SKELETON SCHOOL

Would you donate your body to science?
There is no greater gift in all of science than to donate one’s body after death, so the next generation of healthcare professionals can learn human anatomy by studying the real thing. In Skeleton School, award-winning journalist Andrew McMillen is given unprecedented access to the University of Queensland’s anatomy facilities, allowing him the chance to report on an exclusive and closely guarded world.

While embedded inside classrooms filled with students from a range of disciplines, including medicine, physiotherapy and neuroanatomy, McMillen explores the scientific and philosophical aspects of body donation, as well as how students approach the task of dissecting their fellow humans to develop their professional skills. He delves into the emotional aspects of this remarkable gift by speaking with families of donors and attending the university’s annual Thanksgiving Ceremony, where participants in the body donor program are publicly honoured.

Skeleton School is a compelling, timeless work of immersive journalism that examines these unique learning experiences in unflinching detail. By viewing death as a beautiful inevitability, rather than a topic to be feared and avoided, McMillen challenges readers to reconsider their relationship with the inescapable.

ANDREW MCMILLEN is an award-winning freelance journalist and author based in Brisbane, Australia. His first book, Talking Smack: Honest Conversations About Drugs, was published by UQP in 2014. His journalism has featured in Rolling Stone, The Guardian, The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Monthly, Good Weekend and BuzzFeed. In 2015, he was named Freelance Journalist of the Year at the Queensland Clarion Awards. He also hosts Penmanship, a podcast about Australian writing culture, which features in-depth interviews with Australians who earn a living from working with words.