When Stanford School of Medicine students begin their medical training, they learn from individuals who have made a final generous act: donating their bodies to science. Before these students ever pick up a scalpel, Arica Gaitan prepares each donor body with dignity, respect, and precision. A licensed embalmer in the Department of Surgery’s Clinical Anatomy Program, Gaitan also leads the Anatomical Gift Program.

Gaitan’s work at Stanford Medicine focuses on preservation – using specific chemical formulas and storage techniques so that donor bodies can be used for medical education and research.

Some donors are embalmed for long-term dissection and surgical training; others are left unembalmed or “fresh” for laparoscopic or intubation training to maximize lifelike muscle tone and arterial texture.

In her role as the Anatomical Gift Program lead, she works with people interested in donating their bodies to science, answering their questions, and getting them enrolled. After they pass, she coordinates with their families to facilitate their donation.

Arica Gaitan | Courtesy Arica Gaitan

The backstory

Gaitan was 12 when her life took a devastating turn. She and her family were in a car accident that claimed the lives of her father and little sister, leaving her sibling unrecognizable in her casket.

“I had nightmares,” recalled Gaitan, who suffered serious damage in the accident, including a broken pelvis and a traumatic brain injury. “The embalmer probably did the best they could, but in that moment, I thought to myself, ‘I don’t want other families to ever feel this way.’”

After the accident, her relatives started a mortuary transport business. Gaitan, still a teenager, began helping out. By 16, she was driving for the business and meeting with grieving families, which drove her desire to be more hands-on.

“I learned that helping other people helped me through my grief,” she said. “It made me feel less alone.”

Gaitan (center), with her sister (left), father (above), and mother (right). | Courtesy Arica Gaitan

Determined to do more, she enrolled in mortuary school while completing an apprenticeship with a family-owned funeral home in the California Central Valley. She then joined a funeral home business in San Jose, where she went from one case every two weeks to embalming five or more bodies a day.

For Gaitan, care and attentiveness remain central, even in the smallest details. “There are little things I do that others may not take the time to do, because it might help the family see their loved one again as themselves,” she said. Hearing families say, “They look just like themselves,” reinforced her resolve. “That’s why I became an embalmer,” she said.

The impact that matters

Since 2023, Gaitan and her manager, Julia Miranda, and colleague Kim Steffan have organized an annual memorial service to honor the individuals who donated their bodies to Stanford Medicine. The ceremony brings together students, staff, and donor families in shared gratitude.

The memorial, held at the Stanford Memorial Church in November, is a moment of closure for many families and a rare opportunity to witness the impact of their loved one’s decision. For students, it’s a chance to pay respect to the donors who help make their medical education possible.

“This project is my pride and joy,” Gaitan said. “It warms my heart to meet all the families I have been communicating with while coordinating their loved one’s donation. I can’t tell you how many hugs I got from families who remembered me.”

Looking ahead

The department hopes to expand their art installation “Renewal” – a space where donor families can find a moment of reflection and respite.

Situated above the clinical anatomy labs, the “Renewal” art installation represents reflection, connection, and continued learning. | Courtesy Department of Clinical Anatomy

The Anatomical Gift Program team envisions even more: creating ways for donors to share something of themselves with the students who will encounter them – through a recorded message, visit from a loved one, or a reflection wall honoring every donor who has given themselves to the Anatomical Gift Program.

While Gaitan’s path to embalming began with unimaginable pain, she has transformed that pain into something purposeful. Today, Gaitan is proud to work alongside colleagues who treat every donor with the same care and reverence that she does. She knows, more than most people, the impact that care can have.

Related story

Memorial service for families of those who donated their bodies to the Stanford School of Medicine

An event to commemorate body donations, “the priceless gift of generosity,” previously only open to faculty, staff, and students, is now open to the donors’ loved ones.