Media Release

Mangaluru, Aug 25: The Forensic Anthropology Unit, department of forensic medicine & toxicology, Yenepoya Medical College (YMC), with Dr Luis Fondebrider founder president Equipo Argentino de Anthropologia Forense (EAAF) and former head, forensic unit, International Committee of Red Cross, as the chief resource person, organized a national level hands-on workshop on Disaster Victim Identification (DVI). Dr Fondebrider is a world-renowned expert in exhumation, identification and respectful return of dead bodies. Dr Luis Fondebrider brings a rich experience of having handled many DVI events, shared by his interactive lectures and during the hands-on training sessions with the participants.

While most energies are focused on the rescue of survivors, the DVI expert works quietly in the background, collecting body parts, identifying the dead and bringing much relief to the anxious relatives of the deceased. A mock disaster scene of an air crash was simulated, a few dismembered mannequins as dead bodies were placed in, and a collection of personal items were strewn around the crash site.

The workshop – conducted every year for the last 9 years - is a part of the post graduate diploma in forensic anthropology and odontology and participants from different parts of India are participating in it. The PG diploma in forensic anthropology is the first course of its kind in India. Every year up to 15 experts are trained from the background of forensic medicine, dentistry, anatomy and forensic science. This is one sterling example of a lifelong learning course offered by Yenepoya (deemed to be University), where the motivation to learn and acquire new skills with changing times is the core philosophy. The DVI module is a 4-day module at the end of which the participant will be competent in the steps of DVI applied in a given setting.

At the inaugural, Dr Kishor Kumar, head of the department of forensic medicine YMC welcomed the chief resource person Dr Luis Fondebrider. Dr Vina Vaswani, the course director explained the purpose of the PGDFAO module. Dr Nasir Ahemad is the forensic anthropologist who facilitated the team learning. Dr Leena Pramod assisted in setting up the scene. Dr Nagesh K R professor, department of forensic medicine Fr Muller Medical College was the invited observer.

Every year, the forensic anthropology unit, the department of forensic medicine and the Centre for Ethics conduct various short-term training programmes and workshops. For more details one can visit https://www.yenepoya.edu.in and https://www.ethics.edu.in/ about the PGDFAO course, and interested persons can contact Dr Nasir Ahemad, forensic anthropologist unit, at 9406532084