NAME E-Book 2013

Preface to the 2013 NAME History eBook Third Edition This eBook is the Third Edition of the NAME History eBook. As I look back to the First Edition of the NAME Past Presidents Committee Annual History Project done in 2011, we began with guided autobiographies. Seventeen past presidents submitted their memoirs following the guided questions prepared by Randy Hanzlick. The Pub- lication Team consists of Randy Hanzlick, Jeffrey Jentzen and myself. Production team consists of coordinator, Denise McNally and graphic designer Raul Vergara of Los Angeles. In 2012, we added two more sections, i.e. History of Medical Exam- iner’s Office and dedication. The total pages were over 300. In 2013, we have further improved by adding more sections. We now call Chapters. Chapter I is newly added audio and video series. I obtained an audiotape from my THE HISTORY OF THE friend and colleague, Amnon Carmi of Haifa, Israel, who asked me if I could use this audiotape that Milton Helpern gave me. William G. Eckert recorded these audio- tapes in 1970. One recording was Milton Halpern’s comments on why he decided NAME to establish an organization exclusive for the medical examiner officers and system. National Association of Medical Examiners The tape may have been deteriorated; some areas were not clearly audible. Randy Hanzlick spent many hours listening to the video, and compared with initially tran- Past Presidents History eBook scribed audio by Denise McNally. He suggested if someone had not seen nor heard Dr. Helpern, we should use subtitles, and after 4 or 5 revisions of subtitles, further suggesting introducing Mr. Richard Child, who was the Director of the Municipal League and instrumental for the idea of creating a new organization, NAME. Chap- ter II is also new. This series deals with specific topics, such as women in the history of the NAME, Helpern Laureate Award and Gantner lecturer, etc. Chapter III is the history of the Medical Examiner’s Office, but for 2013, we divided into the State-Wide Medical Examiner system from the County Medical Examiners Officers. Chapter IV is also new. I solicited contributions on the overview of history for each state. We had an article by Joe Prahlow and John Pless regarding State of Indiana, and now adding the State of Arizona, and of Pennsylvania. Chapter V is memoir series and 2013 EDITION Chapter VI is expanded into the dedication of deceased colleagues by co-workers or students dedicating the accomplishment. I decided to use collected obituaries filed from the NAME Date Committee. As we increase edition, we should be able to fill in, and complete our History. Review and proof reading is an important job. For 2013, we asked Past President Marcella Fierro to assist the team in proof reading. Raul Vergara, graphic designer who is in charge of layout and selection of software for eBook, as new software is becoming improved, and popularity of iPad and other devices, we are now able to include video recording into the eBook. As all editions, Jeff Jentzen totally reviewed prior to release of eBook 2013. In the Past Presidents Luncheon and committee meeting, we will work on eBook 2014. We have only three more years to complete the NAME History Book, hopefully published in the occasion of the 50th Anniversary Meeting. Thomas T. Noguchi, MD Published by the Past Presidents Committee on the Occasion September 13, 2013 of the 46th Annual Meeting at Baltimore, Maryland CHAPTER I MILTON HELPERN FOUNDER OF THE NAME Note: This video presentation will be provided separately due to large file size. CHAPTER II SPECIAL TOPICS SERIES Women in the History careers included Frances Glessner Lee, Clara Raven M.D., Bonita Peterson, M.D., of the National Association Judith Lehotay M.D., and Mary Fran Ernst B.S. of Medical Examiners In 1945, Frances Glessner Lee started a series of one-week seminars at Harvard University for police and other investigators to learn about the application of pathology and medical science to the investigation of homicide. Mrs. Lee designed and built models of crime scenes used in the seminars. Mrs. Lee died in 1963. However, these seminars continued in the Department of Legal Medicine until Harvard closed the de- By Mary H. Dudley, MD. partment in 1967. The seminars, entitled The Francis G. Lee Seminars in Homicide Introduction Investigation, moved to the Medical Examiner’s Office in Baltimore, Maryland. In the 20th century, very few women became physicians due to social, economic and political restrictions. Societal expectations of the woman’s role were to marry, raise a family and support her husband’s career. Women who entered into the medical field generally went into nursing. The women’s rights movement of the 1970’s opened the door for more women to enter medical school and other male-dominated profes- sions. More women in those years became pathologists, forensic pathologists and members of the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME). Forensic