Greene County named Dr. Carl Stacy as the county's medical examiner. Stacy is assistant professor of clinical pathology with the University of Missouri Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, and he also serves as medical examiner for both Boone and Callaway counties. Stacy will conduct routine autopsies for Greene County at the MU anatomy morgue, with special cases handled at a CoxHealth until space is ready at the state crime lab in Springfield. Stacy earned his medical degree from University of Oklahoma.
Q: What duties does a medical examiner perform?
A: There are a number of television shows that discuss what medical examiners do, and they're not totally accurate, but they're a good starting point. We generally don't solve our cases in 60 minutes. We apply principles of medicine and forensic pathology to answer legal questions. Forensic pathology is the process of determining manner and cause of death and injury patterns.
Q: Based on the popularity of TV shows like "CSI," how would you gauge the level of interest in your field?
A: There needs to be more people who want to go into this field and complete pathology training. Completing medical school is just the starting point, because then there's four years of pathology residency and then one to two years of forensic pathology fellowship. One thing about forensic pathology is that you have to be very service-oriented, because it's one of the specialties in medicine where, when you take the fellowship, your earning potential drops - you're working for counties and governments.
Q: How does a medical examiner differ from a coroner?
A: A medical examiner is appointed. In Greene County, they hired (MU) as their medical examiner service, and the university appointed me. A coroner is an elected position, and most of the coroners in Missouri are very good - they know the people in the area. When I have a coroner sending us a case, I'm always pleased with the identification and the investigation work.
Q: How do you balance working in Greene County with your work near Columbia?
A: I have no intention of expanding our work in this area any further. There are some outstanding forensic pathologists in this area, and we don't want to take any of their jobs. We were just happy to help Greene County out when they called us. Part of combining offices and resources from various forensic pathologists in the state is that we have more of a critical mass to reduce the workload. The crime lab facility will help - it's always nice to have a better facility.
Q: What is the ideal workload for your office?
A: I think it's ideal if we handle 220 to 250 cases a year. That way, we see enough different cases that we can do well with them. But the most important thing we do is to serve families and communities, and sometimes we get so swamped that we don't have time to talk to the families like we're their family doctor. We really do need to spend time with the bereaved, with families, discussing their losses and answering questions they have. You've probably heard it a thousand times, but we speak for the dead. We spell out what happened to them.
This installment of Springfield Business Journal’s Architects & Engineers Project Report showcases 26 endeavors by area design and engineering professionals.
