American Board of Forensic Examiners

By Leann Long, BS

A Tragedy Unfolds
On the morning of February 2, 2002, the parents of Danielle van Dam were forced to face their worst nightmare when they discovered the empty bed of their 7-year-old daughter. Danielle was last seen the night before when Damon van Dam put his beautiful blue-eyed daughter to bed. The distraught parents immediately reported Danielle as missing, and an extensive search involving hundreds of volunteers began. Authorities assumed that the innocent young child was abducted from her bed while she slept on the night of February 1, 2002.

By Leann Long, BS

A Tragedy Unfolds
On the morning of February 2, 2002, the parents of Danielle van Dam were forced to face their worst nightmare when they discovered the empty bed of their 7-year-old daughter. Danielle was last seen the night before when Damon van Dam put his beautiful blue-eyed daughter to bed. The distraught parents immediately reported Danielle as missing, and an extensive search involving hundreds of volunteers began. Authorities assumed that the innocent young child was abducted from her bed while she slept on the night of February 1, 2002.

By Jules Kieser, BSc, BDS, PhD, DSc, FLS, FDS RCSEd

The Asian Tsunami of Boxing Day, 2004, was the result of 1000 kilometres of a tectonic fault that ruptured beneath the sea west of Sumatra, creating an earthquake that measured 9 on the Richter scale. It claimed over 250,000 lives, including more than 5,500 in southern Thailand (Stone, 2005). In response to this disaster, the Thai government issued an urgent request for assistance from the international community. Within a day an initial dental disaster victim identification (DVI) team consisting of two Australian forensic odontologists arrived in Phuket; they were joined 48 hours later by two New Zealand colleagues. Over the next few months these numbers swelled enormously as individual volunteers and national teams arrived from Thailand and over 30 other countries.

By E. Franklin Livingstone, MD

The medical specialty of physical medicine and rehabilitation (physiatry), encompasses the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of medical and physical problems. The problems can be as minor as a sore shoulder or as complicated as a spinal cord injury. The focus of this specialty is on restoring function and quality-of-life to individuals with disabling illnesses or injuries. Physiatrists diagnose and treat acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain disorders as well as disorders of the nervous, muscular, and skeletal systems. They study the appropriate use of various physical medicine modalities, such as heat, cold, exercise, traction, and electrical stimulation for motor development and pain control. Physiatrists are trained to lead a multidisciplinary team of medical professionals in the comprehensive and holistic treatment of illness and injury related disability. Indeed, the specialty of physical medicine and rehabilitation was the first to promote and develop a holistic medical team based on the interdisciplinary treatment of often complex medical, physical, and psychological problems. Many physiatrists receive extensive training in the subspecialty of Electrodiagnosis: electromyography of nerves and muscles and nerve conductivity testing.

By E. Franklin Livingstone, MD

The medical specialty of physical medicine and rehabilitation (physiatry), encompasses the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of medical and physical problems. The problems can be as minor as a sore shoulder or as complicated as a spinal cord injury. The focus of this specialty is on restoring function and quality-of-life to individuals with disabling illnesses or injuries. Physiatrists diagnose and treat acute and chronic musculoskeletal pain disorders as well as disorders of the nervous, muscular, and skeletal systems. They study the appropriate use of various physical medicine modalities, such as heat, cold, exercise, traction, and electrical stimulation for motor development and pain control. Physiatrists are trained to lead a multidisciplinary team of medical professionals in the comprehensive and holistic treatment of illness and injury related disability. Indeed, the specialty of physical medicine and rehabilitation was the first to promote and develop a holistic medical team based on the interdisciplinary treatment of often complex medical, physical, and psychological problems. Many physiatrists receive extensive training in the subspecialty of Electrodiagnosis: electromyography of nerves and muscles and nerve conductivity testing.

By Martin Hill, BA, CHS-III; Mike Galarneau, MA; Gerry Pang, MA; & Paula Konoske, PhD

The Marine Corps Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF) was established in 1996 in response to Presidential Decision Directive 39 to outline the nation’s plan for responding to terrorist acts at home and abroad. CBIRF’s mission subsequently expanded from biochemical response to the full scope of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive responses. The objective of this study was to determine the medical supply requirements for CBIRF’s expanded mission.

In November 2003, preliminary research on injury types and medical interventions seen at previous terrorist incidents was presented by the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) to a subject-matter-expert (SME) panel consisting of military medical and logistical experts. The SME panel identified the clinical tasks that CBIRF needed the capability to perform. NHRC’s method of modeling supply requirements was then applied to those tasks, establishing the clinical requirements for CBIRF’s Authorized Medical Allowance Lists (AMAL). This study was able to identify weaknesses in the existing CBIRF AMALs and strengthen the unit’s field medical capabilities with the addition of new technologies and modularization that allows greater flexibility in responding to terrorist disasters.

