RADFORD -- Radford University anthropology professor Donna Boyd recently was granted membership to the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT), a federal-level response team that provides mortuary assistance in cases of a mass fatalities or cemetery-related issues.

DMORT operates within the Department of Health and Human Services and National Disaster Medical Systems. Its teams provide technical assistance in recovering, identifying, and processing victims of mass disasters such as plane crashes, terrorist attacks or natural disasters such as hurricanes and tornados. When deployed, DMORT members act as temporary federal employees.

In recent years, DMORT teams have given assistance to victims of Hurricane Katrina, Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Oklahoma City bombing and the Columbia Space Shuttle crash.

Those teams are made up of highly-trained specialists that include forensic anthropologists, forensic odontologists, forensic pathologists, medical examiners, X-ray technicians, as well as coroners, funeral home directors and mental health professionals. Those experts provide numerous services such as assembling temporary morgue facilities, victim identification, forensic dental pathology, forensic anthropology methods, processing, preparation and disposition of remains.

“While I am happy to be a member of DMORT and to be able to serve my country in this capacity, given the tragic context of the mission, this is a public service which I hope not to have to provide,” said Boyd, a physical anthropologist who has taught at RU since 1989.

Boyd (right) is a member of the DMORT Region III team, which encompasses Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Washington, D.C. Membership requires annual training, licensure and extensive governmental background checks.

In November Boyd was named U.S. Professor of the Year for master’s level universities and colleges by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and the Carnegie Foundation for Advancement of Teaching. She received a Virginia Outstanding Faculty award from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia in February 2006. The award is the highest honor given to college and university professors in the Commonwealth.

RU students recognize Boyd for her high standards, innovative teaching and high degree of concern for their personal and career development.