Arkansas State Crime Lab announces forensic pathology fellowship

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KAIT/Edited News Release) - The Arkansas State Crime Laboratory (ASCL) is pleased to announce that Dr. Lance Van Truong, D.O., has been matched as ASCL’s first forensic pathology fellow.

A graduate of Touro University Nevada with a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.), Dr. Truong is concluding a 4-year anatomic and clinical pathology residency program at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Dr. Truong will then complete a 1-year pediatric pathology fellowship program at Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts during the 2024-2025 academic year. His 1-year forensic pathology fellowship will be during the 2025-2026 academic year.

“Recruiting Dr. Truong to Arkansas is a game changer for us. He has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to serving others and will continue to set the bar high as we partner with our Arkansas stakeholders to deeply understand how and why Arkansans are dying and how we can best work together to prevent future deaths,” said Dr. Theodore (Ted) Brown, ASCL Director and Chief Medical Examiner.

The forensic pathology fellowship program is a collaborative initiative between the ASCL and the Department of Pathology of the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences (UAMS). The fellowship’s mission is to enhance the health, safety, and well-being of Arkansans. It aims to educate professional, board-qualified forensic pathologists to deliver competent, independent forensic pathology services to the families, communities, and stakeholders they serve.

In the United States, there are 49 forensic pathology fellowship programs. The ASCL-UAMS program is one of 36 programs certified to participate in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). The Match occurred on May 1, 2024. During The Match process, candidates complete interviews with forensic pathology training programs before both the candidates and programs rank programs and candidates, respectively, in order of preference. On match day, the NRMP matches candidates and programs based on these rankings.

This year, the match process highlighted the continued shortage of forensic pathologists in the United States. Of the 36 certified forensic pathology fellowship programs, only 15 programs filled their full complement of forensic pathology fellow positions. Furthermore, only 37 pathology residents applied to a forensic pathology fellowship program, representing an approximate 20% decrease in the number of applicants from the previous year.

“Despite the critical shortage of forensic pathologists nationwide, I am proud that our state has chosen to do something about this deficiency. The success of our newly accredited forensic pathology fellowship program reflects our continued commitment to provide excellent forensic science services to Arkansas by best positioning our team to recruit the very best rising forensic pathologist champions like Dr. Truong,” Dr. Brown said. “We are thrilled to match with a physician of Dr. Truong’s caliber. Our future continues to get brighter as we remain steadfast in our commitment to best serve Arkansas together.”

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