Forensic Files – Amy C. Gruszecki, DO

LECOM Scholar Joins the Global Battle of the Century

FILES

Amy C. Gruszecki, DO

The care and treatment of the living likely is first and foremost in one’s mind when the topic of the calling of medicine is raised.

The noble profession, established upon an enduring mission to heal the sick, to comfort the afflicted, and to provide compassionate care to the ailing and infirm, has spanned the ages gilded in its venerable purpose.

Yet, there is an area of medicine, paralleled in nobility and purpose. It entails the medical study of the dead.

Medical examiners have an important role in the effective functioning of public health. Accurate recordings of causes of death and the reasons that people die are extremely important pieces of information.

Amy C. Gruszecki, DO, Chief Forensic Pathologist and Medical Director of American Forensics in Mesquite, Texas affirms this tenet. Her valuable work with an estimably recognized organization known as American Forensics - the first facility in the United States to become accredited in the discipline of Death Investigation - has placed her at the pinnacle of her medical specialty.

Dr. Gruszecki is a 1999 graduate of the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) and she has gone forth from the hallowed halls of her Alma Mater to employ her LECOM osteopathic medical training to the field of death investigation. “We believe that our clients deserve the best,” stated Dr. Gruszecki. The Certificate of Accreditation from the National Accreditation Board in the Field of Forensic Science Inspection in the Discipline of Medical Legal Death Investigation (ANAB), an independent, not-for-profit organization, closely examined the facility and procedures of American Forensics, finding the operation to be exceptional.

“The accreditation means we, as an organization, care enough about our clients to strive for the highest level of death investigation possible,” expounded the dedicated physician. The objective is a rewarding one as the work that Dr. Gruszecki performs often answers very important questions, specifically for family members who are grieving the loss of a loved one.

Accreditation distinguishes American Forensics from other death investigation facilities by noting that the organization provides the highest quality of death investigation and autopsy services to its clients as determined by an independent, external process of evaluation.

ANAB has a long history of accrediting crime laboratories, toxicology laboratories, and other forensic service providers, however American Forensics, under the leadership of Dr. Gruszecki, is the first facility in the nation to become accredited in the specific discipline of Death Investigation. American Forensics was founded in 2009, as an independent medical-legal death investigation facility providing forensics autopsy services and expert witness consultations for Texas counties, for families, attorneys, and hospitals.

Dr. Gruszecki’s credentials are varied and wholly impressive; they include a plethora of published works, numerous lecture and symposium invitations, and a lengthy list of awards and memberships. The distinguished physician holds several key Medical Directorships and she serves as Co-chairman of the American Academy of Forensic Science Standards Board (ASB). Indeed, Dr. Gruszecki’s resume is extensive and it highlights her depth of training and expertise in her field.

To be sure, Dr. Gruszecki’s work underscores further the fact that one cannot undersell the value of osteopathic medicine, even if one is not treating living patients. LECOM leadership - always keenly insightful about medical education and advancing scholars and scholarship - imbued Dr. Gruszecki with the seminal leadership skills to serve her well in the demanding field of death investigation.

One cannot be a good forensic pathologist if one is not a good physician. It is abundantly clear that armed with an exceptional LECOM education, Dr. Amy Gruszecki is both.