USC and UC schools sold donated bodies to the U.S. Navy, which used them to train Israeli military medics, and donors’ families had no idea

An investigation by Annenberg Media and the UC San Diego Guardian found that USC and University of California schools sold donated bodies to the U.S. Navy, which then used them to train Israeli military medics. The families of the donors were never told about this. The investigation was first published last year.

A recent documentary by Al-Jazeera-owned youth-focused digital media outlet, AJ+, titled Israeli Military Medics Are Training On Dead Americans, brought together journalists from Annenberg Media and the UCSD Guardian to follow up on the original reporting. 

According to the documentary, USC’s sale of bodies to the Israeli military was first discovered by a USC-affiliated physician in 2024. The physician asked not to be named due to fear of retaliation and described the findings as “horrific.”

Donor families say they were kept in the dark, and the institutions involved have failed to give straight answers

Jeanette Volpin, a 101-year-old donor, had her body donated to USC’s Anatomical Gift Program. Her daughter Miriam was furious when she found out it could have been used to train Israeli military medics. “It really has destroyed any trust,” Miriam said.

Dr. Mohamad Raad, a USC-affiliated physician, also spoke about the loss of trust that followed the reporting. “Even during the genocide, even when the Israeli army was bombing schools and hospitals and kidnapping physicians, these contracts were being renewed,” Raad said. “What happens when these institutions lose moral legitimacy?” This comes amid a broader pattern of Israeli military actions drawing international condemnation.

UC Health has since added a note to its FAQ page saying that donated bodies may be “shared” with other institutions and used to train military personnel. In a letter to Wendy Smith, who withdrew her donation to UCSD after the story came out, the school said, “We will not be responding to factually inaccurate reporting by student reporters who have an agenda.”

USC responded through the Keck School of Medicine with a statement saying, “Our mission is to advance the highest standards of medical education and care for all people, and in the divided world we live in, it is even more important for us to carry out that mission irrespective of political ideology, social status, or creed.” The revelations also come at a time when U.S.-Israel diplomatic dealings face scrutiny.

The student journalists behind the investigation said they hope their work leads to more transparency from these schools. “We see the connections to our own university,” said Sasha Ryu, one of Annenberg Media’s investigative reporters. “I think just consistently our reporting reminds us that we’re a part of something much bigger than just our campus.”