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For Immediate Release: February 7, 2025

Brookfield, Wis. – The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) Embalming & Restorative Art Seminar is returning in 2025 with an exciting new format designed to provide embalmers with cutting-edge techniques and hands-on experience. Scheduled for May 7-9 at the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, this premier seminar offers a unique opportunity to engage in live demonstrations on a donor body and interactive training using the exclusive Headzo models. Scholarships from the Funeral Service Foundation are available to help funeral service professionals attend this invaluable event. 

This immersive learning experience caters to embalmers of all skill levels, from novices to seasoned professionals. Led by industry experts, the seminar will feature dynamic sessions, including:

• May 7 – Live Embalming and Lecture and Demonstration: Michael Burns, CFSP, dean of Faculty and Students, and Nicholas Ricci, an instructor at the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, will lead attendees through live demonstrations of critical embalming techniques on a donor body, including arterial injection, cosmetics and restorative methods.
• May 8 and 9 – Live Demonstration and Application: Using Headzo models Burns and Ricci will guide participants through cranial reconstruction, restoration, cosmetic application and hair placement, offering valuable hands-on experience.
• May 8 – Embalming Risk Management: Chris Farmer, NFDA general counsel, will explore the legal risks embalmers encounter and provide strategies for minimizing liability exposure.
• May 9 – Ask the Experts Panel: A unique opportunity to engage directly with Burns, Ricci and Farmer, allowing attendees to gain deeper insights and address specific questions.

NFDA’s Embalming & Restorative Art Seminar always receives high marks from participants. A 2024 attendee shared, “All of the embalming sessions were excellent. I walked away with so many great ideas and tips. [It] sparked a thirst to try out new ideas.” Another noted, “I liked everything about the seminar. Very informational, hands-on and educational; the best part – I made a few new funeral director friends.”

Scholarships Available

Thanks to the generosity of its donors, the Funeral Service Foundation is providing five scholarships to attend the 2025 NFDA Embalming & Restorative Art Seminar. Valued at up to $1,450, each scholarship covers registration fees, two nights of lodging and a $500 travel stipend. Applicants must be licensed embalmers (NFDA membership not required). To learn more and apply by March 28, visit NFDA.org/EmbalmingSeminar. Applicants will be notified of their status by early-April. 

Register Early and Save!

Registration for the 2025 NFDA Embalming & Restorative Art Seminar is now open and the early-bird pricing is available through April 24. Participants may choose to attend the live embalming demonstration on May 7, the hands-on Headzo training on May 8-9, or both! Participants are encouraged to register early; seating is limited to just 70 participants for the Headzo demonstration. 

To secure a spot, visit NFDA.org/EmbalmingSeminar or call 800-228-6332. 

Several hotels are located near the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science; attendees may visit NFDA.org/EmbalmingSeminar for recommendations and to book a room. 

NFDA is grateful to the Heritage Club, The Dodge Company and Frigid Fluid for their support of this seminar. 

The Profession’s Best Embalming and Restorative Art Resources 

NFDA offers a wide range of education and resources to help funeral service professionals practice embalming with a high degree of excellence. 

On March 12, NFDA will host Navigating the First Solo Embalming: Bridging the Information Gap for Apprentices as part of its Level Up Learning Webinar series. This presentation by Damon de la Cruz guides apprentices through key challenges like fluid selection, dilution and injection site choices. Leveraging the experience of seasoned embalmers, attendees will learn strategies for tackling challenges head-on and insights into the decision-making processes experienced embalmers use. Level Up Learning Webinars are free for NFDA members and $79 for nonmembers. Funeral professionals can register online at NFDA.org/Events or by calling 800-228-6332. 

The 2025 NFDA International Convention & Expo, taking place October 26-29 in Chicago, Illinois, will feature a preconvention embalming seminar and multiple education sessions covering technical skills. Look for full details when registration for the NFDA Convention opens in the spring.  

NFDA offers several online learning courses focused on technical skills. Courses cover a variety of topics and enable funeral professionals to boost their skills wherever and whenever they have Internet access. A full list of courses can be found on the NFDA website, NFDA.org/OLC. 

NFDA’s collection of legal forms, available exclusively to members at NFDA.org/LegalForms,  includes several forms related to preparation, including embalming authorization forms, embalming affidavits, embalming report forms and more.

NFDA developed two consumer brochures, Embalming: Answers to Your Questions and The Value of Viewing the Body of Your Loved One, to help families understand the embalming process, the value of viewings and visitations as part of end-of-life rituals, and answer common questions. The brochures can be ordered through the NFDA Resource Store, NFDA.org/Store, or by calling 800-228-6332. 

Funeral directors may also want to encourage families they serve to visit NFDA’s consumer-facing website, RememberingALife.com, which serves as a guide to honoring a life well-lived, from planning a tribute to mourning a loved one. The site offers guidance on how to start the planning process, the kinds of decisions families will make, and the many options available to make a tribute personal and meaningful. The site highlights service options, including embalming and the value of viewing; details about cremation and burial; and prefunding options.

About NFDA

NFDA is the world’s leading and largest funeral service association, serving 20,000 individual members who represent nearly 11,000 funeral homes in the United States and 49 countries around the world. NFDA is the trusted leader, beacon for ethics and the strongest advocate for the profession. NFDA is the association of choice because it offers funeral professionals comprehensive educational resources, tools to manage successful businesses, guidance to become pillars in their communities and the expertise to foster future generations of funeral professionals. NFDA is headquartered in Brookfield, Wisconsin, and has an office in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit NFDA.org. 

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Media Contact: Jessica Koth, 262-814-1536, jkoth@nfda.org