Detroit based organ donation consulting firm, Precision Consulting Solutions, adds two leading forensic advisors to help maximize donation rates. Together they are working to develop best practice guidelines for organ and tissue recovery on complex forensic cases.
Around the country, dozens of organs suitable for transplant are currently restricted from being recovered by coroners and medical examiners. These restrictions are primarily due to concerns of evidence being destroyed prior to autopsy. Investigators state that recovery in some instances may limit the ability to determine cause and manner of death. Innovative work and collaboration by organ procurement organizations is reducing restrictions in these forensic cases to save more lives.
Advisor of Forensic Medicine
Dr, Roland Kohr is a board-certified forensic pathologist with 40 years of experience conducting forensic autopsies. He is joining Precision Consulting Solutions as an advisor of forensic medicine. Dr. Kohr formerly served 29 years as director of laboratories for Terre Haute Regional Hospital as well as an associate clinical professor for the Indiana University School of Medicine. He brings immense experience as a death investigator and child death expert, evaluating and authorizing the recovery of organs and tissue for transplant. As a four-term elected coroner, he worked with tissue recovery teams to innovate heart valve recovery techniques to allow for recovery in complex cases.
Kira Newkirk, Vice President of Business Operations with Indiana Donor Network, says “I believe that Dr. Kohr has a legacy of working to save lives by thinking outside the box when evaluating donation potential. He demands excellence from the recovery team and ensures that we are contributing to the integrity of the death investigation while honoring donor heroes and saving lives.”
Advisor of Forensic Toxicology
Also joining is Dr. Andrea Terrell, a board-certified clinical chemist with 20 years of experience directing laboratories that conduct toxicology testing for coroners and medical examiners. She assists death investigators through expert analysis and interpretation of toxicology results in complex forensic cases. She owns and operates Phoenix Laboratories based in Indianapolis Indiana and joins Precision Consulting Solutions as an advisor of forensic toxicology.
Logan Miller, CEO at Precision Consulting Solutions, stated that “Andrea adds immense forensic knowledge and innovation to our team. She is currently focused on developing a prioritization of testing needs so that limited admission blood samples can be shared between serology and toxicology, increasing donation potential. Andrea has worked alongside tissue recovery teams and coroners to ensure that heart valve recovery could occur without jeopardizing any death investigation.”
Precision Consulting Solutions states that their mission is to deliver innovated forensics to enhance working relationships between organ and tissue donation professionals and their forensic stakeholders.
