Established in 1939, the OCME of Maryland is considered "one of the model Statewide Medicolegal Death Investigative Systems" and has one of the longest running forensic fellowship programs in the United States. Under the supervision of board-certified or board-eligible forensic pathologists, the fellow will perform postmortem examinations to determine the cause and manner of death in a wide variety of cases which occur in both urban and rural settings.
The OCME investigates sudden unexpected and traumatic deaths, approximately 18,000 per year, in 23 counties. Approximately 6,000 postmortem examinations were conducted in 2020. A comprehensive curriculum includes daily morning and afternoon rounds, didactic lectures, journal clubs, and pending/consensus conferences. Scene investigations, rotations within the in-house toxicology lab, formal rotations with a local crime lab, forensic anthropology, forensic neuropathology, and cardiovascular pathology are also included. Courtroom testimony is strongly encouraged, first by shadowing attending medical examiners and followed by the fellow’s own testimony later in the year. The office is within walking distance to the University of Maryland Medical Center and School of Medicine and is easily accessible to The Johns Hopkins University Hospital. As a state employee, the fellow receives benefits such as health insurance, vacation, and sick time. Fellows are provided private office space along with protected time and funding to attend at least one national meeting.
Application for the fellowship program is
here. Send completed applications and inquiries to fellowship@ocmemd.org.
