Purpose
In the evolving landscape of medical education, developing effective strategies to teach pathology is critical. While frequently overlooked, forensic pathology may hold this key to engaging students while bridging the gap between textbook knowledge and clinical applications. To explore this integration, a student-created elective was developed, approved, and completed. This elective aimed to provide hands-on experience in forensic pathology through direct involvement in postmortem investigations, including the determination of the cause and manner of death and its relevance to the public's health, safety, and welfare.

Methods
Over four weeks during the summer of 2024, a student spent 140 hours immersed in a local medical examiner’s office engaging with the daily duties of a forensic pathologist. In this elective, the student responded with medicolegal death investigators to scenes, learned to identify decedents, observed and assisted in the autopsy process (imaging, external examination, autopsy, and report writing), identified pathology through microscopy, learned how to complete a death certificate, and gained an understanding of toxicology, genetics, cultures, and ballistics. This course was assessed based on nightly research assignments and a final poster presentation.

Results
While not formally assessed, this elective provided the student with a foundational understanding of postmortem case investigations, including determining the cause and manner of death. Through past and present cases, the student practiced correlating autopsy findings, both gross and microscopic, with the decedent's history to gain a strong understanding of the implications of pathological findings. In addition, the student gained familiarity with laws regarding the classification of autopsies requiring medicolegal status and infectious disease precautions.

Conclusion
The successful completion of this student-created elective offered valuable insight into the opportunities available to students in the field of forensic pathology while highlighting the potential for future integration of forensic pathology into medical education.