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New MSUFAL Lab Director, Dr. Carolyn Isaac

The MSU Forensic Anthropology Laboratory is pleased to announce Dr. Carolyn Isaac as our new Lab Director. An alumna of the MSUFAL, Dr. Isaac returned last fall as one of our three forensic anthropologists and has been a cornerstone of the team since Day 1.

Photo of Dr. Carolyn Isaac

Dr. Isaac’s interest in the field can be traced back to when she was in kindergarten and wanted to be an archaeologist…or a barber when she grew up. Her passion for archaeology grew to a pivotal moment when she was around eight years old and an archaeological survey was conducted on her home’s property. She was invited to help the archaeologists (whose kindness in welcoming her aboard she greatly appreciated) and upon actually finding an artifact, she was hooked. Dr. Isaac followed her archaeological interests in college until she discovered forensic anthropology. This field resonated with her, as she could combine academic pursuits with applied service work that impacted and helped people who had lost a loved one. As a forensic anthropologist, Dr. Isaac says her goal “is to provide a voice to those who can no longer speak and through my work and interactions with loved ones, to be a small sliver of sunshine on one of the absolute worst days of their lives.”

In pursuing her aspirations of forensic anthropology, Dr. Isaac came here to MSU for graduate school, was a superstar student of the MSUFAL, and earned her PhD in 2013. Dr. Isaac then carried out a number of different roles as a forensic anthropologist and assistant professor for the Department of Pathology, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine, and Medical Examiner’s Office for twelve Michigan counties. As the forensic anthropologists for the ME’s Office, Dr. Isaac and MSUFAL alumnus Dr. Jered Cornelison were responsible for all skeletal analyses, identifications, infant skeletal surveys, and mass fatality planning. During her tenure there, Dr. Isaac was involved in numerous and varied casework, and worked on over 300 forensic anthropology cases. As Assistant Professor in the pathology department, Dr. Isaac taught anatomy and was the director of the Body Donation Program. Dr. Isaac was also responsible for preparing the office to attain accreditation from the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME), which involved writing and editing a multitude of policies and procedures. Extending from this role, Dr. Isaac helped craft the Mass Fatality Plan for the office and became a liaison to the counties and the region for mass fatality preparations and trainings, including helping to organize Michigan Mortuary Response Team (MIMORT) and regional Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team (DMORT) exercises. She continues to be an active and leading member of MIMORT. In working within the Medical Examiner’s Office, Dr. Isaac valued learning more about forensic pathology and the death certification process, and seeing the importance of forensic anthropological contributions in medicolegal death investigations. Dr. Isaac joined the MSU Department of Anthropology in 2019 as Assistant Professor and is one of the acclaimed forensic anthropologists of the MSUFAL.

Dr. Isaac and Dr. Cornelison in a wooded area searing the ground during a case
Dr. Isaac (right) and Dr. Cornelison (left) on a case.

On being Lab Director of the MSUFAL, Dr. Isaac says that it feels like a full-circle experience: “As a graduate student, the MSUFAL is where Dr. Fenton taught me how to be a forensic anthropologist and gave me the invaluable case experience. Although I have very big shoes to fill, I am looking forward to giving back to this lab and all of the amazing people that make it the best job in the world.”

The people, past and present, who have graced this laboratory are what Dr. Isaac says comprise the best of MSUFAL: “Few programs can boast of world-class faculty like Dr. Sauer, Dr. Fenton, and Dr. Hefner who have carefully crafted the MSUFAL to provide invaluable case experience and professionalization opportunities to students in a collaborative educational environment. We also have the most amazing alumni who have left their mark on the MSUFAL and who are now out in the real world making significant contributions to the field of forensic anthropology. And, of course, the remarkable students that currently keep the MSUFAL running, who I can tell are on the precipice of greatness (I am really looking forward to saying that I knew them before they were famous). These people make the MSUFAL something really special.”

This sentiment is overwhelmingly returned towards Dr. Isaac, who certainly contributes to what makes the MSUFAL really special. Dr. Isaac is professionally, academically, and personally remarkable—she is dedicated to every forensic case, engaged in critical research, always eager to help, enthusiastic to discuss current developments in the field, committed to the lab’s success, and is an inspirational mentor. Her positive attitude, good humor, and kindness is a constant presence in the lab, and is felt even when we are not physically together.

As announced by Dr. Isaac in our most recent blog post, the lab has been transitioning our workflow to a remote environment and will be moving to our new lab space in Giltner Hall this year. Dr. Isaac and Lab Manager Micayla Spiros have generated a virtual space for the lab that enables the continuation of collaborative work on forensic cases, educational opportunities, and socializing with each other from afar. The move to Giltner Hall will offer many benefits Dr. Isaac notes, including “proximity to our anthropology colleagues in Baker Hall, centralization of physical anthropology laboratories, and contiguous spaces for graduate student offices, forensic laboratory work, and teaching.”

When asked her thoughts on the future of forensic anthropology, Dr. Isaac believes it is a very interesting time in the field. One area of growth comes with the work to establish standards and best practices, in which Dr. Isaac is actively involved as a member of the Anthropology Consensus Body of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences Standards Board. She is the Chair of the working group on standards for personal identification and is a member of the working group on standards for analyzing skeletal trauma. Dr. Isaac expresses that “we are moving from a field based on anecdotal expertise to one that is heavily based in scientific inquiry and application.” Dr. Isaac discusses in our previous blog post that the field is also engaging in self-reflection to better understand the implicit and explicit biases that can impact our work.

In the midst of the current upheaval and distress, we are looking towards exciting developments on the horizon and are happy to have Dr. Isaac at the Lab Director’s helm.

Authored by: Elena Watson

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