Consultants and Analysts

Karen Russo - Founder and consultant specialist with The Wrongful Death & Injury Institute, Inc. Expertise in the makeup and mechanics of the death investigation system nationwide, policies and procedures involved in the delivery of healthcare within hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living residences, jails and prison systems nationwide, and a working knowledge of the multiple forensic disciplines and database of the worldwide experts within each.

She is the author of two books - Fighting for Life-A Guide for Families Navigating Through the Death Investigation System Within Prisons, Hospitals, Nursing Homes, Jails and The Cross of Prison Healthcare-A Guide for Those Fighting for the Sick and Dying.

She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in political science, attended two graduate schools simultaneously in criminal justice and theology, is past adjunct professor in criminal evidence, criminal investigation, and public speaking. Areas of expertise: Death investigation standards nationwide, delivery of healthcare policy and procedures within hospitals, jails, prisons, nursing homes and assisted living residences nationwide, one on one consulting with individuals and families navigating through life and death issues and situations, and the need for and provision of correct healthcare documents that should be in place to circumvent unnecessary decision making by non-family members.

Phillipa Chantry, Director of Research - Born in Melbourne, Australia, currently resides in Canberra, Australia. She holds a Bachelors of Arts Degree with Honors in English, a Graduate Degree in Education and currently is pursuing a Masters Degree in Public Management. Her past positions of teaching refugees, working in community sector work and administering government youth programs, has equipped her well for her current work in the administration of Australian Government programs for remote areas. She is the lead researcher for the Institute.

Hans Uffelmann - Receiving his primary and secondary education in Germany, he studied zoology and philosophy at Sacramento Community College and at the University of California at Davis where he took his B.A. After a three-year interruption of his academic career, serving with the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps as a surgical technician, he resumed his studies at Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill where he earned a M.A. and Ph.D.

In 1963 he joined the University of Missouri - Kansas City as Assistant Professor of Philosophy, specializing in applied ethics and social philosophy, chairing the Department of Philosophy and the Faculty of the College of Arts & Sciences for several years. Appointed Professor of Philosophy & Medicine in 1971, Dr. Uffelmann was invited and joined the faculty of the School of Medicine teaching clinical medical ethics; both on a local and on a national level, and pioneered this emerging sub-specialty field in philosophy & medicine and taught biomedical ethics to faculty from various scientific fields for the National Science Foundation and the American Association for the Advancement of Science at eighteen universities throughout the U.S. He received various awards and honors as "Pioneer in Medical Education" and accepted non-physician membership in AOA, the prestigious medical honor society.

Together with an attorney and a physician, he founded the MIDWEST BIOETHICS CENTER in 1986 which is a local community-based organization which has developed Advance Directives and the supporting federal legislation as well as Hospital Ethics Committees used in hospitals and health care centers throughout the United States and overseas. This center remains a leading consulting resource in matters of biomedical ethics throughout the country, including ethical guidelines for research involving human subjects involving all aspects of health care research (e.g.; human genetics, neo-natal, and other experimental fields along the human life cycle). The Center is a paradigm for addressing end-of-life care issues, including the famous Nancy Cruzan dilemmas involving the care of persistent vegetative state patients.

His recent retirement phase as Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and Medicine, after serving on the faculty of the University of Missouri-Kansas City for thirty-seven years, is devoted and divided to selected teaching, clinical consultation, Hospital Ethics, Research Committee membership, and scholarly writing.

J. Coulson - Masters Degree in Criminal Justice and over thirty years experience in law enforcement procedures, police liability, OSHA regulations, death investigations, crime scene reconstruction, training of law enforcement officers, evaluation of field trainers and loss prevention.

M. Finnegan - Professor of Anthropology with over 30 years experience in physical anthropology. M.A. Anthropology from the University of Colorado, Ph.D. Anthropology from the University of Colorado. Numerous professional experiences, membership in professional organizations, and publications too numerous to mention.

