The Talent Training Model of Forensic Medicine in Japan and Its Reference.

The quality of Japanese forensic experts has been widely recognized around the world, which cannot be separated from the "ripple effect" caused by the rapid rise of the modern forensic education in Japan. By continuously adopting foreign forensic education resources and teaching experience, it has finally formed a forensic professional talent training model with a clear hierarchy of basic education and professional training, as well as classroom teaching and case studies complementing each other; and it continuously improves the comprehensive quality of practitioners through domestic training and international exchange and cooperation, providing talented professionals for the development of the Japanese forensic industry. In this context, this article takes the development history of Japanese forensic medicine as the starting point to study how it gradually formed the embryonic form of forensic education in modern times. Based on this, it analyzes the characteristics of Japan's modern forensic medicine talent training model, summarizes excellent experiences for localized transformation, such as emphasizing the role of practical teaching, exerting the effectiveness of vocational skills training, and promoting international exchange and cooperation, to provide reference and inspiration for the training of relevant professional talents in China.

Utilizing a participatory curriculum development approach for multidisciplinary training on the forensic medical evaluation of asylum seekers.

BACKGROUND: Clinicians play an important role in asylum applications through the forensic medical evaluation (FME). The lack of adequately trained and knowledgeable clinicians limits access to FME. Participatory curriculum development is a powerful tool that elevates voices of multiple stakeholders to generate innovation in FME education. The objective of this study was to conduct an interview-based curricular needs assessment of the core skills needed to perform safe and effective FME and the most effective teaching methods targeting multidisciplinary learners. METHODS: In accordance with a participatory curriculum development framework, we conducted semi-structured interviews of individuals in four key stakeholder groups that play an important role in FME: asylees, experienced educators, prospective learners, and attorneys. We used grounded theory, an inductive approach to the thematic coding of interview transcripts. RESULTS: Interview participants described the most important skills for performing FME and approaches to teaching these skills. Thematic saturation was reached at 13 interviews. Four major themes central to an FME curriculum were identified: (1) Core knowledge and technical skills to perform effective FME, (2) Practical skills in a trauma-informed approach to FME, (3) Mitigating secondary trauma and building resilience, and (4) Teaching approaches for multi-disciplinary learners. CONCLUSION: We conducted an interview-based study utilizing participatory curriculum development principles to investigate the most important skills to conduct safe and effective FME of asylum seekers. We found that experiential training that emphasizes the practice of skills in a multi-disciplinary environment is more aligned with stakeholder needs than existing frameworks built around one-way knowledge transfer.

Gender Gap in academic medicine: a narrative review and the Italian forensic context.

Background: Gender gap is a neologism that identifies the disparity between social and professional conditions experienced by females compared to males. The disparity increases as one ascends the academic hierarchy. In recent years, the debate has expanded, and more options have been planned for the elimination of the current gender gap. Methods: This research was conducted by examining the landscape of the gender gap, particularly in the academic forensic medicine field. Our analysis involved reviewing papers published between 2006 and 2024, identified through electronic database searches (PubMed). The search terms used were: "gender gap" AND "academic" AND "medicine" AND "leadership." In total, we analyzed 85 papers. Additionally, we examined data from forensic medicine residency programs. Conclusions: The representation of women in medicine is well-known. Despite the increasing number of women in leadership positions in medicine, they still lag significantly behind men. These data highlight a situation that could be seen as grounds for an accusation of "academic abuse". In the Italian forensic residency programs, less than 20% are led by women, and among these, not all hold the rank of full professor. Although a certain rebalancing is already underway, the gap is still significant. There are already regulations obliging local authorities to promote gender equality in councils, companies, and institutions under their jurisdiction. It would be desirable to consider minimum quotas for female participation in university competitions. This would be a first step toward eliminating the gender gap in academic and forensic medical fields.

Forensic Neurology: Practice Considerations and Training Opportunities.

