Forensic Pathology

The Pathology Group (TPG) provides complete Forensic Pathology services which includes the performance of autopsies, medicolegal investigation, medical record review, injury examination on both deceased and living subjects, histology, laboratory investigation and toxicology services. Dean Havlik, MD is board certified in forensic pathology and completed his forensic pathology fellowship at the well respected Office of the Medical Investigator in Albuquerque, NM, which is considered one of the top forensics programs. There are only approximately 500 actively practicing board certified forensic pathologists in the United States. In addition to his forensic pathology training, Dr. Havlik also completed a neuropathology fellowship which provided expertise in brain pathology including brain injury interpretation and natural disease processes such as dementia evaluation.

TPG is a nationally accredited forensic office through the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME). Accreditation ensures offices are complying to all the necessary forensic standards and there are only approximately 90 fully accredited offices. Accreditation is an important component for forensic offices and is an aspect that should be considered when coroner’s offices, attorney’s offices, law enforcement agencies and families are deciding on who will do their forensic work.

There are several county Coroner’s Offices that rely on Dr. Havlik and TPG to provide their forensic services, most notably many of those in Western Colorado. TPG also has an excellent professional rapport with attorney’s offices and law enforcement agencies. Dr. Havlik prides himself on being readily available to families and other loved ones of the deceased to discuss the results of autopsies or to consult on other forensic-related matters. Be it a medical-related event or injuries that resulted in the death, Dr. Havlik has the expertise to provide answers based on the autopsy and death investigation findings.

Death investigation is not the only area that a forensic pathologist can provide their expert services. Injury and injury pattern interpretation on living individuals is also a common service that Dr. Havlik provides. Forensic pathologists are considered experts in injuries and how they affect the human body and Dr. Havlik has experience testifying in court in this area.

Forensic Pathology Frequently Asked Questions

What is a forensic pathologist?

A forensic pathologist is a medical doctor that has earned an MD degree from medical school and has completed both a general pathology residency (4-5 years) and a forensic pathology fellowship (1 year). A board certified forensic pathologist is one  that has successfully passed both a general pathology board examination and a forensic pathology board examination. These examinations can only be taken after the completion of the necessary training. The approved organization that certifies pathologists is the American Board of Pathology.

What is a Coroner?

A Coroner is typically an elected government position. The US has a mixed death investigation system with some states being “Coroner” states, some being “medical examiner” states and others being a mixture of these two. Most would agree the optimal system is a medical examiner system like what occurs in states such as New Mexico and Utah. Colorado is a “coroner” state and each county in Colorado elects their own Coroner. In essence, each county has their own medicolegal death investigation system and it is not necessarily uniform in each county. There are only a handful of counties in Colorado that have a Coroner who is a board certified forensic pathologist. Any Colorado citizen over the age of 18, that is registered to vote and not a felon can run for for the office of the Coroner. A Coroner does not have to be a physician in Colorado. This makes for a large range of individuals who are Colorado Coroners.

What is a Medical Examiner?

A Medical Examiner is by definition a medical doctor. Medical Examiner is often an appointed position as opposed to an elected position and they perform duties such as autopsy examination, scene investigation and medical record review. In contrast to a Coroner, a Medical Examiner is expected to bring a medical level of expertise to the job. Forensic pathologists are often referred to as Medical Examiners in those “medical examiner” states such as in New Mexico.

Who pays for an autopsy?

If a person dies suddenly or unexpectedly without a significant medical history or in a suspected violent means the death investigation will most likely fall under the Coroner or Medical Examiner jurisdiction and the autopsy examination will be paid for by tax dollars. In Colorado, each county Coroner’s Office will decide if an autopsy needs to be performed and if so, the county has a budget to pay for these autopsies. If a family wishes to have an autopsy performed that does not fall under the Coroner or Medical Examiners jurisdiction or the office “releases” the case without an autopsy, they can contract with a pathologist to perform a “private” autopsy. The Pathology Group can help with private autopsies and they do perform these types of autopsy examinations.

What is neuropathology?

Neuropathology is  the study of the brain and spinal cord and how diseases affect these organs. Having a pathologist with experience and special training in neuropathology can become important in certain cases, especially those forensic cases that involve injuries to the brain or in those individuals that have potential brain tumors or symptoms of dementia. Dr. Havlik with TPG underwent specialized neuropathology training and is experienced with cases involving brain abnormalities.

How long does in take to get an autopsy report?

Each office has different policies or has different typical turnaround times for autopsy reports. There are some offices that will take several weeks to several months to complete their reports. Dr. Havlik prides himself on having a fast turnaround time and the majority of reports are completed within 3-4 weeks after the autopsy procedure and often times faster than that.