In the first episode of our Workforce Resiliency season, Just Science sat down with Dr. Jennifer Rineer, a program manager and research psychologist in RTI International’s Center for Policing Research and Investigative Science, and Kelly Keyes, a research forensic scientist in RTI’s Center for Forensic Sciences, to discuss workforce resiliency among medicolegal death investigators.   

Medicolegal death investigators face consistent exposure to stress and traumatic events on the job, yet there is limited research on the daily pressures these professionals experience. An NIJ study led by Dr. Rineer surveyed 900 medicolegal death investigators to gain more information on the driving sources of stress among these practitioners, with the goal of developing better interventions to mitigate these stressors. Listen along as these experts discuss the responsibilities of medicolegal death investigators and the difficulty of retaining good staff, as well as their findings on work-related stress within the profession in this episode of Just Science. 

This season is funded by the National Institute of Justice’s Forensic Technology Center of Excellence.

Just Workforce Resiliency For MDIs

Just Science is a podcast for justice professionals and anyone interested in learning more about forensic science, innovative technology, current research, and actionable strategies to improve the criminal justice system.  This podcast deals with a range of issues, including human trafficking, firearms, policing, leadership in the crime lab, new technologies, sexual assault response, and broader challenges for science and public security. We cover various types of topics across RTI's Justice Practice Area. 

Some seasons of Just Science were developed by RTI International's Justice Practice Area through various funding sources. Please visit the individual episode to learn more about its funding.