Neurologic evidence, including MRI, PET, and EEG, has been introduced in more than 2,800 criminal cases in the past decade, including 12% of all murder trials and 25% of death penalty trials, to argue whether neurologic diseases are present, contribute to criminal behavior, and ultimately whether the defendant is less criminally responsible, competent to stand trial, or should receive a reduced punishment for his or her crime. Unfortunately, neurologists are often not involved in these criminal cases despite being the medical specialty with the most relevant training and expertise to address these issues for the court. Reasons for the absence of neurologists in criminal cases include a lack of awareness from lawyers, judges, and other expert witnesses on the value of including neurologists in forensic evaluations, and the lack of experience, training, and willingness of neurologists to work as expert witnesses in criminal cases. Here, we discuss forensic neurology, a field bridging the gap between neurology, neuroscience, and the law. We discuss the process of performing forensic evaluations, including answering 3 fundamental questions: the neurologic diagnostic question, the behavioral neurology/neuropsychiatry question, and the forensic neurology question. We discuss practical aspects of performing forensic expert witness work and important ethical differences between the neurologist's role in treatment vs forensic settings. Finally, we discuss the currently available pathways for interested neurologists to receive additional training in forensic assessments.

[Russian Medical Academy of Continuing Professional Education - the leading educational institution in the country for the training of forensic medical personnel (for the 90th anniversary from the establishment of the department of forensic medicine)]. / Rossiiskaya meditsinskaya akademiya nepreryvnogo professional'nogo obrazovaniya ­ vedushchee obrazovatel'noe uchrezhdenie strany po podgotovke sudebno-meditsinskikh kadrov (k 90-letiyu so dnya obrazovaniya kafedry sudebnoi meditsiny).

The article presents a detailed analysis of the stages of formation, development and achievements of the forensic medicine department of the Russian Medical Academy of Continuing Professional Education of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, established in 1933 yr. More than 100 resident doctors and 15 PhD students have been trained in the department for 90 years. As a part of additional professional education implementation, more than 800 cycles of training courses for forensic medical and forensic experts and more than 30 cycles of professional retraining for doctors of other specialties have been carried out. More than 160 thous. specialists have been trained at the department since its establishment. Many employees of the department were directly involved in the performance of the most complicated and socially significant forensic medical examinations. The article describes the main achievements and scientific directions of the department's staff activity, directions and prospects of improving the training of forensic medical personnel in the country.

[Educational trajectory of forensic medical expert in the system of continuous medical education]. / Obrazovatel'naya traektoriya sudebno-meditsinskogo eksperta v sisteme nepreryvnogo meditsinskogo obrazovaniya.

The objective of the study is to determine the possibility and the right to choose the directions of self-education and self-development by forensic medical experts within the framework of personal and professional development program in the educational trajectory formation. The materials of special and encyclopaedic literature including pedagogical and sociological sciences, as well as legal framework regulating the processes of continuing medical education have been studied. The choice of educational trajectory of forensic physician depending on personal benchmarks, self-education building and participation in educational activities has been defined.

External post-mortem examination in virtual reality-scalability of a monocentric application.

Conducting external post-mortem examinations is an essential skill required of physicians in various countries, regardless of their specialization. However, the quality of these examinations has been a subject of continuous debates, and notable errors were reviled. In response to these shortcomings, a virtual reality (VR) application was developed at Halle's medical department in Germany, focusing on the scene of discovery and the completion of death certificates. The initial trial of this VR application in 2020 involved 39 students and 15 early-career professionals. Based on the feedback, the application underwent improvements and was subsequently introduced to the medical department in Dresden, Germany, in 2022. Its primary objective was to showcase the VR training's adaptability and scalability across various educational structures and levels of medical expertise. Out of 73 students who participated, 63 completed the evaluation process. 93.1% (n = 58) of the evaluators reported increased confidence in conducting external post-mortem examinations, and 96.8% (n = 61) felt more assured in filling out death certificates, crediting this progress to the VR training. Additionally, 98.4% (n = 62) believed that repeating forensic medical aspects in their coursework was crucial, and 96.8% (n = 61) viewed the VR examination as a valuable addition to their academic program. Despite these positive responses, 91.6% (n = 55) of participants maintained that training with real corpses remains irreplaceable due to the insufficiency of haptic feedback in VR. Nevertheless, the potential for enhancing the VR content and expanding the training to additional locations or related disciplines warrants further exploration.

Current status of undergraduate teaching in forensic & legal medicine in Europe.

