Rate My Professor Kathryn McClea

Kathryn McClea serves as the Body Bequest Liaison Officer in the Department of Anatomy, part of the Otago School of Medical Sciences within the Division of Health Sciences at the University of Otago. In this capacity, she administers the Body Bequest Programme, which has provided cadaveric specimens for clinical anatomy teaching and research for over 70 years. The programme supports education for students in medicine, dentistry, physiotherapy, physical education, and science, as well as research activities by academic staff and postgraduate students. The Department of Anatomy receives approximately 50 bodies annually to meet these needs. McClea coordinates the annual Thanksgiving Service to commemorate donors and their families, with the 2025 service planned for Christchurch. Her role ensures the ethical handling of bequests and promotes awareness of body donation for advancing medical education and anatomical research.

McClea has made notable contributions to research on body donation practices through several peer-reviewed publications. She is the first author of 'The Bequest Programme at the University of Otago: cadavers donated for clinical anatomy teaching,' published in the New Zealand Medical Journal in 2008, which outlines the programme's operations, donor demographics, and its importance for anatomy education. In 2010, she co-authored 'The profile of body donors at the Otago School of Medical Sciences—has it changed?' in the same journal, analyzing survey data from 140 respondents (70% response rate) to compare donor characteristics with a 1992 study, revealing trends such as increased mean donor age and higher proportion of female donors. Her 2013 paper, 'Why do potential body donors decide against donating?' published in Clinical Anatomy, examines factors leading to withdrawal from the programme, including family concerns and health issues. Additionally, she contributed to the chapter 'Commemoration Practices at Otago' in a 2017 book on anatomical sciences. These publications, cited in subsequent studies on anatomical education and body donation globally, underscore her impact on understanding and improving bequest programmes in academic anatomy departments. McClea has also been acknowledged for providing data in research on donor variations and cultural considerations in body donation.