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Managing editor

The impending retirement of longtime Anoka County Medical Examiner Dr. Janis Amatuzio is prompting some changes in the medical examiner’s office.

While Amatuzio has not yet made her retirement official, it is expected to take place sometime before the end of January 2010, according to Jerry Soma, Anoka County division manager for human services.

At this time, no full-time forensic pathologist will be hired to replace Amatuzio, Soma said.

One of the two full-time pathologists who will be left when Amatuzio retires - Dr. Quinn Strobel and Dr. Anne Bracey - will be named medical examiner by the Anoka County Board, he said.

In the meantime, the hours of on-call forensic pathologist Dr. Shannon Mackey will be increased to help fill in the gap caused by Amatuzio’s retirement, according to Gary Alberts, medical examiner’s office administrator.

In addition, the county board has approved a staff recommendation to upgrade a part-time office investigator position to a full-time lead investigator following the resignation of Bob Kammer from the part-time position.

The investigator job is being restructured to coordinate and provide all the training to field investigators and law enforcement, a role that has previously been the function of the medical examiners.

By taking the training function away from the medical examiners, the county won’t have to replace Amatuzio until its autopsy rate reaches 600 per year, according to Soma.

The number of autopsies now is about 500 a year, Soma.

Amatuzio has been Anoka County medical examiner, formerly called Anoka County coroner, for some 20 years.

For much of that time she operated a private business, Midwest Forensic Pathology, P.A., based at the Mercy Health Care Center, Coon Rapids, and contracted with the county for medical examiner services until the operation became part of county government’s human services division in January 2006.

A medical examiner’s office/morgue was built by the county in Ramsey a couple of years ago,  but the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office, as it is known, serves more than Anoka County.

Indeed, eight other Minnesota counties contract with the office for the full range of services that it provides, including death investigations, autopsies and transportation, paying at a rate of $2.81 per capita.

Some other counties, including three in Wisconsin,  contract with Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office for specified services, paying a flat fee for the services provided.

The office has 10 full-time staff, plus some 60 on-call investigators, who are temporary employees, so it can provide 24/7 service, Soma said.

Amatuzio, known as the “compassionate coroner,” has more than 30 years of experience as a board-certified forensic pathologist.

She trained at the University of Minnesota, Hennepin County Medical Center and the medical examiner’s office in Minneapolis.

Amatuzio has also written two books, “Forever Ours” and “Beyond Knowing,” which recount experiences from grieving loved ones, patients near death, police, clergy and colleagues of spiritual and other occurrences concerning the transition between life and death.

The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office conducts autopsies, performs death investigations and provides death investigation training and consultations.

For a fee, the office will also respond to requests for an independent inquiry into a death in which family members want to know a cause.

This service is not commonly offered by medical examiner offices, Soma said.

Peter Bodley is at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it