By Martin Hill, BA, CHS-III; Mike Galarneau, MA; Gerry Pang, MA; & Paula Konoske, PhD

The Marine Corps Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF) was established in 1996 in response to Presidential Decision Directive 39 to outline the nation’s plan for responding to terrorist acts at home and abroad. CBIRF’s mission subsequently expanded from biochemical response to the full scope of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive responses. The objective of this study was to determine the medical supply requirements for CBIRF’s expanded mission.

In November 2003, preliminary research on injury types and medical interventions seen at previous terrorist incidents was presented by the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) to a subject-matter-expert (SME) panel consisting of military medical and logistical experts. The SME panel identified the clinical tasks that CBIRF needed the capability to perform. NHRC’s method of modeling supply requirements was then applied to those tasks, establishing the clinical requirements for CBIRF’s Authorized Medical Allowance Lists (AMAL). This study was able to identify weaknesses in the existing CBIRF AMALs and strengthen the unit’s field medical capabilities with the addition of new technologies and modularization that allows greater flexibility in responding to terrorist disasters.

By Martin Hill, BA, CHS-III; Mike Galarneau, MA; Gerry Pang, MA; & Paula Konoske, PhD

The Marine Corps Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF) was established in 1996 in response to Presidential Decision Directive 39 to outline the nation’s plan for responding to terrorist acts at home and abroad. CBIRF’s mission subsequently expanded from biochemical response to the full scope of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive responses. The objective of this study was to determine the medical supply requirements for CBIRF’s expanded mission.

In November 2003, preliminary research on injury types and medical interventions seen at previous terrorist incidents was presented by the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) to a subject-matter-expert (SME) panel consisting of military medical and logistical experts. The SME panel identified the clinical tasks that CBIRF needed the capability to perform. NHRC’s method of modeling supply requirements was then applied to those tasks, establishing the clinical requirements for CBIRF’s Authorized Medical Allowance Lists (AMAL). This study was able to identify weaknesses in the existing CBIRF AMALs and strengthen the unit’s field medical capabilities with the addition of new technologies and modularization that allows greater flexibility in responding to terrorist disasters.

By Martin Hill, BA, CHS-III; Mike Galarneau, MA; Gerry Pang, MA; & Paula Konoske, PhD

The Marine Corps Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF) was established in 1996 in response to Presidential Decision Directive 39 to outline the nation’s plan for responding to terrorist acts at home and abroad. CBIRF’s mission subsequently expanded from biochemical response to the full scope of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive responses. The objective of this study was to determine the medical supply requirements for CBIRF’s expanded mission.

In November 2003, preliminary research on injury types and medical interventions seen at previous terrorist incidents was presented by the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) to a subject-matter-expert (SME) panel consisting of military medical and logistical experts. The SME panel identified the clinical tasks that CBIRF needed the capability to perform. NHRC’s method of modeling supply requirements was then applied to those tasks, establishing the clinical requirements for CBIRF’s Authorized Medical Allowance Lists (AMAL). This study was able to identify weaknesses in the existing CBIRF AMALs and strengthen the unit’s field medical capabilities with the addition of new technologies and modularization that allows greater flexibility in responding to terrorist disasters.

By Martin Hill, BA, CHS-III; Mike Galarneau, MA; Gerry Pang, MA; & Paula Konoske, PhD

The Marine Corps Chemical Biological Incident Response Force (CBIRF) was established in 1996 in response to Presidential Decision Directive 39 to outline the nation’s plan for responding to terrorist acts at home and abroad. CBIRF’s mission subsequently expanded from biochemical response to the full scope of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive responses. The objective of this study was to determine the medical supply requirements for CBIRF’s expanded mission.

In November 2003, preliminary research on injury types and medical interventions seen at previous terrorist incidents was presented by the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) to a subject-matter-expert (SME) panel consisting of military medical and logistical experts. The SME panel identified the clinical tasks that CBIRF needed the capability to perform. NHRC’s method of modeling supply requirements was then applied to those tasks, establishing the clinical requirements for CBIRF’s Authorized Medical Allowance Lists (AMAL). This study was able to identify weaknesses in the existing CBIRF AMALs and strengthen the unit’s field medical capabilities with the addition of new technologies and modularization that allows greater flexibility in responding to terrorist disasters.