Allan Jamieson - BSc PhD CBiol FIBiol MIBMS MIHM

Director of The Forensic Institute in Glasgow, Scotland, UK world reknown DNA expert who, coupled with extensive casework experience, is well known for his entertaining and informative lectures across the UK. Proficient in DNA and the biological sciences, he is a well-known consultant to attorneys in the UK and all over Europe. He was instrumental in the challenges to the use of the LCN DNA technique in the Omagh Bomb trial [R v Hoey] and in the English Appeal Court case of Reed. He has consistently challenged the abuse of the technique in Court

Professor Jamieson is also the Co-editor in Chief of Wileys Encyclopedia of Forensic Sciences - a five volume work leaving no stone unturned or lacking in forensic examination. Click here to read the Review in the Journal of the Law Society of Scotland. Click here for full bio and curriculum vitae.

Paul Kish - Bloodstain Pattern Analyst. Examination and interpretation of evidence in over 250 crime scenes. Examination and interpretation of physical evidence and crime scene reconstruction from the majority of the states within the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Denmark and Sweden. Presented expert testimony on the topics of bloodstain pattern interpretation, crime scene reconstruction and forensic science in criminal and civil courts. Institute Instructor in Geometric Interpretation of Human Bloodstain Evidence.

D. Lock - Forensic Questioned Document Examiner and Latent Fingerprint Expert with over 30 years experience. Retired supervisor of the Questioned Document and Latent Print Sections of the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Lab. Expertise includes but is not limited to: forensic questioned documents; latent fingerprint examination; and crime scene investigation. Instructor of specialized training programs and seminars. Publications and memberships in numerous professional organizations too numerous to mention.

K. Mashiko - Research Chemist with over thirty years experience in the chemical identification of paints, pigments, fibers, soils, oils. Former Head of the Laboratory of Ibaraki Prefecture Police Headquarters, Japan. Holds patents for the device for comparison method between soils, and for the detection and discrimination of light oils at fire scenes. Published "Latent Fingerprint Processing Iodine 7, 8 - Benzoflavone Method", "A New Ruthenium Tetroxide Fuming Procedure", "Latent Fingerprint Processing by the Ruthenium Tetroxide Method" in Journal of Forensic Identification. Announced the "Development of Latent Fingerprints in Fume-Box by the RTX" in the 5th Meeting of Japanese Association of Science and Technology.

Andre Moenssens is a forensic consultant and retired law professor. He currently is a Visiting Professor at West Virginia University College of Law, teaching an Advanced Forensic Evidence Seminar and the first-year required Criminal Law course.

Professor Moenssens started his studies in forensic science in 1950 in Belgium under the tutelage of the late Major Georges E. Defawe. He emigrated to the U.S. in 1956 and became a lawyer in this country in 1966 after receiving the Juris Doctor (JD) degree with Honors at Illinois Institute of Technology – Chicago Kent College of Law. The following year he earned the Master of Laws (LL.M.) degree at Northwestern University. Click here for full bio and curriculum vitae.

Joyce Mucci - Joyce Mucci grew up in Washington, D.C. but has called Kansas City her home for the last twenty-years. A former lobbyist in Jefferson City and on Capitol Hill, she changed course to pursue a public relations career. In addition to being the former Director of Public Relations for the International Council of Cruise Lines, and former Director of Communications for the Center for the America Founding in Washington, D.C., she has been the talk show host of KCCV radio and the voice of the The Ingram's Daily Business Report on KPHN. In addition to devoting her time to the Institute, she is also Director and Coordinator of The Mucci Media Consulting Firm and spokesperson for the Mid-America Immigration Reform Coalition.

G. Stephens - Over 25 years experience in traffic accident reconstruction. Training specialist for the Institute of Police Technology and Management Training in all phases of accident investigation and reconstruction. Attended the first organized reconstruction school held at Northwestern Traffic Institute. Formatted and conducted the first class in accident reconstruction nationwide. Mr. Stephens has been teaching in reconstruction school since the early days of reconstruction training. Numerous publications and memberships in professional organizations, too numerous to mention.

** The Institute's Analysts: The Institute, being a multidisciplinary firm of forensic experts and analysts, does not list all consultants/analysts/experts.

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