said they had heard no specific information about how their loved ones’ remains got lost. Some families contacted by The Washington Post, however, said they had heard no specific information about how their loved ones’ remains got lost.
Richard Sherwood of Alexandria said the dean of the medical school, Jeffrey S. Akman, was contrite about the school’s inability to identify Sherwood’s in-laws during a half-hour phone conversation, but he said that Akman provided few definitive answers. Akman declined to comment through a university spokeswoman. Richard Sherwood of Alexandria said the dean of the medical school, Jeffrey S. Akman, was contrite about the school’s inability to identify Sherwood’s in-laws during a half-hour phone conversation, but he said Akman provided few definitive answers. Akman declined to comment through a university spokeswoman.
Was it possible, Sherwood asked the dean, that some remains that were supposed to be returned to families have already been buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery, where the school inters unclaimed ashes? “It’s possible” was the response. How did this happen? The people responsible no longer work here, Sherwood was told. Was it possible, Sherwood asked the dean, that some remains that were to be returned to families have already been buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery, where the school inters unclaimed ashes? “It’s possible” was the response. How did this happen? The people responsible no longer work here, Sherwood was told.
None of that provided much solace.None of that provided much solace.
“The hardest part has been the total lack of clarity,” said Karen Sherwood. “I haven’t been given any answers.”“The hardest part has been the total lack of clarity,” said Karen Sherwood. “I haven’t been given any answers.”
The university previously said in an announcement that they conducted an internal review after an employee reported irregularities in the program last fall. The university official said an employee recently assigned to the anatomy department saw irregularities and “flagged” them immediately. The university previously said in an announcement that it conducted an internal review after an employee reported irregularities in the program last fall. The university official said an employee recently assigned to the anatomy department saw irregularities and “flagged” them immediately.
“People said ‘Whoa, what is happening here?’ ” the official said. “The program was suspended right away.” “People said, ‘Whoa, what is happening here?’ ” the official said. “The program was suspended right away.”
The Sherwoods had planned to spread the ashes of Karen’s parents on the Jersey Shore, where Karen spent her childhood summers. In September, they flew to Scotland to release Richard’s father’s ashes near the famed golf course at St. Andrews under a clear blue sky — “a joyous occasion,” Richard said. They are now reckoning with the possibility that they won’t to get to celebrate Karen’s parents in the same way. And even if they do receive ashes, they said they will almost certainly doubt whose remains are in the box.The Sherwoods had planned to spread the ashes of Karen’s parents on the Jersey Shore, where Karen spent her childhood summers. In September, they flew to Scotland to release Richard’s father’s ashes near the famed golf course at St. Andrews under a clear blue sky — “a joyous occasion,” Richard said. They are now reckoning with the possibility that they won’t to get to celebrate Karen’s parents in the same way. And even if they do receive ashes, they said they will almost certainly doubt whose remains are in the box.
The crisis has also made others reconsider their own plans to donate their bodies. The university is contacting about 1,400 living people who have already agreed to donate their bodies to the medical school to tell them that donations have been suspended and to try to steer them to other donor programs. Georgetown and Howard universities also accept donated bodies. The crisis has also made others reconsider their own plans to donate their bodies. The university is contacting about 1,400 living people who have agreed to donate their bodies to the medical school to tell them that donations have been suspended and to try to steer them to other donor programs. Georgetown and Howard universities also accept donated bodies.
“That is careless; that is disgusting,” said Nadine Thompson, 87, when told about the mix-up. Her sister Frances Marie Hopkins donated her body to GWU and was interred by the university at Mount Olivet. Nadine had considered doing the same but said: “That changes my mind about donating.” “That is careless; that is disgusting,” said Nadine Thompson, 87, when told about the mix-up. Her sister Frances Marie Hopkins donated her body to GWU and was interred by the university at Mount Olivet. Nadine had considered doing the same but said, “That changes my mind about donating.”