Pathology as a subspecialty trailed behind other medical subspecialties with formal forensic pathology training and board certification only becoming avail- able in the late 1950’s. The first female to receive board certification in Forensic Pathology was Dr. Judith Lehotay in 1970. The professional organization of NAME was founded in 1966 and its first journal, The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, issued in 1980. Dr. Clara Raven, Chief Medical Examiner Emeritus of Wayne County, Michigan, was a true pioneer for the advancement of medical knowledge as well as for the achieve- The NAME began with a total of 24 male members in 1966. The first female member, ment of women. After graduating from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor Dr. Judith Gedney Tobin, forensic pathologist, joined in 1967. However, many other of Arts and Masters degree, she became the only female student in her freshman women were involved in death investigation and forensic pathology prior to and since class at Duke University Medical School. She then transferred as a sophomore to the beginning of NAME. Northwestern University Medical School under a quota system that allowed only four female students into the medical school. She graduated with a Doctor of Medicine This article will feature and honor the efforts of some of the many women who con- degree in 1938. In 1943, Dr. Raven was among the first women physicians com- tributed to death investigation and forensic pathology in the early years and to the missioned to serve in the U.S. Army and worked as the chief of laboratory services NAME organization for the first 25 years from 1966 to 1991. These women made sig- during WWII and the Korean War. nificant and enduring contributions to the forensic field, elevated the status of women by opening new frontiers for women, and inspired others by their example. In 1958, Dr. Raven became the first female Deputy Chief Medical Examiner of Wayne County, Michigan. Her greatest challenge was her research into the cause of Women in Forensic Investigation and Pathology sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) for more than 20 years. In the early ‘70s, Dr. Several influential women who paved the way for women to enter forensic pathology Raven testified before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee to promote funding for SIDS research and counseling of the bereaved. In 1961, she became the first female phy- sician to achieve the rank of full colonel in the Army Medical Corps. She received the Northwestern Alumni Merit Award in 1962. In 1987, she was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Historical Center and Hall of Fame with areas of achievement in Math/Science and Medicine/Health Care. Dr. Raven died in 1994. Mary Fran Ernst joined NAME in 1981 and has been actively involved and dedi- cated to the advancement and success of NAME ever since. Mary Fran retired in In 1973, Dr. Bonita Peterson was the first Chief Medical Examiner/Forensic Pa- December, 2011 after 40 years of service to Saint Louis University (SLU) as associ- thologist in Kansas City, Missouri for Jackson County. Dr. Peterson attended medical ate professor of pathology and director of medicolegal education and resides in St. school at Columbia University in New York City from 1950-1954 and did her one-year Louis, Missouri. In 1965, Mary Fran worked as an assistant in the clinical laboratory internship at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas. She department at the St. Louis University in St. Louis, Missouri under the mentorship attended the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP) in Washington, DC for 4 of George Gantner, M.D., director of the program and chief medical examiner for years of pathology residency. She received one year forensic pathology fellowship St. Louis County. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Organization Management training at the Medical Examiner’s Office in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1979, an evalu- at SLU. In 1975, she also became a medicolegal death investigator in the St. Louis ating team, including Dr. George Gantner, from the National Association of Medical County Medical Examiner’s Office. Examiners came to examine the Jackson County Medical Examiner’s office and In 1977, at a time when there was no professional death investigation training avail- found was that she was “overworked, understaffed, and without the laboratory facili- able in the country, she recognized the growing need for training and, at the urging ties provided to most medical examiners in her position.” of Dr. Gantner, developed the Medicolegal Death Investigators Training Course at Dr. Peterson had extensive experience in managing mass fatalities during her ten St. Louis University. She also developed and coordinated the Masters Level Confer- years in Kansas City.

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