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A medical examiner (often referred to by the initials "ME") is a physician, and a specialist in pathology or forensic science. The difference between and M.E. and a coroner is a coroner is elected whereas a Medical Examiner isn't.

In New York City, the chief medical examiner and several assistant Medical Examiners work at the NYC Office of Chief Medical Examiner.

Duties always include determining the cause, time, and manner of death. This uses the same investigatory skills of a police detective in most cases, because the answers are available from the circumstances, scene, and recent medical records. In many American jurisdictions any death not certified by the person's own physician must be referred to the Medical Examiner.

On the Law & Order franchise, Medical Examiners, are often used as a source of information during police investigations.

Investigations[]

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit[]

Episode: "Mean"

  • Assistant Medical Examiner Cardillo examined the body of Emily Sullivan. After he finished his preliminary investigation, a car from the M.E.'s office picked up the body.

Known medical examiners[]

Elizabeth Rodgers

Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers

  • Eddie Hastings
  • Flax
  • Hoeck

Multiple Shows[]

Actor Character First
episode
Last
episode
Number of
appearances
Tamara Tunie New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
Chief Medical Examiner
(ME) Doctor Melinda Warner
SVU: "Noncompliance"
(Season 2)
OC: "Deliver Us From Evil"
(Season 4)
176
Leslie Hendrix New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
Assistant Chief Medical Examiner
(ME) Doctor Elizabeth Rodgers
L&O: "The Fertile Fields"
(Season 2)
CI: "To the Boy in the Blue Knit Cap"
(Season 10)
264
Frank Wood New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
Doctor Abel Truman
SVU: "Ballad Of Dwight and Irena"
(Season 22)
SVU: "Bad Things"
(Season 24)
11

Law & Order[]

Actor Character First
episode
Last
episode
Number of
appearances
Josh Pais New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
Assistant Medical Examiner
(ME) Doctor Borak
"Poison Ivy"
(Season 1)
"True Crime"
(Season 13)
13
Amy Hohn New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
Assistant Medical Examiner
(ME) Doctor Manning
"Precious"
(Season 5)
"Savages"
(Season 6)
2
Jurian Hughes New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
Assistant Medical Examiner
(later promoted to Medical Examiner)
(ME) Doctor Gardner
"Virtue"
(Season 5)
"Causa Mortis"
(Season 7)
2
Robert Raines Martin New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
Assistant Medical Examiner
(ME) Doctor Gil Dennis
"DR 1-102"
(Season 12)
"Dazzled"
(Season 12)
2
Richard Hirschfeld New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
Assistant Medical Examiner
(ME) Doctor Brody
"Slaughter"
(Season 12)
"Hindsight"
(Season 16)
12
Bob Sorenson New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
Medical Examiner
(ME) Doctor Steven Kurt
"The Ring"
(Season 13)
"Caviar Emptor"
(Season 14)
3
Kerrianne Spellman Cort New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
Medical Examiner
(ME) Doctor Sally Lane
"Asterisk"
(Season 13)
"Genius"
(Season 13)
2
Sanjiv Jhaveri New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
Assistant Medical Examiner
(ME) Doctor Roger Migdal
"Mother's Day"
(Season 13)
"House Calls"
(Season 13)
2
Adam Stein New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
Assistant Medical Examiner
(ME) Doctor Cantor
"Kid Pro Quo"
(Season 13)
"Dining Out"
(Season 15)
5
Angel Desai New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
Assistant Medical Examiner
(ME) Doctor Judy Waxman
"Ill-Conceived"
(Season 14)
"Red Ball"
(Season 16)
4
John Pieza New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
Assistant Medical Examiner
(ME) Doctor Paul Sharlett
"Life Line"
(Season 16)
"Good Faith"
(Season 17)
2
William Peden New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
Assistant Medical Examiner
(ME) Doctor Nowicky
"House of Cards"
(Season 16)
"Corner Office"
(Season 17)
2
Triney Sandoval New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
Assistant Medical Examiner
(ME) Doctor Carlos Fernandez
"Criminal Law"
(Season 16)
"Invaders"
(Season 16)
3
Lizzy Cooper Davis New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
Assistant Medical Examiner
(ME) Doctor Carla Birch
"Cry Wolf"
(Season 15)
"Melting Pot"
(Season 17)
4
January LaVoy New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
Assistant Medical Examiner
(ME) Doctor Bell
"Fear America"
(Season 17)
"Murder Book"
(Season 17)
2
Baron Vaughn New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
Assistant Medical Examiner
(ME) Doctor Anskel
"Bottomless"
(Season 18)
"Reality Bites"
(Season 20)
2
Sonnie Brown New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
Assistant Medical Examiner
(ME) Doctor Cho Shen
"Political Animal"
(Season 18)
"Love Eternal"
(Season 20)
4

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit[]

Actor Character First
episode
Last
episode
Number of
appearances
Lance Reddick New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
Assistant Medical Examiner
(ME) Doctor Taylor
"The Third Guy"
(Season 1)
"Inheritance"
(Season 3)
6
Jake Robards New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
Assistant Medical Examiner
(ME) Doctor Cardillo
"Mean"
(Season 5)
"Debt"
(Season 6)
2
Karen Tsen Lee New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
DNA technician/Medical Examiner
(ME) Doctor Susan Chung
"Double Strands"
(Season 13)
"Manhattan Transfer"
(Season 17)
9
Jefferson Mays New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
Deputy Chief Medical Examiner
(ME) Doctor Carl Rudnick
"Spousal Privilege"
(Season 16)
"Nationwide Manhunt"
(Season 17)
7

Other Shows[]

Actor Character First
episode
Last
episode
Number of
appearances
Patricia R. Floyd New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
Assistant Medical Examiner
(ME) Doctor Rafi
"Con-Text"
(CI Season 2)
"Collective"
(CI Season 4)
2
Tim Hopper New York City (NYC) Office of Chief
Medical Examiner
(OCME),
Medical Examiner
(ME) Doctor George Gibson
"Skeleton"
(TBJ Season 1)
"Boys Will Be Boys"
(TBJ Season 1)
2
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