Forensic Medicine

Fredrik Tamsen, Stina Ahlström, Ingemar Thiblin and Monika Horvath in the Forensic Medicine research group. Photo: Mikaela Näsström

The research of the Forensic Medicine research group consists of one PhD project and two projects carried out in collaboration with other faculties and another university.

The research conducted at the Forensic Medicine Unit, Department of Surgical Sciences, Uppsala University is carried out in three areas. One concerns the link between abuse of anabolic androgenic steroids and premature death. Another area is the etiology/pathogenesis of certain medical findings in infants that often form the basis of the conclusion that the child has been abused. The third area concerns how forensic assessments are valued and interpreted by the judiciary.

The research regarding anabolic androgenic steroids has resulted in more than 20 scientific publications and one review article and three doctoral theses

In an ongoing doctoral project, pathological changes linked to the abuse of anabolic androgenic steroids are mapped. The topic is studied based on forensic autopsy material and animal studies. To date, three publications have been made. The defense is planned for 2025.

The field of etiology/pathogenesis of certain findings in infants has been studied for approximately 10 years and has resulted in twelve publications, five of which are included in a doctoral thesis. Part of the project is based on epidemiological registers and medical records. Another part of the project is done in collaboration with prof. Svein Kleiven, Department of Neuronics, KTH and is based on injury simulation in biomechanical models, which includes validating the models using well-documented clinical cases.

The interface between forensic assessments and law is included as part of the work within The International Center for Evidence-Based Criminal Law (EB-CRIME), which is led by researchers at the Department of Law, Uppsala University.

Three levels are studied: 1) The strength of the product itself (how sure can one be that the assessment is correct?). 2) Is there variation between different forensic doctors regarding how to communicate the degree of certainty in the assessment? 3) Does the recipient (prosecutor, judge) perceive the forensic report in the way that the sender intends (attempts to convey)?

The first level overlaps with the research area of infant findings. The other two levels are studied using constructed cases and questionnaires. So far, studies dealing with how forensic doctors' judgments are affected by the existence of an alternative hypothesis (usually a course given by the suspect (alternative hypothesis) that deviates from what has been given by the plaintiff (hypothesis). Currently, a study aimed at judges is being conducted in collaboration with a law researcher, a researcher in cognitive psychology and a researcher in the field of digital forensics.

Collaboration partners

Ulf Högberg, Professor, KBH, Uppsala University
Moa Lidén, Ph.D. Law & Psychology, Law Faculty, Uppsala University & Department of Security and Crime Science, University College, London
Joakim Sundh, Ph.D. Department of Psychology, Uppsala University

Xiaogai Li, Assiciate professor, KTH
Svein Kleiven, professor, KTH