Judy Melinek

Last updated
Judy Melinek
Born1969 (age 54–55)
Israel
Alma mater Harvard University
University of California, Los Angeles
EmployerWellington District Health Board (New Zealand)
Known forForensic pathology

Judy Melinek (born 1969) is an American forensic pathologist and writer. She is a pathologist at the Wellington District Health Board and Chief Executive Officer of PathologyExpert Inc.

Contents

Early life and education

Melinek was born in Israel. Her father, a psychiatrist, served as a medic in the Yom Kippur War. [1] Her mother was born in a Siberian refugee camp, and was a passenger on the Haganah boat Exodus . [1] She lost members of her family in the Holocaust. [1] She moved to the United States at the age of five. Melinek lost her father to suicide at the age of 13. [2] She earned her bachelor's degree in biology at Harvard University, which she graduated magna cum laude in 1991. [3] She moved to University of California, Los Angeles, where she studied medicine and trained as a resident in pathology. [4] She earned her Medical doctorate (MD) in 1996. She trained in both forensic pathology and neuropathology, supported by the American Board of Pathology. [4] She also carried out an internship in surgery at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Melinek was working in the Medical Examiner's Office during the September 11 attacks. [5] She examined the remains of the World Trade Center and American Airlines Flight 587 crash.

Career

In 2003 Melinek was appointed to the Santa Clara County Office of the Medical Examiner. She moved to the Office of the Chief medical examiner in San Francisco in 2004. Her first book, Working Stiff, is a memoir of her medical training in New York City. [6] It appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list. Melinek is concerned about the shortage of forensic scientists in the United States. [7] Melinek works for the Wellington District Health Board in Wellington, NZ.

After the National Rifle Association of America called for doctors who want to reduce gun deaths to stay in their lane, Melinek tweeted "Do you have any idea how many bullets I pull out of corpses weekly? This isn’t just my lane. It’s my fucking highway". [8] [9] [10] In an interview with The Guardian, Melinek said that she conducts one autopsy a week involving a victim of gun crime. [8]

Books

Melinek has served as a consultant for ER and MythBusters. She appeared on Science Friday where she discussed working in a city morgue. [11] She is on the editorial board of The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology.

Personal life

Melinek is married to T. J. Mitchell, an American author and scriptwriter. Together they have three children. [6] [12] In July 2020, Melinek, her husband and two youngest children relocated to New Zealand. [8] [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pathology</span> Study of the causes and effects of disease or injury, and how they arise

Pathology is the study of disease and injury. The word pathology also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatment, the term is often used in a narrower fashion to refer to processes and tests that fall within the contemporary medical field of "general pathology", an area that includes a number of distinct but inter-related medical specialties that diagnose disease, mostly through analysis of tissue and human cell samples. Idiomatically, "a pathology" may also refer to the predicted or actual progression of particular diseases, and the affix pathy is sometimes used to indicate a state of disease in cases of both physical ailment and psychological conditions. A physician practicing pathology is called a pathologist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anatomical pathology</span> Medical specialty

Anatomical pathology (Commonwealth) or anatomic pathology (U.S.) is a medical specialty that is concerned with the diagnosis of disease based on the macroscopic, microscopic, biochemical, immunologic and molecular examination of organs and tissues. Over the 20th century, surgical pathology has evolved tremendously: from historical examination of whole bodies (autopsy) to a more modernized practice, centered on the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer to guide treatment decision-making in oncology. Its modern founder was the Italian scientist Giovanni Battista Morgagni from Forlì.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forensic pathology</span> Medical speciality

Forensic pathology is pathology that focuses on determining the cause of death by examining a corpse. A post mortem examination is performed by a medical examiner or forensic pathologist, usually during the investigation of criminal law cases and civil law cases in some jurisdictions. Coroners and medical examiners are also frequently asked to confirm the identity of remains.

Frederick Thomas Zugibe was the chief medical examiner of Rockland County, New York from 1969 to 2002. Zugibe was known for his research and books on forensic medicine as well as his crucifixion and Shroud of Turin studies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medical examiner</span> Post-mortem investigation forensic pathologist

The medical examiner is an appointed official in some American jurisdictions that investigates deaths that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, to perform post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdictions to initiate inquests. They are necessarily trained in pathology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diener</span> Type of morgue worker

A diener is a morgue worker responsible for handling, moving, and cleaning the corpse. In the UK, the equivalent job title is 'Mortuary Assistant', whilst the preparation, evisceration and reconstruction of the deceased is performed by an Anatomical Pathology Technician. In the US, Dieners are also referred to as "mortuary assistants" or "autopsy technicians". The word is derived from the German word Leichendiener, which literally means corpse servant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neuropathology</span> Study of disease of nervous system tissue

Neuropathology is the study of disease of nervous system tissue, usually in the form of either small surgical biopsies or whole-body autopsies. Neuropathologists usually work in a department of anatomic pathology, but work closely with the clinical disciplines of neurology, and neurosurgery, which often depend on neuropathology for a diagnosis. Neuropathology also relates to forensic pathology because brain disease or brain injury can be related to cause of death. Neuropathology should not be confused with neuropathy, which refers to disorders of the nerves themselves rather than the tissues. In neuropathology, the branches of the specializations of nervous system as well as the tissues come together into one field of study.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Autopsy of John F. Kennedy</span> Autopsy of John Fitzgerald Kennedy

The autopsy of John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was performed at the Bethesda Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland. The autopsy began at about 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on November 22, 1963—the day of Kennedy's assassination—and ended in the early morning of November 23, 1963. The choice of autopsy hospital in the Washington, D.C. area was made by his widow, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, who chose the Bethesda as President Kennedy had been a naval officer during World War II.

Jan Carla Garavaglia, sometimes known as "Dr. G", is an American medical doctor and pathologist who served as the chief medical examiner for Orange and Osceola counties in Orlando, Florida, from 2004 until her retirement in May 2015. She came to prominence for handling several high-profile cases, including the deaths of Caylee Anthony and Tracie McBride.

Cedric Keith Simpson was an English forensic pathologist. He was Professor of Forensic Medicine in the University of London at Guy's Hospital, Lecturer in Forensic Medicine at the University of Oxford and a founding member and President of the Association of Forensic Medicine. Simpson became renowned for his post-mortems on high-profile murder cases, including the 1949 Acid Bath Murders committed by John George Haigh and the murder of gangster George Cornell, who was shot dead by Ronnie Kray in 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harrison Stanford Martland</span>

Harrison Stanford Martland was an American pathologist who identified radium as the cause of cancer and death among watch dial painters, and also coined the term punch drunk to describe chronic head injuries from boxing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yehuda Hiss</span> Israeli pathologist

Yehuda Hiss is a retired Israeli pathologist. He served as the Chief Pathologist at the Abu Kabir Institute of Forensic Medicine between 1988 and possibly as late as 2005. Hiss has also served as part of the faculty for the Terrorism and Medicine Program at the Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at IDC Herzliya and in the Department of Pathology for the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Osteopathic Board of Pathology</span>

The American Osteopathic Board of Pathology (AOBPa) is an organization that provides board certification to qualified Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) who specialize in the diagnosis and characterization of disease in patients following thorough examination of biopsies and/or bodily fluids (pathologists).

Werner Uri Spitz was a German-American forensic pathologist who worked on a number of high-profile cases, including the investigations of the assassinations of president John F. Kennedy and reverend Martin Luther King Jr. He also testified at the trials of Casey Anthony and Phil Spector, the 1996 civil trial against O. J. Simpson, and consulted on the investigation of JonBenét Ramsey's 1996 death.

Dr. Marcella Farinelli Fierro is a medical examiner and forensic pathologist. She was the former chief medical examiner of Virginia, appointed in 1994 and serving in this position until her retirement in 2008. She was the ninth woman certified in forensic pathology by the American Board of Pathology. Since retirement, Fierro has served as an educator, mentor, and adviser.

The American Board of Pathology (ABPath) is one of 24 member boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties. This organization was assembled in May 1936, under the approval of the Advisory Board for Medical Specialties (ABMS) and the American Medical Association (AMA) Council on Medical Education and Hospitals. It is the duty of the ABPath to grant certification in Anatomic Pathology, Clinical Pathology and/or Anatomic/Neuropathology to qualified Doctors of Medicine and Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (M.D./D.O.).

Michael D. Hunter is an American forensic pathologist is best known for his appearances in the television show Autopsy: The Last Hours of....

Valerie A. Fitzhugh is an American pathologist and Associate Professor of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School as well as an Associate Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. She is the Chair of the Department of Pathology, Immunology, and Laboratory Medicine at Rutgers and the Chair at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School as well. Fitzhugh specializes in bone and soft tissue pathology and cytopathology and has made the Pathology Power List by The Pathologist Magazine in 2016, 2018, and 2019. She is involved in educating pathology residents and she actively uses social media as a platform for education and for improving diversity in pathology and she also studies how effective social media is at enhancing accurate communication of science and medicine.

Janis Carol Amatuzio is an American forensic pathology specialist. She has authored books and has practiced forensic science for 20 years. Amatuzio is known as the "compassionate coroner".

<i>Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner</i>

Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner is a non-fiction book written by Judy Melinek and T. J. Mitchell, a wife-and-husband writing team. In July 2001 two months before the September 11 attacks, Judy Melinek, MD, and her husband moved from Los Angeles to New York City, where she started training in forensic pathology at the Office of Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York. The book describes some of the 262 autopsies performed by Dr. Melinek during the two years of her training. As part of a medical team she examined the remains of many of the 9/11 victims. The book was published by Charles Scribner's Sons in 2014.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Barnett, Sue (2016-04-15). "Q&A: A doctor who's a real working stiff". J. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  2. ↑ "Forensic Pathology Forum". pathologyexpert.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  3. ↑ "20 Questions: Judy Melinek, MD, Pathology • Student Doctor Network". Student Doctor Network. 2014-10-22. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  4. 1 2 "What is Forensic Pathology? Dr. Judy Melinek Shares Her Story". Medical School Headquarters. 2017-05-24. Archived from the original on June 1, 2017. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  5. ↑ "Dr. Judy Melinek – Working Stiff". Coroner Talk™. 2015-05-03. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  6. 1 2 "Working Stiff: The Making of a Medical Examiner | Pathology Expert" . Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  7. ↑ "Even Dead Patients Complain". www.medpagetoday.com. 2018-05-10. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  8. 1 2 3 Ho, Vivian (2018-11-10). "'Do you know how many bullets I pull out of corpses weekly?' – doctors to NRA". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  9. ↑ Melinek, Dr Judy (2018-11-12). ""The NRA told doctors to 'stay in your lane' on guns. I'm a doctor. This is my lane."". Vox. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  10. ↑ Judy Melinek Discusses the Role of Doctors in the Gun Debate | Season 2018 Episode 11/12/2018 | Amanpour and Company , retrieved 2019-08-05
  11. ↑ "Judy Melinek". Science Friday. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  12. ↑ "Judy Melinek, MD". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 2019-08-05.
  13. ↑ "Covid-19 coronavirus: Author and pathologist Judy Melinek moves family to NZ to avoid Trump's 'disaster'". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2020-07-10.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.