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Student Shadow Program
The CCMEO Student Shadow Program is a day-long program that allows students to see how a medical examiner's office operates. The program is open to all high school or college-level students. We plan on holding shadow sessions in the spring and fall, depending on the interest we receive.
The program is a mix of education-based lectures and hands-on learning. The objective of the program is to provide students with greater exposure to the associated fields of forensic science that will inform and direct students toward educational and career goals in these fields.
| 2026 Dates | High School | College | Application Deadline |
| Spring Session | May 8, 2026 | May 22, 2026 | April 24, 2026 |
| Fall Session | TBD | TBD | TBD |
High School Shadow Program Agenda
| Time | Activity |
| 8:00 – 8:30 | Introduction |
| 8:30 – 9:30 | Facility Tour |
| 9:30 - 12:00 | Breakout Sessions |
| 12:00 – 1:00 | Lunch w/ Medical Examiner (brown bag) |
| 1:00 – 2:00 | Investigations Presentation |
| 2:00 – 3:00 | Mock Scene Investigation (hands-on) |
| 3:00 – 3:15 | Closing / Dismissal |
College Shadow Program Agenda
| Time | Activity |
| 8:00 – 8:30 | Introduction |
| 8:30 – 10:00 | Viewing & Facility Tour |
| 10:00 – 12:00 | Autopsy w/ Medical Examiner |
| 12:00 – 1:00 | Lunch |
| 1:00 – 2:00 | Investigations Presentation |
| 2:00 – 3:00 | Mock Scene Investigation (hands-on) |
| 3:00 – 3:15 | Closing / Dismissal |
Get a brief history and overview of the Medical Examiner’s Office and its previous history when it was the Cuyahoga Coroner’s Office.
Facility Tour
Take a guided tour of the 200,000+ s.f. Medical Examiner’s facility and Regional Forensic Science Laboratory.
Death Scene Investigation
Hear presentations by our professional investigators on the basic principles of the investigation of death scenes.
Mock Scene Investigation
Walk the scene! A hands-on application of the principles of death scene investigation in our Mock Crime Scene Training Area that features four changeable interactive “mock scenes” depicting several types of cases under the Medical Examiner’s jurisdiction.
Viewing (College Program Only)
Sit in with medical and professional staff on the morning caseload review session.
Demonstration Autopsy (College Program Only)
Witness an actual autopsy conducted by one of the staff forensic pathologists. (College-Only)
NOTE:
Available slots are limited to 12 per session (4 sessions total: Spring and Fall; College and High School). High School students under 18 will require parental permission in addition to other appointment requirements.
A Letter of recommendation from a teacher in your field of study should be supplied in addition to a letter from the Director of the Department or Advisor / Principal of your school.
Ohio Revised Code 313.23 - View of autopsy by interested person.
As used in this section:
- “Interested person” means an employee of the coroner’s office, a physician, dentist, nurse, professor at a medical school, medical student, medical resident, nursing student, an employee of a procurement organization, a member of a law enforcement agency, or any other person the coroner, in the coroner’s discretion, determines is appropriate.
- “Procurement organization” has the same meaning as in section 2108.01 of the Revised Code.
- The coroner may allow an interested person to view an autopsy of a decedent without the interested person receiving permission to view the decedent’s autopsy from the decedent’s next of kin.
- No person who is under eighteen years of age and who is not an interested person may view an autopsy.
Effective Date:08-17-2006; 2008 HB529 04-07-2009