The European Council of Legal Medicine (ECLM) is the body established in 1992 to represent practitioners forensic & legal medicine and is composed of delegates of the countries of the European Union (EU) and from other countries which form part of Europe to a current total of 34 member countries. The aims of this study were to determine the current status of undergraduate forensic & legal medicine teaching in the curriculum of medical studies in ECLM countries and to use the results of this study to determine whether it would be appropriate to develop new guidelines and standards for harmonising the content of undergraduate forensic medicine training across ECLM member countries. A detailed questionnaire was sent to all individuals or organisations listed on the ECLM contact database. Responses were received from 21 of 33 countries on the database. These responses showed considerable emphasis on undergraduate teaching of forensic medicine in all countries with the exception of Belgium and the United Kingdom. There was great general consistency in the subjects taught. The data from this survey provide a baseline which should assist in developing a strategy to harmonise forensic & legal medicine undergraduate training in member countries of the ECLM. The ECLM is now in a good position to establish a pan-European working group to coordinate a consensus document identifying an appropriate and modern core undergraduate forensic medicine curriculum that can be presented to the medical education authorities in each country, and which can be adapted for local requirements, based on available personnel, the forensic medicine structure in the country, and most importantly, the needs of the local population.

[To the 90th anniversary of the department of pathological anatomy with a course of forensic medicine named after professor D.D.Lokhov of Saint Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University]. / K 90-letiyu kafedry patologicheskoi anatomii s kursom sudebnoi meditsiny im. professora D.D. Lokhova Sankt-Peterburgskogo gosudarstvennogo pediatricheskogo meditsinskogo universiteta.

The article is devoted to the history of Professor D.D. Lokhov Department of Pathological Anatomy with a course of forensic medicine of the St. Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University of the Ministry of Health of Russia, founded by one of founders of the national pathological anatomy of childhood and adolescence, Professor D.D. Lokhov, whose name has been awarded to the Department since 2022. The updated advances of the Department in research, teaching and diagnostic activity are presented.

[Establishment and initial stage of forensic anthropology's development at Moscow University]. / Stanovlenie i nachal'nyi etap razvitiya sudebno-meditsinskoi antropologii v Moskovskom universitete.

A historical and medical study of preconditions and circumstances of the forensic anthropology establishment is presented. Official demographic statistics and P.A. Minakov's scientific publication on anthropology and forensic medicine were used. The circumstances of forensic anthropology occurrence (a new scientific direction in forensic medicine) were studied. The precondition of its appearance was a strong migration process, with a prevalent concentration of population in large industrial cities. The fact that studied occurrence took place in Moscow can be explained by the high level of development of the anthropological school at Moscow University, and by the fact that one of its leaders, P.A. Minakov, simultaneously headed the university's department of forensic medicine. The idea of anthropology scientific integration into forensic medicine, which was successfully implemented at the Forensic Medicine Department of the Moscow University, belonged to him.

Exploration and Practice of the "One Combination, Two Highlights, Three Combinations, Four in One" Innovative Talents Training Mode in Forensic Medicine.

Talent is one of the basic and strategic supports for building a modern socialist country in all aspects. Since the 1980s, the establishment of forensic medicine major and the cultivation of innovative talents in forensic medicine have become hot topics in higher education in forensic medicine. Over the past 43 years, the forensic medicine team of Shanxi Medical University has adhered to the joint education of public security and colleges, and made collaborative innovation, forming a training mode of "One Combination, Two Highlights, Three Combinations, Four in One" for innovative talents in forensic medicine. It has carried out "5+3/X" integrated reform, and formed a relatively complete talent training innovation mode and management system in teaching, scientific research, identification, major, discipline, team, platform and cultural construction. It has made a historic contribution to China's higher forensic education, accumulated valuable experience for the construction of first-class major and first-class discipline of forensic medicine, and provided strong support for the construction of the national new forensic talent training system. The popularization of this training mode is conducive to the rapid and sustainable development of forensic science, and provides more excellent forensic talents for national building, regional social development and the discipline construction of forensic science.

Advancing Health Equity Through Graduate Forensic Nursing Education.

ABSTRACT: Social justice is a core value of nursing and is deeply rooted within forensic nursing. Forensic nurses are uniquely positioned to examine and address social determinants of health that contribute to victimization, lack of access to forensic nursing services, and inability to utilize resources and services aimed at restoring health after an injury or illness related to trauma or violence. To achieve this, forensic nursing capacity and expertise must be strengthened through robust education. A graduate, forensic nursing, program sought to address this educational need by integrating content related to social justice, health equity, health disparity, and social determinants of health throughout its specialty curriculum.

[75 years in the service of Karelia: to the anniversary of the State Medical Institution of the Republic of Karelia Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination]. / 75 let na sluzhbe Karelii: k yubileyu GBUZ RK «Byuro sudebno-meditsinskoi ekspertizy¼.

