Department Chair
Welcome from the Department Chair
The Department of Pathology consists of 10 faculty members and 36 staff members who are dedicated to the teaching, service, and research of human pathology.
Our primary focus is forensic pathology and our commitment is to the public health and safety of the communities we serve, from rural towns to cities. An integral part of our commitment to forensic pathology is our faculty serving as the Office of the Medical Examiner for over 13 counties covering the states of Michigan and Northern Indiana. Medical Examiner work is a large and coordinated effort involving a chief and three deputy investigators as well as over 75-80 medical examiner investigators that work in the counties and areas we serve.
Our research efforts are primarily focused on the investigation of the effects of trauma and the pathophysiology of diseases resulting in sudden and unexpected deaths. We also have an active toxicology division which supports the state of Michigan as well as providing research projects for graduate, medical, and undergraduate students.
Our forensic anthropologist group provides significant support to our forensic pathology efforts by assisting with case analysis and with complex death scenes in Michigan and Indiana. We currently have a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in forensic anthropology.
Our Division of Neuropathology is a national referral site for both the diagnosis and research of causes and consequences of diseases of the human nervous system.
Our department oversees the Body Donation Program which is a vital service to our community and a great resource for the training of future physicians.
Our faculty participate in the education of the medical students through an integrated approach in the medical school curriculum and through elective opportunities. In addition to our fellowship in forensic anthropology, we also have a forensic pathology fellowship for MD/DO pathologists seeking additional training and eventual NBME certification in forensic pathology.