Forensic Pathology Laboratories Forensic Anthropology Emergency Management

NYC OCME FORENSIC PATHOLOGY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

The full staff of nearly 30 New York City medical examiners pose in doctors’ coats for their annual photo outside the Manhattan headquarters building.

The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) is home to the nation's largest forensic pathology fellowship program. Since 1990, the program has trained over 100 board-certified forensic pathologists, including current and former Chief Medical Examiners in more than 20 jurisdictions throughout the country.

Each year, the program offers four to six forensic pathology fellowship positions, and two forensic neuropathology and cardiovascular pathology fellowship positions for those seeking more specialized training.

AN UNPARALLELED TRAINING EXPERIENCE IN A GLOBAL CAPITAL

Fellowship training at OCME provides a unique and comprehensive experience in a global city unlike any other. With a jurisdiction that includes an extraordinarily diverse resident population of more than 8.3 million people speaking over 200 languages across five boroughs, 60 million tourists per year, 40,000 deaths reported annually, and 7,000 autopsies performed per year, forensic pathology fellows at OCME routinely encounter investigations ranging from the ordinary to the most unusual. The dynamic and high-profile location of New York City with its endless complexity ensures that fellows are exposed to the widest possible variety of forensic cases over the course of their training.

Fellows receive guidance and graduated supervision throughout the year from an in-house staff of more than 20 full-time medical examiners, including many esteemed graduates of the program. The comprehensive range of resources available to fellows includes world-class toxicology and histology laboratories, the largest public DNA crime laboratory in North America, and a molecular genetics laboratory – the only one of its kind to be housed in a medical examiner’s office in the country – that provides postmortem genetic testing for heritable cardiovascular, epilepsy, and thrombophilia-related diseases, with a certified genetic counselor to help families interpret results and pursue next steps. Fellows also work closely with one of the largest forensic anthropology departments in the world, renowned experts in mass fatality management and disaster preparedness, a forensic epidemiology team dedicated to provide timely and actionable information for public health authorities on drug-related deaths, and other signature innovations only available at OCME in New York City.

A large group of medical examiners and other OCME specialists stands with agency K-9 Raven and colleagues from partner government agencies during training exercise at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn, New York.

THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM: A CULTURE OF TEAMWORK

The fellowship educational program proceeds upon a structure of graduated supervision as fellows under the guidance of senior medical examiners take increasingly complicated forensic cases throughout the fellowship year. Fellows assume responsibility through all phases of case management including triage, trace evidence collection, autopsy performance, ancillary test interpretation, cause and manner of death determination, generation of the autopsy report and death certificate, discussion of findings with families, detectives, attorneys and other stakeholders, and court testimony. Each day, fellows present their cases at afternoon conference, where fellows learn to report the salient details of case history and autopsy findings and formulate an opinion on cause and manner of death in a collegial, supportive, and safe learning environment. Every fellow is continually supervised and receives guidance and feedback from a designated senior medical examiner at each stage of case management.

Training at OCME is distinguished by the emphasis on learning the principles of cause and manner of death certification using evidence-based and logical rules of reasoning, which can be consistently applied to a wide variety of unusual and challenging situations. A hallmark of the forensic pathology practice at OCME tracing back to the fellowship program’s founder, former Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Charles Hirsch, is the continual effort among senior medical examiners to maintain consistency in how cause and manner of death are certified. This outcome is achieved through frequent and open discussion of complex cases and a culture that values consensus-building and teamwork.

The educational experience is further supported by daily morning triage conferences, daily afternoon case review meetings, a structured didactic curriculum consisting of weekly Grand Rounds, Journal Clubs, Fellow Grand Rounds, Interesting Case Conferences, daily lectures for rotating medical students and residents (with some lectures given by fellows), and scheduled fellow rotations in forensic toxicology, scene investigations, and forensic anthropology (including a two -day Humans Remains Recovery Course).

