​Fellowship Opportunities

The ACGME accredited, 12-month Forensic Pathology Fellowship Program at the Institute of Forensic Sciences provides comprehensive training to physicians, which is focused on medicolegal death investigation and the forensic autopsy.  The curriculum includes daily casework and instruction under the direct supervision of IFS staff forensic pathologists.  Fellows at IFS rotate through the ancillary forensic services in the IFS crime laboratory disciplines: Forensic Toxicology, Drug Chemistry, Firearms Identification, Trace Evidence, and Forensic Genetics.  Consultations with specialists in forensic anthropology, cardiovascular pathology, forensic entomology, and forensic neuropathology are regularly scheduled throughout the fellowship program. 

Program Requirements:

Applicants must be board certified or eligible in AP or AP/CP and have a Texas medical license. Board-eligible applicants may apply for a training permit from the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners. Residents pursuing an AP-FP track, and already enrolled in an ACGME-approved residency program, will also be considered.

Stipend:

Competitive salary and benefits package.

Application Process:

1. Applicants must complete and submit the Harris County Forensic Pathology Fellow application directly through the Harris County Career Opportunities site: Application For Employment.*
2. Applicants must also register through the NRMP (National Resident Matching Program) MATCH process.
3. Applicants must also submit an application through AAMC – MyERAS. The ERAS application does not replace the required Harris County application. Supplemental documentation for the application is submitted through the ERAS application.

*Fellow candidates should apply two years prior to the start of the intended fellowship year.

For more information, contact:
Darshan Phatak, M.D., Assistant Medical Examiner and Pathology Fellowship Program Director
Phone: (832) 927-5111
E-mail:  [email protected]

The Forensic Anthropology Fellowship Program is an immersive, hands-on, two-year training program designed to expose an emerging biological anthropologist to the role of forensic anthropology in a medical examiner’s office that serves a large urban population.  During the program, the fellow will participate in casework, attend and process death scenes, assist with identifying unknown decedents, and be exposed to legal/judicial proceedings.  Additionally, the fellow will be introduced to a robust quality management system required for an accredited forensic discpline. The fellow will work alongside three staff forensic anthropologists who are involved in the instruction and supervision of the fellow.  The Forensic Anthropology Division receives approximately 400 case requests per year, nearly 70% involving skeletal or cartilaginous trauma.  Identification accounts for approximately 20% of the annual casework, while the “traditional” role of a forensic anthropologist to estimate the parameters of the biological profile only accounts for 4%.  The forensic anthropology fellowship offers an exceptional training environment to hone additional skills needed by a forensic anthropologist in a medicolegal setting. 

Fellows are not required to perform research, but a project can be discussed in addition to casework and report writing. 

Program Requirements:

• Ph.D. from an accredited college or university in Anthropology, Forensic or Biological Anthropology, or related field
• Advanced writing, analytical, and problem-resolution skills
• Position starts on July 1^st 

Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Advanced knowledge and in-depth understanding of anthropological theory, principles, procedures, and techniques as they relate to the identification of human remains and bone pathology/ trauma analysis
• Ability to apply knowledge of anthropological and forensic theory, principles, procedures, and techniques to practical analysis and curation of human remains
• Experience in a Medical Examiner/Coroner’s Office and interacting with law enforcement 
• Successful completion of graduate coursework and/or training involving: human osteology, skeletal growth and development, bone biology and biomechanics, skeletal pathology, human gross anatomy, archaeological techniques, evidence handling/basic forensic science principles, processing human remains, ethics and professionalism, and statistics.  Training in histology, comparative medical imaging analysis, legal/judicial procedures, and photography are encouraged.  

Stipend:

Competitive salary and benefits package.

Application Process:

1. Complete the Harris County Application For Employment
2. Submit one application to Harris County using one of the methods outlined on their website
3. Submit one copy of your application along with a copy of your curriculum vitae (CV), unofficial transcript(s), and cover letter to the Institute by postal mail or email:

Attn: Jason Wiersema, Ph.D.
Director of Forensic Anthropology and
Emergency Management
Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences
1861 Old Spanish Trail
Houston, Texas 77054
E-mail:  [email protected]

     

For more information, contact:
Jason Wiersema, Ph.D.
Director of Forensic Anthropology and
Emergency Management
Phone: (832) 927-5000
E-mail:  [email protected]

The Forensic Toxicology Fellowship Program is a rigorous two-year program for the post-doctoral academic scientist. Upon completion of the program, fellows will be familiar with toxicology laboratory methods and interpretation. Methods include immunoassay screening, sample preparation, liquid and gas chromatography with mass spectrometry, and interpretation of toxicological findings in postmortem, DWI, and drug-facilitated sexual assault cases. Forensic toxicology fellows will be trained in the development and validation of analytical procedures to current forensic quality assurance standards. In addition, fellows will be exposed to quality management systems and expert witness testimony. 

Forensic toxicology fellows developing new technologies are encouraged to publish validated methods in peer-reviewed journals and present at conferences.  In addition, forensic toxicology fellows are encouraged to further the research goals of the Institute by applying for competitive grants.

Program Requirements:

Stipend:

Competitive salary and benefits package.

Application Process:

Submit a Harris County Application For Employment* for the Forensic Toxicology Fellow position.

*Fellow candidates are encouraged to apply six months prior to the start of the intended fellowship year.

For more information, contact:
Teresa Gray, Ph.D., Chief Toxicologist
E-mail: [email protected]