The president of the University of North Texas Health Science Center is stepping down after an NBC News investigation revealed a program leased and dissected donated human remains without obtaining prior consent.
The University of North Texas System Board of Regents announced on Monday it had accepted Sylvia Trent-Adams’ resignation.
Over the past five years, Tarrant and Dallas counties provided the center with more than 2,000 unclaimed bodies, including those of U.S. military veterans, according to the report. The remains were used for training and research purposes or leased to private companies.
A bioethicist interviewed by NBC News likened the practice to modern-day grave robbing that disproportionately affects marginalized communities.
In response to the controversy, Texas Sen. Tan Parker (R-Flower Mound) announced plans to introduce legislation this month that would prohibit the use of bodies for research without explicit consent.
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