forensic nurse - Editor's Letter

Before there was “CSI,” there was “Forensic Files.” And long before the public ever knew what luminol was used for, Paul Dowling was determined to champion the art and science of forensic detection. Dowling is executive producer and creator of the long-running, award-winning “Forensic Files” show on Court TV. Watching the work of the medical detectives of the Epidemic Intelligence Service of the CDC do their jobs in the midst of the outbreak of what was eventually called legionnaire’s disease in 1976, Dowling wanted to bring this kind of scientific detection to the television viewer. The gritty details of forensic science, as it turned out, were poised for their introduction to the general public in a way that producers of the 1970s show “Quincy” couldn’t have fathomed. Dowling believes that shows like his not only explain the intriguing technology behind forensic science, it is an opportunity to promote the field and its place in the medicolegal process to laypersons and working professionals alike.

I agree with Dowling that it’s a good time to be a forensic science professional. While the challenges — questions of professional validation, overcoming funding issues and other roadblocks — remain, there are signs that what you do is making an impact on healthcare, medicine and science. Legislation such as the Debbie Smith Act, the DNA Sexual Assault Justice Act, and the Rape Kits and DNA Evidence Backlog Elimination Act, have brought attention to key issues related to the needs of forensic nursing and forensic science. There’s movement on Capitol Hill for greater funding of crime labs and forensic training efforts with the President’s DNA Initiative: Advancing Justice Through DNA Technology. The good news is that the profile of forensic science is higher than ever; the challenge is maintaining and capitalizing on this momentum.

You might be wondering why I spoke to Dowling; it’s part of an article exploring how forensic science is getting a leg up from popular culture. You can read the article in the premiere issue of forensic focus magazine, a new quarterly publication. The new magazine extends the educational platform created in 2001 with the launch of forensic nurse. Our target readers of forensic focus are forensic scientists, forensic pathologists, crime lab directors/technicians, criminalists and crime-scene investigators, and we will present the same kind of expert-written content you’ve come to expect from forensic nurse. The two magazines will share a special kinship and provide a bridge between forensic nursing and the rest of the forensic science community. Check us out at www.forensicfocusmag.com for preliminary information; we invite you to come back in November for the full scope of our editorial vision.

Advancing the frontiers of forensic nursing,