Dr Natalie MacCormick

ACLM

Where did you study, and where have you practiced in recent years?

Dr MacCormick

My undergraduate degree was a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Psychology at the University of Queensland in 2002. I went onto complete a graduate Bachelor of Medicine Bachelor of Surgery at the University of Queensland in 2006. My internship was at the Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital in Queensland, and then I went onto work in various hospitals in South East Queensland in critical care specialties (Anaesthetics, Intensive Care Medicine, and Emergency Medicine). Prior to forensic medicine, I was training as an anaesthetics registrar. I have been working as a Forensic Physician since 2014 at the Clinical Forensic Medicine Unit in Brisbane.

ACLM

What motivated you to study forensic medicine?

Dr MacCormick

While chairing an Intensive Care Unit Morbidity and Mortality meeting, I had an epiphany: Clinical Forensic Medicine. I have always found the areas where medicine and other disciplines collide fascinating. The interplay between medicine, law, justice, politics, ethics and society is prominent in Forensic Medicine. I changed course and enrolled in the Master’s of Forensic Medicine at Monash University in 2014, completing my studies in 2018.

ACLM

Do you specialise in a particular aspect of forensic medicine?

Dr MacCormick

I am lucky to have exposure to many areas of forensic medicine, including: coronial medicine, injury interpretation, adult sexual assault and domestic violence, traffic medicine, watch house medicine, and forensic toxicology. I have a particular interest in forensic and clinical toxicology and have studied clinical toxicology at the University of Florida.

ACLM

What challenges and rewards come from your line of work?

Dr MacCormick

The biggest challenge was actually discovering the existence of Clinical Forensic Medicine. Being a relatively new specialty, it is not taught in medical school, it doesn’t feature in career expos, and the career path is still being developed. I hope that this will change in coming years with promotion and development of our fledgling specialty.

ACLM

What benefits did you receive from attending ACLM's courses?

Dr MacCormick

The Advanced Law Intensive was extremely well run with very expert, knowledgeable, and entertaining speakers. It gave me relevant background and understanding of the legislation that I work within. A huge volume of information was delivered, and I would certainly consider attending again in the future.

The Expert Witness course was an equally worthwhile and enjoyable experience. The opportunity to practice giving evidence in a mock courtroom with accomplished barristers and judges was invaluable.

ACLM

Is there any aspect of forensic medicine that you would like to see more research and development in the future?

Dr MacCormick

There needs to be a focus on research and development in all aspects of forensic medicine in order for our expert evidence to stand up in court. My personal area of interest relates to forensic toxicology and toxicovigilance.

ACLM

Any further comments you wish to share with the ACLM community?

Dr MacCormick

It is a very interesting time to be involved in forensic medicine. It is both exciting and challenging to be part of an emerging specialty.

We are now working in an environment of increased scrutiny post the USA’s National Research Council report on the state of forensic sciences in 2009, and land mark cases such as the wrongful conviction of Mr Jama in 2008 in Victoria. Within this climate, there are exciting opportunities for the development of evidence-based practice, a process that is entrenched in our medical training.

I expect that Forensic Medicine will continue to evolve and adapt as legislation changes in response to social pressures and public expectations; and that is what makes this discipline so intriguing.