HBRCUM

Project Title:
Body Donation and Humanistic Buddhism: Perspectives from the General Public, Pledgers, Family Members, and Healthcare Workers in the Silent Mentor Program

Reserach Team:

Principal Investigator: Wong Li Peng

Co-Researchers: Saw Aik, Tan Sik Loo, Sia Thiam Eng

Background
The Silent Mentor Program aims to cultivate humanistic values and emotional resilience in medical trainees through meaningful engagement with body donors and ceremonial practices. This study explores how spiritual beliefs shape donor decisions, how families perceive the program, and whether such practices reduce the psychological impact of cadaver exposure while enhancing clinical competence.

Research Objective
This study aims to explore how Humanistic Buddhist principles—particularly altruism, compassion, non-attachment, karma, and social responsibility—influence body donation, focusing on four groups: pledgers, families, the public, and healthcare workers. It also seeks to uncover additional spiritual motivations beyond these core concepts. Findings may enhance humanistic medical education, inform culturally sensitive bioethics and policy, and improve emotional support systems for both families and healthcare professionals.

Research Methodology
This qualitative study employs focus group discussions and in-depth interviews to explore Humanistic Buddhist values in body donation. Participants include Silent Mentor pledgers, their family members, and healthcare workers. Data will be collected virtually through purposive sampling, guided by semi-structured interview protocols focusing on core Buddhist concepts such as compassion, karma, and non-attachment. Interviews will be recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed using NVivo software. Translation and inter-coder reliability measures will ensure accuracy and rigor. Ethical approval will be obtained from Universiti Malaya Research Ethics Committee (UMREC).