About

 

 

Welcome

We are pleased to welcome you to the website of the Office for Oversight of Anatomic Specimens (OOAS), which serves the Health Sciences communities of the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC.  We hope that you find it to be informative and useful. Please contact us with any questions, or if you require clarification of the subject matter.

  • The OOAS was established in May, 2007, to provide a centralized support service to faculty, physicians and staff for the approval, procurement, and tracking of human cadaveric tissue required for use in teaching, training and research within the Health Sciences community, as well as for oversight of the utilization, storage, and disposition of tissue.
  • The Committee for Oversight of Research and Clinical Training Involving Decedents (CORID) is administered by the OOAS, and is responsible for the review and approval of all research and educational/clinical training activities that require the use of human cadaveric tissue and decedent medical records.
  • Unless collected through the Pitt Biospecimen Core, all biological materials collected for research purposes, whether utilized for current studies or banked for future research, must be registered with the OOAS.
  • On behalf of the Humanity Gifts Registry of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the OOAS disseminates information to individuals who are interested in body donation.

 

Mission

The Office for Oversight of Anatomic Specimens (OOAS) strives to facilitate and enhance the teaching, training, and research endeavors of our faculty, physicians and staff by creating and fostering an environment based upon the considerate treatment and ethical use of all human cadaveric tissue.

The OOAS is responsible for the administrative oversight of all human cadaveric tissue requests/approvals, procurement, utilization and final disposition.

The OOAS will also serve as a clearinghouse for human biological materials that are collected and stored or banked by University Health Sciences faculty.

Values

First and foremost:

  • To uphold the dignity of, and respect for, all donors whose selfless acts of giving enhance and enrich the undergraduate and graduate education of our healthcare professionals, physician and staff training and education, and biomedical research endeavors;
  • To function effectively, efficiently, and always with integrity; and, 
  • To ensure the highest standards of accountability in overseeing the request and procurement, handling, storage, and disposition of all tissue throughout the Health Sciences community and in partnership with other academic and healthcare institutions within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Commitment to Improvement

  • The OOAS seeks to improve the quality of our services, programs and processes through periodic review of service utilization, response to programs, and efficiency of processes, as well as through faculty, physician and staff input on performance and improvement.
  • To develop new initiatives in response to institutional needs.