Training Forensic Pathologists by Building on Residency Autopsy Education: A Survey Showing Where to Improve

Obstacles to developing and sustaining a sufficient workforce of well-trained forensic pathologists present themselves during training and practice. This study focuses on the experience of the 2024-2025 forensic pathology fellowship cohort, surveyed twice to gather perspectives on their training in autopsy and forensic pathology. The first survey, conducted at the start of fellowship, focused on residency autopsy education and preparation for fellowship. This survey (n=25) found that having engaged teachers (28%), case variety (20%), and autonomy during rotations (20%) during residency were positive experiences. Mentorship (36%) and strong ties between adult hospital, pediatric hospital, and medicolegal autopsy services and practitioners were viewed as formative experiences before fellowship training. The second survey was conducted at the end of fellowship and focused on fellowship training as preparation for practice. This survey (n=16) had 11 respondents who anticipated transitioning to forensic pathology practice. They indicated that forensic (100%) and autopsy pathology (88%) rotations were useful to their fellowship training and that having more exposure to toxicology and cardiac pathology in residency would have been beneficial. The results also suggest a role for national organizations to provide educational materials and mentorship networks to recruit and train the next generation of forensic pathologists.