UND Forensic Pathology team earns accreditation from National Association of Medical Examiners

GRAND FORKS, N.D. — The University of North Dakota Forensic Pathology Center has achieved accreditation from the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME), the nation’s leading professional organization of physician medical examiners, medico-legal death investigators, and death investigation system administrators.

Earned through a rigorous review process, NAME accreditation signifies that a forensic pathology program meets the highest national standards for quality, consistency, and professional practice.

Housed within UND’s School of Medicine & Health Sciences, the Forensic Pathology Center is responsible for conducting over 500 autopsies annually in North Dakota and is the only medical examination program in the Dakotas with NAME accreditation. The practice serves nearly 30 counties in North Dakota, plus Northwestern Minnesota and Northeastern South Dakota.

“This is the highest standard that medical examiners can achieve in accreditation, and confirms that families across the region receive answers held to the highest national standard,” said Selly Strauch, M.D., interim chair of UND’s Department of Pathology.

This work goes beyond individual cases. Findings from death investigations help track overdose trends, identify public safety hazards, and guide prevention efforts across rural communities.

SMHS’s newest forensic pathologist, Lance Truong, D.O., described the NAME approval as a “seal of quality” in the field of forensic pathology.

“What makes this more exceptional is that we’re practicing in a rural setting where distance shouldn’t mean a lower standard of care in life or in death,” said Truong.

The Center also serves as a classroom. Medical students train alongside board-certified forensic pathologists, helping them learn forensic procedures and encouraging them in pursuit of potential specialization in forensic pathology to address a national shortage of such providers. NAME records only about 500 full-time practicing forensic pathologists in the U.S.

"This accreditation is about trust," said Marjorie Jenkins, M.D., M.Ed.H.P., FACP, dean of the UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences and vice president for Health Affairs. "When a family loses someone, they deserve the truth, delivered with skill and compassion. Our forensic pathology team has quietly served this region for decades, and now the nation knows what North Dakota already did: they are among the best."

The accreditation is valid through 2030.

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Brian James Schill
Director, Office of Communications & Engagement 
UND School of Medicine & Health Sciences 
701.777.6048 direct | 701.777.4305 office
brian.schill@UND.edu  |  www.UND.edu