DuPage County Coroner shares expertise with Midwestern University students

Students from Midwestern University's Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine recently welcomed the DuPage County Corner Richard Jorgensen, M.D., FACS to the Downers Grove campus.

Dr. Jorgensen is a vascular surgeon who practiced general and trauma surgery before his election as the DuPage County Coroner in 2012.

Dr. Jorgensen shared his experiences as a surgeon, investigator, and health care policy advocate with the students. The DuPage County coroner's office is responsible for nearly 4,500 cause of death investigations each year, performing their own pathology and toxicology reports for a population of nearly 100,000 people. "Our office responds to suspicious or unattended deaths in the county which means roughly about half of the deaths that occur in DuPage County," Dr. Jorgensen said. "Our days can vary greatly. We have 10 deputies who investigate cases and our office works closely with local police and fire departments."

He answered questions from the students and informed them about how the nature of the work done by the Coroner's Office reflects advances in science, changes to state law, and societal issues such as the opioid epidemic.

Dr. Jorgensen's visit was coordinated by the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine chapter of the Student Osteopathic Medical Association (SOMA) and spearheaded by Cassandra Smith (CCOM 2022), SOMA President, and David Van Arsdell (CCOM 2022), SOMA Political Affairs Chair.