Forensic Pathologists: Where Are they Educated?

There is a stereotype of the forensic pathologist as a foreigner, relegated to this area of medicine because he or she did not attend medical school in the United States. In fact, in recent decades a third to a half of all pathology residents in the United States have been graduates of foreign medical schools, which are generally considered inferior to those in the Unties States. Too few American medical school students view the field as attractive, in part because of the lack of patient contact. [Currently, there are about 500 forensic pathologists working in the United States. At least 1,000 are needed. There are only 37 accredited forensic pathology programs in U.S. medical schools. Of the 1,700 American medical school graduations each year, only about 30 become forensic pathologists. This is why there are so many forensic pathologists in the country with foreign degrees.]

John Temple, Death House, 2005