Dr. Andrew Baker, Chief Medical Examiner, and Brissie Lecturer, and Dr. Greg Davis, Division Director, UAB Division of Forensic Pathologyby Hannah Buckelew

This year's seventh annual Robert M. Brissie Memorial Lecture, sponsored by the UAB Department of Pathology and Alabama Eye Bank, featured Andrew Baker, M.D., Chief Medical Examiner of Hennepin, Dakota, and Scott counties, Minnesota. Baker's lecture, "The Radiographic, Gross, and Microscopic Evaluation of Fractures in the Deceased Infant and Child," took place Thursday, March 23 in the West Pavilion Conference Center and via Zoom.

Baker received his medical degree from the University of Iowa College of Medicine in Iowa City. He completed a surgical internship and residency at the University of Iowa HospitalsFrom left to right: Dr. Andrew Baker, Chief Medical Examiner and Brissie Lecturer, Alan Blake, President and CEO of Advancing Sight, and Dr. Greg Davis, Division Director, UAB Division of Forensic Pathology and Clinics before completing a fellowship in forensic pathology at the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Upon completion of his fellowship, Baker served as Associate Medical Examiner and later Deputy Medical Examiner and Chief Medical Examiner for the Office of Armed Forces Medical Examiner at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, DC. During this time, he also served as major in the United States Air Force and as staff pathologist for the National Naval Medical Center's Department of Pathology in Bethesda, Maryland.

After his military service, Baker returned to the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office in Minneapolis as Assistant Chief Medical Examiner. In 2004, he was promoted to Chief Medical Examiner and has remained in this role, and additionally serves as assistant professor in the University of Minnesota's Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology in Minneapolis. 

Baker has received numerous awards, some of which include the Milton Helpern Award and Kenneth S. Field Award of Appreciation from the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the Outstanding Service Award, and STAR (Service, Time, Attitude, Respect) Award from the National Association of Medical Examiners. When Baker served in the military, he was honored with the Defense Meritorious Service Medal and the Joint Service Commendation Medal from the Department of Defense. 

The Robert M. Brissie Memorial Lecture honors the legacy of Dr. Robert Brissie, former Division Director of UAB Pathology's Division of Forensics. He served at UAB and as Chief Medical Examiner for Jefferson County for more than 30 years and was recognized as a national leader in the field. In keeping with the academic nature of the Coroner/Medical Examiner's Office in Jefferson County, the lecture focuses on highlighting research in forensic pathology that is occurring at the intersection of forensic pathology with another discipline.