Forensic Pathology Fellowship

Forensic Pathology Fellowship

The Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner (MCOME) offers an ACGME-accredited, one-year Forensic Pathology Fellowship, sponsored by the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. The fellowship is open to applicants who will have completed a three- or four-year anatomic or anatomic/clinical pathology residency prior to matriculation. MCOME’s program currently is approved and funded for two fellows annually.

Our program’s core purpose is to inspire and train exemplary physician leaders in the subspecialty of forensic pathology, so that they may serve in the critical public health and safety operations of state and local medicolegal death investigation systems; these systems serve all members of the public by investigating traumatic, non-natural, sudden/unexplained, and high-risk communicable disease deaths in their communities and by sharing information about these deaths with policy-makers, health officials, safety officials and the public-at-large. This may help prevent future deaths, enabling communities to thrive.

As MCOME is one of the busiest medical examiner’s offices in the United States, fellows will have access to a wide breadth of cases — including all forms of trauma, substance use, sudden unexpected natural diseases and communicable diseases. Under the supervision of experienced, board-certified forensic pathologists, fellows will become a fully autonomous forensic pathology practitioner by year’s end and learn valuable skills outside of the examination suite. These include how to manage practice challenges — like speaking with grieving families, building resilience to vicarious trauma, navigating the legal system, emergency responses and media relations.

Thank you for your interest in the MCOME Forensic Pathology Fellowship Program! Our fellowship will develop your medical death investigation skills and a forensic mindset through didactics, casework and discussion of our agency’s work.

Program Overview

The Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner (MCOME) serves 4.6 million people in Maricopa County, Arizona including all its cities and towns by conducting medicolegal death investigations pursuant to law. Fully accredited by the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME), the agency operates out of a free-standing, modern facility in downtown Phoenix, conveniently located across the street from the Phoenix Police Department Crime Laboratory and within a short walk to the County Court Complex where criminal trials occur. 

MCOME annually receives over 14,000 direct reports of death; of these, approximately 7,800 are deemed jurisdictional cases and just over 6,000 are admitted for postmortem examinations including 3,900 full autopsies. Our investigators respond to over 4,100 scenes annually within the 9,200 square miles of the county (the US’s 15^th largest by area and 4^th most populous) including the vast majority of ME cases outside of healthcare facilities. MCOME also revisits incident scenes for infant deaths to conduct doll scene reconstructions.  MCOME's jurisdictional cases include all homicides, suicides, accidents of all types, undiagnosed but suspected communicable diseases, and sudden unexplained natural deaths. Details of our annual caseload and operation can be found in our annual report.

Forensic Pathology Fellows gain knowledge and experience by participating in casework under the supervision and guidance of board-certified forensic pathologists. Our agency maintains full forensic pathologist staffing without Fellows, so the program can focus on education, not caseload management. Fellows are expected to complete 200-250 forensic autopsies, including all manners and types of deaths. They learn how to work-up forensic cases from the initial history and scene evaluation through postmortem examination, analysis of ancillary testing, and follow-up investigation. They gain skills in standard and advanced dissection techniques, efficient documentation of observations, and final Medical Examiner Report writing. The program prepares Fellows for autonomous practice in Forensic Pathology by year’s end and includes preparation for being a public official, how to approach media relations, and navigating trial testimony in criminal and civil litigations. Forensic Science exposure is through an off-site rotation at the Phoenix Police Department Crime Laboratory. Forensic postmortem toxicology exposure occurs at NMS Labs. Opportunities to gain experience with mass fatality and continuity planning, workplace safety, and interfacing with stakeholders in public health are available. Forensic Anthropology is taught on-site by an in-house board-certified forensic anthropologist. Likewise, Forensic Odontology experience is gained on-site by an in-house, full-time board-certified forensic odontologist. Neuropathology is provided by a contracted board-certified forensic- and neuro-pathologist who provides examination services on-site. 

Location and Facilities

Phoenix and the surrounding metropolitan area, also referred to as the “Valley of the Sun,” experiences 300+ days of sunshine annually in the beautiful Sonoran Desert. As the 5^th most populous city in the US, there are myriad choices for activities, restaurants, and entertainment. Outdoor activities are abundant and with access to higher elevations, you can often “choose your season” with a short drive. 

Phoenix is home to several professional sports teams including the Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury, Arizona Cardinals, Arizona Coyotes, and Arizona Diamondbacks.  It’s also home to over 200 golf courses.  If you want a change in scenery, California, Mexico, Las Vegas, New Mexico, and Northern Arizona are just a few hours away.  From the scenic views, bustling night life, arts, sports, and outdoor activities, Phoenix is a great place to live, explore, and enjoy.

The Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner (MCOME) is NAME accredited and housed in a modern stand-alone, three-level facility with lots of natural lighting and easy access to downtown Phoenix and the County Court Complex.  A U-shaped main examination suite with central observation hallway allows the Fellows to work on cases in close proximity to attending faculty and to be supported by a full team of forensic technicians and forensic photographers. A Lodox full-body scanner is adjacent and large monitors provide exam-suite access to radiology and scene images. Additionally, a special procedures suite allows for safe examination of cases with volatile chemical exposures and communicable diseases. The central hallway allows law enforcement observers to see the procedure without entry into the exam suite. There is covered on-site parking for all staff.

Fellows are provided a dictaphone, microscope, and a county laptop computer with on-site and remote access to our all-digital system for access to the case management system, records, images, and reports.  

For more information, please click here visit the Maricopa County Website.

Applicants

Candidates interested in the Forensic Pathology Fellowship must have a Doctor of Medicine or Osteopathic Medicine degree (MD/DO) and must have successfully completed residency training in anatomic pathology or combined anatomic/clinical pathology in an ACGME-accredited program before the start of the fellowship.

Applying

Our fellowship program now utilizes the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) as our application platform and the National Resident Matching Program “The Match” for fellowship selection. Interested candidates will need to apply through the appropriate program.

ERAS-Fellowship Application

Applications will be reviewed once all required documents listed below are completed and uploaded into ERAS:

• ERAS application
• CV without any gaps in time.
• One-page personal statement.
• Three letters of reference, including one from your pathology residency program director.
• A photo of yourself.

NRMP-The Match

Additional information is available on the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner website.

Contact

For questions, please contact: