NATIONAL RESOURCES FOR MEDICOLEGAL DEATH PROFESSIONALS

A comprehensive reference developed by the College of American Pathologists and the National Association of Medical Examiners that provides practical guidance on death certification, cause-of-death reporting, and manner-of-death classification. Includes real-world examples and best practices for physicians, coroners, medical examiners, and death investigators.   

NAME's foundational reference for evaluating and certifying manner of death in medicolegal investigations. Includes guiding principles and real-world case scenarios. 

Developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this handbook provides practical guidance for completing death certificates, documenting cause and manner of death, and improving the accuracy and consistency of mortality reporting. Includes certification examples, common pitfalls, and best practices for physicians, medical examiners, and coroners. 

 The CDC Public Health Law Program provides a state-by-state overview of medicolegal death investigation systems and laws. 

These resources help us understand how death investigation systems vary across the United States and the legal framework that governs the work. 

 The Bureau of Justice Statistics collects and publishes national data related to the criminal justice system, including forensic laboratory operations and death investigation systems.

These datasets help researchers and policymakers understand how forensic and investigative systems operate across the United States. 

 The Bureau of Justice Assistance supports public safety agencies through grant funding, training, and national initiatives. BJA frequently funds programs that strengthen medicolegal death investigation systems, forensic laboratories, and responder wellness initiatives.

The National Institute of Justice supports research, technology development, and data initiatives related to forensic science and medicolegal death investigation. 

NIJ resources provide research findings, training materials, and funding opportunities aimed at strengthening forensic and investigative practices.

 CDC – Collaborating Office for Medical Examiners and Coroners (COMEC)
The CDC’s Collaborating Office for Medical Examiners and Coroners (COMEC) provides resources and guidance to support medicolegal death investigators, medical examiners, and coroners. 

The Forensics Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Program is led by RTI International, a nonprofit research institute.

 The Forensics TTA Program offers expert guidance, training, and technical support to help federal grantees implement programs, improve investigative capacity, and adopt best practices. 

Services include webinars, peer learning opportunities, policy guidance, and operational assistance to strengthen forensic science and medicolegal systems across the United States. 

 The National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) - Mortality Statistics - collects death certificate data from across the United States to track mortality trends, monitor public health threats, and analyze causes of death. 

Medicolegal Death Professionals play a critical role in providing the cause-of-death information used in this national system. 

 The NVDRS gathers detailed information about violent deaths, including suicides, homicides, and firearm deaths. 

Data obtained through medicolegal death professionals helps public health leaders understand the circumstances surrounding these deaths and develop prevention strategies. 

 CDC WONDER provides public access to mortality and public health datasets derived from U.S. death certificates. 

Researchers can analyze causes of death, demographic trends, and geographic patterns in mortality 

NamUs is a national database and resource center designed to assist in identifying missing and unidentified persons.

The system supports law enforcement and medicolegal death investigation by facilitating information sharing and case matching. 

The Center for Forensic Science Research and Education (CFSRE) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing forensic science through research, education, and collaboration.

The Organization of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic Science (OSAC) is administered by the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST), develops and promotes scientifically sound standards and best practices for forensic disciplines, including death investigation.

 The Brain Injury Research Foundation provides information and coordination for brain tissue donation to support critical research into traumatic brain injury, neurodegenerative disease, and long-term neurological effects. Donation after death plays a vital role in helping scientists better understand conditions that impact responders and the public alike. This resource offers guidance for families and professionals interested in contributing to meaningful, life-impacting research through donation. 

 PDMP Assist provides training and technical assistance to help agencies effectively use Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs). These tools support safer prescribing practices, identify potential misuse, and strengthen overdose prevention efforts. PDMP Assist offers resources, guidance, and best practices for professionals working at the intersection of public health, public safety, and medicolegal death investigation. 

  The Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR) provides guidance on Suicide Fatality Review (SFR), a multidisciplinary process that examines individual suicide deaths to identify system gaps and strengthen prevention efforts. 

  Medicolegal death professionals play a critical role by contributing investigative insights, cause and manner determinations, and contextual information that help communities better understand risk factors and trends. 

SFR emphasizes collaboration, data-driven recommendations, and prevention-focused strategies - not blame - to improve outcomes and save lives. 

   The North American SUDEP Registry is dedicated to advancing understanding of Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) through case reporting, medical research, and tissue donation. The registry works with families, clinicians, medical examiners, and coroners to improve recognition and reporting of SUDEP, identify risk factors, and support research aimed at prevention. NASR also provides resources and support for families affected by epilepsy-related loss, helping transform tragedy into knowledge that may save lives.  

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration provides access to authoritative weather, climate, oceanic, and environmental data used by emergency managers, public safety agencies, researchers, and government organizations nationwide.

 NOAA’s resources include historical weather records, climate trends, storm and disaster data, forecasting tools, and environmental monitoring information that can support investigations, incident documentation, research, and public health analysis. 

These datasets help professionals better understand environmental factors that may contribute to incidents, disasters, and mortality trends.