medical examiner

An officer of the law who is in charge of post-mortem investigations when cause of death is under suspicion or during homicide cases. Medical examiners are responsible for determining cause of death, and their opinion, expertise, and any information they collect during the course of an investigaton can be called upon in court as evidence. In some cases, no medical training is required to fill the position; in other cases, medical examiners are required to hold medical degrees, in addition to having pursued advanced training in forensics and pathology.