Digital Donor Library

In 2005, the University of California issued an RFP to create a software system for all Anatomical Materials Programs (AMPs) within UC. Each year nearly 1,000 Californians make an extraordinary gift by donating their bodies to further educational, research, and clinical pursuits. The Digital Donor Library (DDL) system ensures that these gifts are managed in a secure and respectful manner. UC Irvine HSIS was selected by the Regents of UC to design and build the DDL in late 2005. The first version was completed in 2008 and actively adopted by all five UC AMPs. During the design and build phase of DDL, HSIS discovered an opportunity to engage with the State of California, which had started the development of an Electronic Death Records System (EDRS). HSIS was selected by the State to provide feedback on EDRS functionality, and ultimately it incorporated functionality into the DDL that electronically files death records into the State EDRS, increasing productivity and reducing errors.

Notable features of the DDL system include: A single data repository for all UC campuses; remote monitoring capabilities for UC officials over secure connections; allocation, tracking and analysis/research of anatomical specimens at local and remote campuses; and secure mobile access, enabling AMP personnel to verify from a handheld device a donor’s information upon death. Additionally, the DDL has generated interest by other universities that wish to use the system for research purposes. The DDL system is currently being updated to incorporate authentication via the UC identity management federation called UCTrust. The updated DDL will improve user experience through Single Sign-On, and it will increase security through an automatic separation process, already in place at each campus’ Human Resource Information System (HRIS). The DDL system demonstrates the potential for cooperation between technical personnel and system-wide researchers to create dynamic and useable research information systems. The ICTS CBMI is working to continually improve and update the DDL, rendering it even more useful for national emulation.

Support

Brandi Schmitt, MS, Director of Anatomical Services, Health Sciences and Services, Office of the President, University of California: Ms. Schmitt directs the University of California initiated statewide effort to promote the most ethical, optimal, and efficient use of anatomic materials for education and research. Her letter acknowledges the leadership that UC Irvine CBMI staff has taken in developing this flexible informatics approach to organizing this precious resource across the five medical campuses of the University of California (Digital Donor Library). Moreover, Ms. Schmitt highlights the willingness of the University of California to work with national networks through the CTSA to share our experience in utilizing this inventory in a more efficient manner and providing a level of transparency, tracking and security that is critical to the overall accountability and operation of these programs.

Letter of Support