This article is a part of an investigative series called “Dealing the Dead,” which explores the utilization of unclaimed bodies for medical research.
The president of the University of North Texas Health Science Center has announced his resignation, following an NBC News investigation that exposed the center’s failure to inform families prior to utilizing their deceased relatives’ bodies for medical research.
The University of North Texas System Board of Regents announced on Monday that Sylvia Trent-Adams has resigned from her position. In a three-paragraph statement, the board expressed their appreciation for Trent-Adams’ dedication, integrity, and respect. The statement did not reference NBC News’ reporting or provide a specific reason for her departure.
According to Health Science Center spokesperson Andy North, Trent-Adams has cited personal reasons for her departure. However, Trent-Adams did not provide any further comment on the matter.
In September, NBC News released the initial part of a yearlong investigation into the practice of the Fort Worth-based Health Science Center. The investigation focused on their process of dissecting, examining, and renting out the bodies of deceased individuals who have been left unclaimed. These are often individuals whose family members are difficult to contact or who are unable to afford the costs of cremation or burial.
For a span of five years, the center had acquired approximately 2,350 unclaimed bodies from Dallas and Tarrant counties. These bodies were utilized to educate medical students, while some were dissected and leased to external organizations, such as prominent biotech companies and the U.S. Army. This arrangement generated approximately $2.5 million in annual revenue for the center. It is important to note that these actions were carried out without the consent of the deceased individuals and often without the knowledge of their surviving family members.
Days before NBC News published its investigation and shared detailed findings with the Health Science Center, the institution took action by suspending its body donation program. It also terminated the officials responsible for running the program and enlisted the help of a consulting firm to conduct a thorough study of its operations.
In her emails to students and faculty, Trent-Adams expressed concern about the findings of the report, highlighting a lack of proper controls and oversight within the center’s Willed Body Program. She emphasized that the program had failed to meet the high standards of respect, care, and professionalism that are expected. Trent-Adams also noted that the center’s leadership had been unaware of the routine practice of shipping unclaimed remains, including those of U.S. military veterans, across state lines.
In the days following the incident, Trent-Adams received numerous messages from worried students, staff, and alumni, as revealed in the emails obtained through a public records request. One medical student from the Health Science Center expressed concern, stating that consent is emphasized in the practice of medicine, but NBC News’ report raised doubts about whether the administration followed this principle in our academic anatomy lab.
Another student expressed their disgust at the thought of dissecting bodies without obtaining proper consent. They highlighted the fact that they referred to the bodies as “donors,” assuming that they had willingly offered their bodies for this purpose, without realizing that they were actually indigent individuals who had no say in the matter.
NBC News was able to swiftly locate several families who were angered and devastated to discover that their relatives had been dissected and studied without their consent. Despite being described as having no next of kin, the Health Science Center had used their bodies for research purposes. In October, the news outlet released the names of hundreds of individuals whose unclaimed bodies were sent to the center, which prompted additional survivors to come forward. To date, over 25 families have been identified by reporters who learned, sometimes weeks, months, or even years later, that their loved ones had been utilized for scientific research.
In September, the Health Science Center issued a statement expressing their commitment to reaching out to additional survivors and their families, offering heartfelt apologies for the distress caused.
Abigail Willson was one of the individuals searching for answers. After discovering her mother’s passing and subsequent donation to the Health Science Center through the NBC News published list, Willson and her family visited the center in October to gather more information. During their visit, a staff member informed them that Trent-Adams expressed a desire to meet with them.
“We waited for 45 minutes, but the university president never showed up,” Willson recalled. “Afterwards, they collected our information to pass on to her, but she never reached out to us.”
In November, the Texas Funeral Service Commission took action by sending a letter to Trent-Adams. The letter ordered the center to cease the practice of liquefying bodies, as it was deemed illegal under state law. The center, also known as water cremation, defended the legality of the practice but had already ceased it on the day NBC News released its investigation in September.
The Health Science Center had been receiving unclaimed bodies since at least 2019. This was three years before Trent-Adams became president after a successful military career. Prior to her current role, she served as the acting U.S. surgeon general during President Donald Trump’s first term.
She will be leaving the Health Science Center on January 31st.