Biography
Lauren Decker received a B.S. degree in Molecular and Cellular Biology, Chemistry, and Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2008. She earned her Doctor of Medicine degree in 2012 from the University of Illinois in Chicago. Following this, she completed a Anatomic and Clinical Pathology residency at the University of New Mexico in 2016 and a Forensic Pathology Fellowship at the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator (OMI) in 2017. She worked as a Medical Examiner at the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office for one year prior to returning to the OMI in 2018, where she has been faculty since.
Personal Statement
As a clinical educator, I place a lot of value in the teaching aspect of my job. I strive to provide ample learning opportunities for the various trainees that rotate through our office: EMS students, medical students, residents, and fellows. As the fellowship director, my goal is to provide the best educational experience possible for our four fellows each year, with exposure to a variety of cases, various ancillary fields, and the courtroom, to prepare them for their future careers. I am interested in researching and developing ways to use advancing technology, name postmortem imaging, as an adjunct tool in the forensic examination to optimize our resources while maintaining our quality of care.
Areas of Specialty
Forensic pathology
Advanced postmortem imaging
Education
Undergrad: University of Illinois
Med School: MD, University of Illinois at Chicago
Undergrad: University of Illinois
Med School: MD, University of Illinois at Chicago
Certifications
Anatomic Pathology
Forensic Pathology
Achievements & Awards
Forensic Pathology Fellowship
Languages
- English
Courses Taught
Cardiovascular Block - Year 1 Medical Students, University of New Mexico
Research and Scholarship
I have recently used a combination of postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) and urine drug screens in order to triage drug-related fatalities, decreasing our overall autopsy numbers and the burden of the ever-increasing caseload these deaths cause for our office.