What is a forensic pathologist?
A forensic pathologist is a medical doctor whose job is to determine the cause and/or manner of death in cases of suspicious death. They are sometimes referred to as medical examiners or coroners, depending on the state. A forensic pathologist has a college degree, followed by a medical degree, and a 3-4 year residency in pathology. There are also some additional residencies in forensic pathology that can lead to certification as a forensic pathologist.
The forensic pathologist is a subspecialist in pathology whose area of special competence is the examination of persons who die sudden, unexpected or violent death. The forensic pathologist is an expert in determining cause and manner of death. The forensic pathologist is specially trained: to perform autopsies to determine the presence or absence of disease; to interpret injuries and injury patterns; to interpret effects of poisoning; to evaluate historical and law-enforcement investigative information relating to manner of death; to collect medical evidence, such as trace evidence and secretions, and to document evidence of sexual assault. The forensic pathologist must have a working knowledge of other non-medical disciplines, including: toxicology, firearms (wound ballistics), trace evidence, forensic serology and DNA technology. The forensic pathologist acts as the case coordinator for the medical and forensic scientific assessment of a given death, making sure that the appropriate
A forensic pathologist is a medical specialist who investigates is deaths that are sudden, unexpected, or violent. In contrast, a regular pathologist helps to diagnose diseases in living patients as well as investigate causes of nonviolent death by laboratory examination. Forensic pathology is a subspecialty of pathology; after medical school, a resident is further trained in pathology, performing autopsies and participating in death investigation under the supervision of a trained forensic pathologist; certification is obtained by passing an exam in forensic pathology given by the American Board of Pathology. A forensic pathologist determines: • The identity of the deceased, including age, sex, and race • Time of death • Manner of death – natural, accidental, suicide, or homicide • Cause of death A forensic pathologist may perform autopsies in the investigation of deaths and must have a working knowledge of toxicology (such as drugs and drug effects), firearms and ballistics, trace ev
The forensic pathologist is a subspecialist in pathology whose area of special competence is the examination of persons who die sudden, unexpected or violent death. The forensic pathologist is an expert in determining cause and manner of death. The forensic pathologist is specially trained: to perform autopsies to determine the presence or absence of disease, injury or poisoning; to evaluate historical and law-enforcement investigative information relating to manner of death; to collect medical evidence, such as trace evidence and secretions, to document sexual assault; and to reconstruct how a person received injuries. Forensic pathologists are trained in multiple non medical sciences as well as traditional medicine. Other areas of science that the forensic pathologist must have a working knowledge of the applicability of are toxicology, firearms examination (wound ballistics), trace evidence, forensic serology and DNA technology. The forensic pathologist acts as the case coordinator
Forensic pathology is a branch of Pathology concerned with determining the cause of death by examination of a cadaver. The autopsy is performed by the pathologist at the request of a coroner usually during the investigation of criminal law cases and civil law cases in some jurisdictions. Forensic pathologists are also frequently asked to confirm the identity of a cadaver.
