The king county medical examiners office (KCMEO) will utilize this award to fund a second position in the forensic pathology fellowship training program in seattle, washington

This Project Grant award of $145,054, provided by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance under the Strengthening the Medical Examiner-Coroner System Program (CFDA 16.037), will enable the King County Medical Examiner's Office (KCMEO) in Seattle, Washington to fund a second position in its Forensic Pathology Fellowship Training Program.

The goal of this award is to help address the national shortage of qualified forensic pathologists by increasing the capacity of the KCMEO fellowship program, which has already trained nine forensic pathologists since 2019, four of whom were supported by federal funding. This additional funding will allow KCMEO to recruit and train two more forensic pathology fellows who are expected to graduate in 2027. Forensic pathology is essential for criminal investigations, public health surveillance, and sudden death inquiries, making this program critical for supporting the criminal justice system and community safety.

This proposal addresses the national shortage of qualified forensic pathologists for the needs of criminal justice and public health. Forensic pathology is essential for investigation and prosecution of criminal deaths, protection of those wrongfully accused, surveillance of hazards and threats to the community, and to answer questions when someone is killed or dies suddenly and unexpectedly. Currently, the KCMEO fellowship program is accredited by acgme to offer two fellowship positions but is funded by king county for only one; filling the second position depends on BJA funding. Since 2019, KCMEO has trained nine forensic pathologists, four of whom were trained using federal funding. Furthermore, of the four fellows committed to the 2024 and 2025 forensic pathology fellowship training program, two are funded by BJA. The current proposal is to continue the same plan to recruit and train two forensic pathology fellows to graduate in 2027 using BJA funding for the second position.