The following is a sample of the various lectures and workshops Dr. Andrew has presented. Other lectures and workshop topics are available. Please contact us with your request.
Asphyxial Deaths
- Workshop for Law Enforcement on Restraint Asphyxia – Restraint asphyxia is described with an explanation of its pathophysiology and possible aggravating factors. Strategies for preventing such occurrences is presented.
Child Fatalities
- Pediatric Head Trauma – The controversies surrounding this particular diagnosis are discussed, including sections on the biomechanics of infant head injury, theories as to the mechanism for retinal hemorrhages, alternative theories of causation and common legal defenses.
- Child Fatality Review Teams – An introduction to the concept of multidisciplinary child death review and the role of the medical examiner in this process.
- Abuse, Neglect or Just an Accident – A detailed look at injury patterns in children and the clues used to determine whether or not inflicted injury or unintentional injury is more likely. Bruises, fractures, burns, head, chest and abdominal trauma are discussed.
- Abusive Burn Injuries in Children – Different types of burns and their mechanisms are presented with a focus on distinguishing inflicted injury from accidental burns.
- Failure to Thrive – The diagnostic and therapeutic approach to the child who is failing to gain weight is presented.
Sudden, Unexpected Infant Death
- Sudden Infant Death Syndrome – A comprehensive look at sudden, unexpected infant death from the forensic pathologist’s perspective. The evolving definition of SIDS is presented and the value of thorough scene investigation is highlighted. Also discussed are the impact of sleep position, controversies surrounding sleep environments and the differential diagnosis to be considered in such cases.
Forensics for Lawyers
- Forensic Pathology for Lawyers – A basic overview of cardinal principles of forensic medicine, including cause and manner of death, the pathology of violent death, including firearms, blunt impact injuries, cutting and stabbing and a brief discussion of expert testimony.
- Forensic Science in the Courtroom – A case study driven seminar in various scientific issues faced by the forensic expert, the poresecutor, defense counsel and the presiding judge.
Public Health and Safety
- Tissue and Organ Donation – The role of the medical examiner in facilitating organ and tissue procurement is presented along with some of the potential pitfalls inherent in this process.
- The Medical Examiner and Domestic Violence Fatality Review – An introduction to the concept of multidisciplinary domestic violence-related fatality review and the role of the medical examiner in this process.
- Patterns of Injury in Vehicular Crashes – Using Haddon’s matrix and case examples, injury patterns in anatomic regions and caused by various components of automobiles (seat belts, airbags, steering column, dashboard, etc) are presented.
- The Role of the Medical Examiner in the Health Care System – The interface of forensic and clinical medicine demystified.
Youth Suicide
- Suicide and Other Deaths Associated with High Risk Behaviors by Youth – Deaths due to substance abuse, traffic crashes, asphyxial games and suicide among youth are presented with discussion of effective preventive strategies.
Sudden Cardiac Death
- Molecular Biology in the Investigation of Sudden Cardiac Death – Pathophysiology of inherited rhythm disorders such as prolonged QT syndrome and emerging molecular biological techniques for their detection are discussed.
- Beyond Hypertensive and Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease: Cardiac Pathology in the Forensic Setting – Sudden cardiac deaths claim hundreds of thousands of lives annually, most due to hypertension and/or arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease. This presentation focuses on the less common causes of sudden cardiac death.
Pulmonary Embolism
- Diagnostic Specificity into Evaluation of Fatal Pulmonary Embolism – Pulmonary thromboembolism and inherited thrombophilias are presented along with discussion of emboli by fat, air and amniotic fluid.
- Fatal Fat Emboli Syndrome Following Orthopedic Injury – This underappreciated clincal entity must be an early consideration in the right clinical circumstances. This presentation outlines the situations wherein it is likely as well as its clinical and pathological features.
Many other topics are available. A comprehensive listing can be provided on request.
