Forensic Pathology and Epidemiology, Public Health and Population-Based Research

Abstract

Forensic pathology can play a pivotal role in safeguarding public health. While medicolegal death investigation focuses on certifying cause and manner of individual deaths, taken in aggregate this information provides a powerful tool for epidemiologic research. The published literature provides numerous examples of the utility of forensic pathology in public health research, from describing trends in substance abuse deaths to reducing occupational fatalities and identifying unusual infectious disease deaths. Medical examiner and coroner (ME/C) offices contribute to public health research by participating in surveillance systems, including those for sudden unexplained infant deaths and violent deaths, and by alerting public health agencies to emerging threats. Accessing and utilizing ME/C data for epidemiologic research can be challenging, given the wide variation in types of jurisdictions and the availability of electronic data, but the rewards for researchers justify the endeavor. Mutually beneficial relationships can develop between epidemiologists and ME/Cs, improving both public health and medicolegal death investigation.