USC sold cadavers to military for IDF training: report

LOS ANGELES - The University of Southern California (USC) has sold dozens of cadavers to the U.S. Navy for use in trauma training programs for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), a newly published report by USC Annenberg Media has found.

What we know:

Since 2017, the U.S. Navy has paid USC more than $860,000 for at least 89 cadaver bodies. Of these, 32 were used for a military trauma surgery training program for IDF medical teams at Los Angeles General Medical Center, the publication reported.

The program, overseen by the Navy Trauma Training Center, uses both non-perfused and perfused cadavers to simulate battlefield injuries for surgical teams. 

The bodies are acquired through either USC's Anatomical Gift Program, where donors give consent, or the LA County Office of Decedent Affairs, which manages unclaimed bodies, according to the student-led multiplatform news media organization.

What they're saying:

Medical professionals and others are raising questions about the ethical implications of the program. 

Thomas Champney, an anatomy professor at the University of Miami, stated that even though bodies are deceased, "they still deserve a level of respect and dignity and proper treatment that we would normally give to the living." 

A Keck physician who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that the facility "wasn’t designed or developed to save lives. It was just to desensitize people to the trauma."

When asked about the program, USC's Keck School of Medicine stated that it provides "trauma training courses as part of our core commitment to saving lives and advancing the highest standards of medical care" and that "the university operates its surgical skills center, including the acquisition of cadavers, in accordance with applicable regulations."

The backstory:

The Navy Trauma Training Center was established in 2002 as a partnership with LA General, a trauma center and teaching hospital affiliated with USC since 1885. 

While the IDF surgical courses began in 2013, the specific contracts mentioning IDF personnel and "fresh dissection training" began in 2017. 

In a statement, LA County Department of Health Services' Office of Communications said it is proud of its partnership with the U.S. Navy through the Navy Trauma Training Center.

 "This collaboration provides vital training for U.S. military medical personnel and strengthens trauma care that saves lives both in combat zones and here at home," officials said. 

"Under this agreement, training is exclusively for U.S. Navy personnel who hold active professional licenses in a U.S. state or territory related to trauma clinical care. These individuals participate in clinical care within our hospital and may access the Fresh Tissue Dissection Laboratory only as part of an administrative function. No foreign nationals participate through the L.A. County and U.S. Navy contract. We cannot speak to which other entities the Navy may engage in its training programs, and we refer any questions about that to the Navy," the statement continued.

What's next:

The most recent contract between USC and the Navy has the potential to be extended until September 2026, which could result in more than $200,000 in additional funding for the university.