COLLABORATION AND CONSISTENCY: THE NYC OCME ADVANTAGE

Serving as a medical examiner in New York City provides a unique perspective into the individual lives and deaths of those who inhabit the largest and most complex metropolis in the United States. This work constantly demonstrates the importance of collaboration between multiple city, state, and federal agencies involved in the public health, public safety, and criminal justice sectors.

A key advantage of training at a large forensic pathology program such as OCME is the shared fellowship experience and camaraderie that arises with each class of four to six forensic pathology fellows (and two forensic neuropathology /cardiovascular pathology fellows) through joint-learning exercises, informal social events, and continuous sharing and discussion of interesting and unusual cases.

A small group of OCME staff practice recovery of human remains buried in the ground during a training exercise. The remains are not real and are for training purposes only.

Four OCME forensic pathology fellows, who are medical examiners in training, practice sifting for human remains at a recovery site as part of a training exercise.

Fellows also receive academic appointments as faculty members of the Department of Forensic Medicine at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, which provides access to full-text online articles through the NYU Medical Library.

FELLOWSHIP IN FORENSIC NEUROPATHOLOGY AND CARDIOVASCULAR PATHOLOGY

OCME fellows enjoy the valuable opportunity to pursue a second-year, ACGME-accredited subspecialty fellowship in forensic neuropathology and cardiovascular pathology. Dedicated to learning forensic neuropathology and cardiovascular pathology through evaluation of brain and heart specimens submitted by medical examiners throughout the city for subspecialty evaluation of forensically-relevant questions, this unique second-year fellowship is offered under the guidance of Drs. Heather Maioli (neuropathology), Barbara Sampson (cardiovascular pathology and former New York City Chief Medical Examiner), and Peter Lin (cardiovascular pathology and Fellowship Program Director).

: Six forensic pathology fellows from OCME pose and smile in a moment of relaxation and friendship, taking a break from their rigorous training.

Four forensic pathology fellows from OCME, who are medical examiners in training, pose in the field on a sunny day during an outdoor training exercise.

FELLOWSHIP OUTCOMES

Forensic pathology fellows at OCME join a distinguished legacy of one of the oldest and most respected medical examiner offices in the country. Graduates of the program are well-positioned to obtain employment as a medical examiner in any region of the United States or abroad due to the wide network of OCME alumni, many of whom serve as Chief Medical Examiners, and the well-regarded reputation of the OCME training program. The fellowship program also functions as a crucial pipeline for medical examiner staffing at OCME with many former fellows choosing to stay on as staff members and help train the next generation of forensic pathologists.

SALARY AND BENEFITS

Forensic pathology fellows at OCME are considered employees of the City of New York and are initially appointed at the level of City Medical Examiner-I (2024 annual salary of $155k) with a benefits package that includes a defined-benefit pension plan, 401(k) and 457(b) deferred compensation programs, medical and dental insurance, and other benefits.

REQUIREMENTS

Applicants for the forensic pathology fellowship program should have obtained an M.D. or D.O. degree from an accredited medical school and successfully completed an ACGME-accredited pathology residency training in anatomic pathology, or anatomic and clinical pathology, by the start of fellowship.

HOW TO APPLY

The OCME Forensic Pathology Fellowship Program participates in the NRMP Match.

For applications received in 2024-2025 (for 2026-2027 fellowship year), applicants may submit materials either through ERAS or directly to OCME. Applications received in 2025-26 or subsequent years should be submitted through ERAS only.

If submitted directly to OCME, please send the following materials to Nancy Izquierdo, program coordinator, at nizquierdo@ocme.nyc.gov

Personal statement
Curriculum vitae
Three letters of recommendation, including one from the residency program director

Please note, an audition rotation at OCME is no longer required for applicants. Elective rotations at OCME are still available and encouraged for potential applicants. Applicants who have not previously rotated at OCME may be invited for an in-person or virtual interview after all application materials have been received.

CONTACT INFORMATION

For more information about the OCME fellowship program, please contact:

Peter T. Lin, MD
Forensic Pathology Fellowship Program Director
peterlin@ocme.nyc.gov

Nancy Izquierdo
Program Coordinator
nizquierdo@ocme.nyc.gov