About Us

Forensic Medicine Section

The Section of Forensic Medicine was developed so colleagues with interests in forensic medicine can connect with other national professional forensic organizations for research and best practices. We need to develop appropriate training and resources for our residents, such as photography, case preparation, trial testimony, and an awareness of the new Department of Justice national standards to which all physicians will be held.

Join Section Operational Guidelines

Section Officers & Staff

Judith A Linden, MD, FACEP

Chair

Monika Pitzele, MD, FACEP

Vice Chair

Sally Henin, MD, FACEP

Immediate Past Chair

Heather Rozzi, MD, FACEP

Secretary/Newsletter Editor

Jessica Hobbs, DO, FACEP

Councillor

Heidi C. Knowles, MD, FACEP

Board Liaison

Mari Houlihan

Staff Liaison

Section Objectives

To provide a forum to formally interact with or have scholarly pursuits with others interested in general forensics, eg, MVCs, ballistics, etc, or with forensic subspecialties, eg, pediatric sexual assault, pediatric physical abuse and neglect, adult/adolescence sexual assault, domestic violence, and elder abuse.
To provide an opportunity for emergency physicians interested in forensic medicine to work collaboratively.
To develop training and resources for colleagues who have leadership responsibilities in sexual assault programs or in Sexual Assault Resource Teams (SART).
To develop training and resources for forensic evidence collection, preservation and documentation skills, utilizing photography and various trace evidence techniques.
To act as a resource on interfacing with the criminal justice system for case evaluation, trial preparation, and expert testimony, including strategies to improve our satisfaction when working with prosecutors.
To provide additional opportunities to help familiarize our colleagues with the national forensic standards within the DOJ SAFE protocol and ACEP's handbook, which will be increasingly used as a patient care standard.
To develop research and present educational/training programs about the specialty of forensic medicine.
To develop criteria for the establishment of an emergency medicine forensic fellowship.