The article is dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the State Budgetary Healthcare Institution of the Republic of Karelia «Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination¼. The history of the formation of the forensic medicine service in the Republic of Karelia is briefly described. The data on the heads of the service and well-known forensic experts, the organizers of the forensic medical examination in Karelia, the course of forensic medicine of Petrozavodsk State University, the role of its employees in the work of the State Medical Institution of the Republic of Karelia «Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination¼ are presented. In addition to available literature sources, archival materials of employees and veterans of the forensic medical service of Karelia were used.

An evaluation of Italian medical students attitudes and knowledge regarding forensic medicine.

INTRODUCTION: This study aims to assess students' knowledge of forensic medicine concepts and their opinions regarding the course taught during the degree course in Medicine and Surgery in an Italian university. Consequently, the study aims to assess the impact of the course on the students' knowledge and attitude in choosing a medical residency. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted through an anonymous web-based survey of medical students at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore. Descriptive and univariate analysis were conducted. RESULTS: 1166 students completed the survey. The forensic medicine course appears to be extremely important in providing training in the fundamental concepts of forensic medicine, especially professional liability, defensive medicine, and forensic pathology. Attending autopsies is important during the course, and their number should be more than ten. Additionally, univariate analysis demonstrates that students' awareness of forensic medicine topics, such as the function of the forensic physicians, professional liability, and defensive medicine, improves in the fifth or sixth year of the course. After the course, more students would choose to pursue a nonclinical and nonsurgical specialty, and forensic medicine specifically, for their residency. CONCLUSIONS: The forensic medicine course has the task of defining the duties and responsibilities of forensic physicians, providing indispensable tools for future medical practitioners, regardless of their future specialisation, and limiting the increasing use of defensive medicine. In conclusion, we recommend further multicenter studies to evaluate the role and direct effect of undergraduate forensic medicine courses on students and on the quality of practice.

What is the Preferred Educational Background of Forensic Scientists?

Forensic science is a broad and rapidly developing field where fundamental scientific principles and techniques are used to investigate crimes. As the field evolves, universities offering forensic science degrees are increasing in both number and diversity of curricula. Paramount to any discussion around forensic science education is an assessment of what educational degrees are preferred by those hiring both entry- and supervisory-level forensic scientists. Quantification of degree preference through surveys of hiring officials occurred in 1986 and 1996. Since then, the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission was established and has flourished, potentially enhancing the desirability of forensic science degrees. An updated survey was conducted to identify current educational background preferences within the field. The survey was distributed to members of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors and members of the Society of Forensic Toxicologists in hiring or leadership roles, yielding 221 responses. Results indicated a continued preference for a degree combination of master's in forensic science and a bachelor's degree in physical or biological sciences for both entry- and supervisory-level candidates. Holding only a bachelor's in the physical or biological sciences was also preferred for entry-level candidates whereas the preference for supervisory-level candidates was strongly influenced by the respondents' terminal degree.

Problems in Postmortem Pathology Training.

OBJECTIVE: In Turkey, autopsy performers, namely forensic medicine practitioners, are neither pathologists nor have properly received pathology training during residency in contrast to the Anglo-Saxon model of forensic medicine practices, since the current curriculum of forensic medicine residency lacks adequate training in post-mortem histopathology. Likewise, pathologists lack a specific post-mortem pathology clerkship. In this study, we intended to determine whether forensic physicians in Turkey find themselves competent in post-mortem histopathology or were adequately trained during their residencies. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Turkish forensic medicine practitioners were administered an online questionnaire whereby self-evaluations of their histopathology knowledge and their views on histopathology training during forensic medicine residency were assessed. The 151 physicians who completed the questionnaire made up the study group. RESULTS: It was found out that the majority of Turkish forensic medicine practitioners (85.4%) did not find the histopathology training during their residency adequate. Similarly, 85.4% of the participants indicated their incompetence in histopathological examination of post-mortem tissue of any kind, and showed their willingness for further training in pathology. 66.9% strongly agreed that post-mortem histopathology requires training that is distinct from surgical pathology. In case of providing post-mortem histopathology training within the scope of forensic medicine residency, topics such as microscopic morphology of post-mortem changes, histological changes related to injuries, and estimation of wound age are expected to be beneficial to 88.7% 83.4%, and 83.4% of the participants respectively. CONCLUSION: The current curriculum should be revised in a way that the surgical pathology clerkship meets forensic physicians' needs, so that they can then refer more difficult, non-routine histopathological consultations to pathologists who are also well-trained in postmortem histopathology. Consideration should also be given to establishing a subspecialty training - a master's or doctoral degree programs in forensic pathology.

