This third episode in the 2021 National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ’s) R&D and Beyond mini-season in NIJ’s Just Science podcast series is an interview with Danielle McLeod-Henning, a physical scientist and program manager in NIJ’s Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences, who discusses NIJ’s research related to forensic anthropology and forensic pathology.
Background information for the interview reviews McLeod-Henning’s professional background, which includes being the physical scientist in charge of NIJ’s Forensic Anthropology, Pathology, and Medicolegal Death Investigation portfolio since 2009. Her efforts have been dedicated to bridging the gap between research and application. In the interview, she discusses technology translation, creating research connections outside of forensic science, and NIJ’s research portfolio. Much of the interview focuses on how grants for research indirectly related to forensic practice can facilitate improvement in forensic anthropology investigations, which pertain to cause of death or injury and determination of time of death. The interview discusses the intersection between medical research that pertains to causes and effects of various physical harms that may involve criminal actions and intent by another person.