Meet Science Care: Tricia Hammett

Founded in 2000, Science Care is the leading body donation authority in the world, and we set the industry standard that families have come to trust. We are proud of our commitment to the highest levels of safety and quality.

Our work wouldn’t be possible without the team that works tirelessly to ensure we honor donors’ desire to leave a lasting legacy. In this series, we will introduce you to our team so you can get to know the passion that drives us. 

Born outside of Nashville, Tennessee, it should be no surprise that Tricia Hammett’s parents played at the Grand Ole Opry. Her father, a drummer, and her mother, a singer, have photos with country legends like Minnie Pearl and Stonewall Jackson. 

While her upbringing was humble, Tricia was raised in a creative, resourceful home by a mother who chose to always see the cup as half full. Tricia tells stories of her mother boiling water for baths, handwashing their laundry, using the oven to heat the house and endless batches of biscuits and gravy to keep them fed. Certainly there were challenges, but her mother taught her how to make something from nothing. 

To know Tricia is to know that our work at Science Care is deeply personal for her. At 10 years old, Tricia’s father was diagnosed with metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the mouth and throat. After four years of treatment, he lost his battle to cancer. Both of Tricia’s paternal grandparents lost their battles with cancer when she was 12 and 14 years old. Her mother has battled many health challenges over the years, including a full hysterectomy, chronic migraines that led to a fibromyalgia diagnosis, two open heart surgeries, multiple hernia surgeries, and most recently a spinal fusion.

Tricia joined the Science Care team in August 2009 as the Assistant Manager of Donor Services, providing support and guidance to donor’s loved ones in their time of need. Working with donors and the public started Tricia’s career with Science Care off on a personal note.

Over the years, Tricia served as Client Services Manager working with Science Care’s order and tissue management teams and Events Manager helping clients facilitate hands-on training labs. She rose through the ranks, gathering extensive experience as Director, Vice President, Senior Vice President and then President of Client Services, dabbling in accounting, quality, marketing, and truly any other area that needed support. 

Currently Tricia serves as Science Care’s CEO and American Association of Tissue Banks’ Accreditation’s Program Director. Outside of her dedicated commitment to Science Care donors and clients, Tricia feels most alive when spending time with her daughter and her family. Her passions include travel, cooking, board games, trying new things and lifting weights. 

“It is a privilege to be entrusted with such a generous gift. Every day, the Science Care team rallies around the life affirming gift of donation. As a team we strive to place every donation with truly impactful research and educational opportunities to ensure the Science Care program and our donors make a difference for future generations. Our team has the honor to see the full circle of donation and witness the miracles of medical advancement every day. I feel truly blessed to have such a rewarding responsibility and I couldn’t ask for a better team of people to assist in carrying it out.” – Tricia Hammett