The Original Medicolegal Death Investigator Training Course October 2026

This course is designed to provide the basic medical, legal, and investigative knowledge and skills necessary to perform complete, independent, scientific death investigations. It will teach participants to take a closer look at the scene, at the evidence, and at the decedent to better prepare complete and thorough documentation of medicolegal death investigations and will provide insight to the Coroner and Medical Examiner as they determine cause and manner of death.

Conference Location:
Saint Louis University
Busch Student Center
20 N. Grand Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63103

We will have a room block for out-of-town participants. More information to follow.

If you are local, we will provide free parking at the conference location.

1. Use nationally recognized best practice techniques to investigate medico-legal deaths in their region.
2. Modify office protocol and standard operating procedures to reflect national standards in investigation for various types of death scene cases.
3. Utilize the expertise of other types of practitioners or other resources/databases that are readily available to enhance their current death investigation practice.

This course is designed to provide basic medicolegal death investigation information to medicolegal death investigators, coroners, law enforcement officers, nurses, emergency medical personnel, attorneys, forensic scientists, and others who are involved in the investigation of violent, suspicious, and unexpected deaths.

Each individual registering for the course must be registered with a unique email address and registration fees must be paid in full by October 2, 2026. The registration fee is $875.00. If the registration fee is to be paid by an organization, municipality, or county check, we must receive a purchase order or other documentation verifying that payment will be made, to hold your registration; please contact us at [email protected] with this information.

Monday night there will be a dinner after the conclusion of the afternoon sessions. The dinner is free to attend, included in the cost of the registration fee. If you would like to bring a guest, there will be a $60.00 guest ticket fee. You may purchase at the time of registration or you may purchase at the course.

Registration Fee Includes:

• One continuing Education Certificate. Accreditation information is listed below in the Accreditation sections. Participants will be required to complete a credit request form indicating the type of continuing education desired. It is the responsibility of the participants to understand their board's requirements for continuing education credits.

• Certificate of attendance

• Free parking at the venue for local participants.

• Free shuttle service from the hotel to the venue for out-of-town participants.

• Breakfast and lunch during the course with coffee and beverages.

• One ticket to Monday night dinner with (2) drink tickets.

Additional CE credit/certificate:

If more than one type of Continuing Education credit is desired, an additional $50.00 fee will be collected. It is rare that a participant needs more than one official certificate. Please contact the CME office to discuss.

Cancellations:

Cancellations received before October 2, 2026, will be issued a refund minus a $100.00 administrative fee. After October 2^nd, no refunds will be issued. If you notify us by October 2^nd that you are unable to attend, your payment can be transferred to a future course one time only. If you choose to transfer more than one time, you will be charged an additional Administrative Fee of $100.00 per transfer.

If you fail to notify use that you cannot attend the course, your registration fee will be forfeited and will not be transferable to a future course.

Eligibility:

Participants need to be currently employed in a position such as funeral director, death investigator, law enforcement, or another medicolegal field to register for this course.

Participants who complete this Basic Course are eligible to take the Masters Course held every other year. This is a case-based course which covers new techniques and high-profile cases. These lectures provide training on what to do in unique situations and how techniques can assist with obtaining evidence and/or identification.

These courses are training courses, not certification courses or degree courses. We offer continuing education certificates to those wanting to turn in the credits to their professional board to maintain certification. Please refer to the accreditation information below for a list of approved types of CE. More will be as they are approved. We will also provide a certificate of attendance at the completion of the course to all that attend that can be used for your employee portfolio. Note POST and PA Coroner require full attendance at all sessions. If you miss a session you will need to make it up before we can provide you with a completion certificate for continuing education. All other continuing education types that we seek accreditation for allow you to claim credits for the sessions you attend. course is designed to provide basic medicolegal death investigation information to medicolegal death investigators, coroners, law enforcement officers, nurses, emergency medical personnel, attorneys, forensic scientists, and others who are involved in the investigation of violent, suspicious, and unexpected deaths.

ABMDI:

We are not affiliated with the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators. Saint Louis University staff will not answer questions on their behalf. Contact the ABMDI regarding requirements, exam, and fees. We are not providing testing at the end of the course. Refer to the ABMDI site for a practice test and for more information. ABMDI Registry Exam.

The scope of knowledge for the Registry exam is defined in the National Institutes of Justice publication Death Investigation: A Guide for the Scene Investigator.

The 240 multiple choice examination covers factual knowledge, technical information, understanding the principles and problem-solving abilities related to the profession. The examination is divided into 7 sections as outlined in the Fundamental Tasks of Medicolegal Death Investigation. You have up to 4 hours to complete all 7 sections, which are:

1. Interagency Communication

2. Communication with Families

3. Scene Response and Documentation

4. Body Assessment and Documentation

5. Completing the Investigation

6. Additional Medicolegal Death Investigator Duties

7. Forensic Medical Knowledge

The American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators complies with federal and state disability laws and makes reasonable accommodations for applicants with documented disabilities.

Please note the following items:

• Logistical information on transportation to and from the hotel to the conference location and parking information for local attendees will be provided closer to the course.

• Complimentary Wi-Fi will be provided during the course.

• Electrical outlets will not be easily accessible during the course. Plan accordingly for charging devices.

• Dress in layers or bring a jacket or a sweater. It can be difficult to control the temperature in the lecture hall and it will run cold.

• We will NOT provided printed copies of slides and/or handouts. The week prior to the conference you will receive an email with instructions on how to download the material.

  • Disclaimer: Handouts and slides provided to you may not match the presentation slides exactly. This is due to copyright material and sensitive case information.

Continuing Education Information             

It is the responsibility of the participant to understand their board's requirements for continuing education credits. 

Daily sign-in is required each morning and afternoon of the activity. Please look for additional documentation required by your accrediting body. If you do not fall into one of the approved categories below, you will only receive the Certificate of Attendance. No refunds will be issued for additional certificate fees paid. It is your responsibility to understand your CME/CE requirements for tracking and proof of credit/hours.

Approval of Continuing Education information will be added as approvals are granted.

Accreditation
Saint Louis University School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. 

Credit Designation
Saint Louis University School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 29.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Saint Louis University School of Medicine will provide Other learner certificates (APPs, nurses, and other types of learners).  The certificate will state that the activity was designated for 29.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.  Follow your board's requirements for reciprocal CE credits.

Check back often for new approvals.

If you are traveling to St. Louis for the course, we will have a room block soon. Please check back for more information and do not book a hotel room at this time!

Mitigation of Relevant Financial Relationships

Saint Louis University School of Medicine adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity, including faculty, planners, reviewers or others are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). All relevant conflicts of interest have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.

Member Information

Role in activity

Nature of Relationship(s) / Name of Ineligible Company(s)

Marie Philipneri, MD, PhD
Professor of Internal Medicine/Nephrology
Saint Louis University School of Medicine

CME Accrediting Director

Grant or research support-Mineralys (Relationship has ended)

Amanda Sain
Continuing Medical Education Program Director
Saint Louis University School of Medicine

CME Program Director

Nothing to disclose

Lindsay H. Trammell, PhD, D-ABFA, D-ABMDI
Forensic Anthropologist
St. Louis County Medical Examiner Office

Course Director, Planning Committee

Nothing to disclose