[History of the department of forensic medicine, named after P.A. Minakov of the medical faculty of the Pirogov Russian national research medical university]. / Istoriya kafedry sudebnoi meditsiny imeni P.A. Minakova lechebnogo fakul'teta RNIMU im. N.I. Pirogova.

The article is devoted to the history of the formation and development of the department of forensic medicine named after P.A. Minakov of the medical faculty of the Pirogov russian national research medical university for 115 years. Periodicity of the development of directions in the field of scientific research, the organization of teaching, expert and public activities of the Moscow school of forensic doctors and the invaluable contribution of the heads of the department in each of the periods are shown.

[On the question of increasing the qualification of staff for the purposes of forensic-chemical and chemical-toxicological analysis: results of the questionnaire of expert chemists]. / K voprosu povysheniya kvalifikatsii kadrov dlya tselei sudebno-khimicheskogo i khimiko-toksikologicheskogo analiza: rezul'taty anketirovaniya khimikov-ekspertov.

Today, one of the most effective tools for high-quality training of specialists at the postgraduate level is continuous professional development (CPD). Additional professional education of specialists in the field of forensic chemical and chemical-toxicological analysis with higher non-medical education (pharmaceutical, chemical, biological) is carried out on the basis of pharmaceutical and medical higher educational institutions, autonomous non-profit organizations through the implementation of additional professional training programs. The timing, forms, content and technology of training by organizations implementing the corresponding educational program are of great importance. Analysis of the results of the questionnaire survey of expert chemists, carried out according to the original questionnaire in 2020-2021 in some regions of Russia, showed the main directions of development of the training system, forms and methods of teaching, the need to develop appropriate software.

[To the 100th anniversary of the Crimean Republican Bureau of Forensic Medical Examination]. / K 100-letnemu yubileyu Krymskogo respublikanskogo byuro sudebno-meditsinskoi ekspertizy.

The article briefly presents the history of the formation of the forensic medicine service in Crimea. Information on the main legislative acts that determined the activities of forensic experts and the service in general at different historical stages is provided. The data on the heads of the service and well-known experts - forensic doctors, organizers of forensic medical examination in Crimea are presented. In parallel, the history of the organization and development of the Department of Forensic Medicine is described, the role of its employees in organizing the work of the Crimean Bureau of Forensic Medical Expertise is presented. In this article, in addition to the available sources of literature and bibliography of legislative acts, materials from the archive of the Department of Forensic Medicine of Medical Academy named after S.I. Georgievsky of Vernadsky Crimean Federal University are used.

Indiana Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Training Initiative: Positive Impacts for Medical Forensic Care.

BACKGROUND: Indiana ranks among the highest in the nation for child abuse and neglect reports. Already facing a persistent shortage of sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) to serve patients across the life span, residents with medical forensic needs were often being referred to other hospitals across the state for care or simply were not receiving medical forensic examinations because of lack of access to trained examiners. The Indiana SANE Training Project was established to evaluate the forensic nursing workforce throughout Indiana and work to expand access to qualified SANEs through training and collaboration with stakeholders, with a focus on rural and underserved areas of the state. METHODS: The Project gathered information from nurses who participated in activities during the first Project year. This information was evaluated for service gaps and ongoing training needs. The project coordinator then convened a workgroup of stakeholders and subject matter experts to evaluate and respond to the most immediate need-limited access to pediatric medical forensic providers. RESULTS: From September 2018 to December 2019, nurses were trained by the Project ( n = 160). Of those, 86% indicated that their hospital did not provide medical forensic examinations to pediatric patients. The Pediatric SANE Intensive was launched in October 2020 and trained pediatric SANEs ( n = 28). Upon completion, participants reported 47% increase in confidence and 56% increase in competence related to caring for pediatric patients. DISCUSSION: Statewide collaboration is a critical component of establishing a consistent approach to care, strengthening multidisciplinary partnerships, increasing access to medical forensic services across the life span and in rural and underserved areas, and promoting the Indiana Guidelines for Medical Forensic Examination of Pediatric Sexual Abuse Patients.