CT, X-ray, and Crime Scenes: The Role of Radiology in Solving Cases
Cheryl Peachy is here to blow your mind with how radiology is playing the role of the superhero in solving crimes! Yep, you heard that right—our guest today is a radiologic technologist who works in forensics, using X-rays and CT scans to help crack cases wide open. We dive deep into the fascinating world of forensic imaging, where the scanners do more than just look at bones—they help identify the deceased and give families the closure they desperately need. Cheryl shares her journey into this niche field, shedding light on how techs like us can make a real impact in justice. So, buckle up, because this episode is a wild ride through the intersection of science and crime investigation!
What if your CT or X-ray scan could help solve a crime?
In this episode of A Couple of Rad Techs Podcast, host Chaundria Singleton sits down with Cheryl Peachey, a Senior Lecturer at the University of New Mexico and forensic imaging specialist, to explore a side of radiology most technologists—and patients—never see.
Cheryl explains how post-mortem imaging is used in death investigations, how CT technology supplements autopsies, and why forensic imaging is critical during a national shortage of forensic pathologists.
She also shares a day-in-the-life inside the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator, where imaging helps identify decedents, determine causes of death, and provide evidence for the justice system.
For technologists seeking a new challenge—or anyone fascinated by how medical imaging impacts public health and criminal justice—this episode offers insight, emotion, and inspiration.
🎧 Listen to learn:
- What a forensic imaging technologist actually does
- How CT and X-ray assist in solving deaths
- The emotional realities of working in death investigation
- Career paths for radiologic technologists beyond the hospital
forensic imaging, post mortem imaging, forensic radiology, medical imaging, radiologic technologist, radiology career, CT technologist, computed tomography, death investigation, medical examiner, autopsy imaging, radiology education, University of New Mexico, ASRT, Cheryl Peachey, Chaundria Singleton, A Couple of Rad Techs Podcast, career paths for technologists, radiology podcast, healthcare podcast, imaging science, CT in forensic science, forensic technology, public health, medical justice
- #ForensicImaging
- #RadiologyPodcast
- #RadiologicTechnologist
- #MedicalImaging
- #CTTechnologist
- #ForensicRadiology
- #HealthcarePodcast
- #RadiologyCareer
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Cheryl Peachy is in the house, and let me tell you, she's got some wild stories that’ll make you see radiology in a whole new light. We dive into the world of forensic imaging, where X-rays and CT scans aren’t just used for diagnosing the living, but for solving crimes and uncovering the truth about the deceased. Imagine being the tech behind the scenes helping investigators piece together the puzzle of a crime scene—it’s pretty intense! Cheryl shares how she got hooked on forensic imaging, all thanks to a mentor who opened her eyes to the darker yet fascinating side of radiology. From her early days as an X-ray tech to becoming a forensic imaging specialist, she’s been on a journey that combines science with a bit of detective work. We chat about the unique protocols they have for scanning decedents, the importance of precise imaging in criminal investigations, and how CT scans can sometimes save families from the heartache of waiting too long for justice. Seriously, you’ll be amazed at how much impact radiologic technologists like Cheryl have on the world of forensics!
Takeaways:
- Radiology isn't just for healing the living; it plays a vital role in solving crimes.
- Cheryl Peachy uses CT and X-ray to uncover truths about decedents and provide closure.
- Being a forensic imager means working with heavy cases, but teamwork keeps morale high.
- Forensic imaging can save costs and time, helping families and the justice system alike.
- The future of forensic imaging might include AI, enhancing the ways we detect pathology.
- It's crucial to advocate for forensic imaging in every state for justice and answers.
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- University of New Mexico
- New Mexico Office of Medical Investigator
forensic imaging, forensic radiology, crime investigations, medical imaging, radiologic technology, CT scans, X-ray imaging, justice through science, identity verification, cause of end of life determination, medical imaging education, radiology career opportunities, forensic pathologist, crime scene investigation, radiologic technology programs, imaging techniques in forensics, closure for families, importance of imaging in justice, radiology technology advancements, forensic imaging certifications
Mentioned in this episode:
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Transcript
Hey friends, before we start today's episode, I want to make sure you get a quick heads up.
Speaker A:This conversation includes topics around death investigations and forensic imaging.
Speaker A:We talk about this in a respectful, educational way, but some details may be sensitive or emotional for certain listeners.
Speaker A:So please take care while listening.
Speaker A:Welcome back to A couple of Rad Tech's podcasts.
Speaker A:The show where we bring real stories, lessons and behind the scenes insight from the world of medical imaging and radiologic technology.
Speaker A:I'm your host, Shawn.
Speaker A:And today's episode is one that might just change the way you see this profession.
Speaker A:Most of us enter medical imaging to help the living to diagnose, to comfort, to heal.
Speaker A:What if I excuse but what if your scans could also help speak for the deceased, solve crimes, or give a grieving family closure?
Speaker A:That's exactly what today's guest does.
Speaker A:Welcome back to a couple of rad text podcasts.
Speaker A:The show where we bring real stories, lessons and behind the scenes insight from the world of medical imaging and radiology technology.
Speaker A:I'm your host, Shawn, and today's episode is one that might just change the way you see this profession.
Speaker A:Most of us enter medical imaging to help the living to diagnose, to comfort and to heal.
Speaker A:But what if your scans could also help speak for the deceased, solve crimes, or give a grieving family closure?
Speaker A:That's exactly what today's guest does.
Speaker A:Let's give a warm welcome to Cheryl Peachy.
Speaker A:She's a radiology technologist and educator, director of an imaging program, and a part time forensic imaging specialist for over 17 years.
Speaker A:You guys.
Speaker A:She holds certifications in modalities such as Radiography, CT and she currently again serves as senior lecturer and interim director at the University of New Mexico.
Speaker A:But what really fascinates me is her work at the New Mexico Office of Medical Investigator.
Speaker A:Well, where she uses CT and X ray imaging to determine causes of death, identity dissidents.
Speaker A:Was that correct?
Speaker A:Decedents, identity decedents, and support justice through science.
Speaker A:You guys, this is going to be great.
Speaker A:It's part of our field that very few people, even some of us in the field, have ever seen, let alone heard about.
Speaker A:And after listening to Cheryl's story and experience here on this podcast, I think a lot of you will look at the scanners differently in our profession.
Speaker A:So welcome Cheryl, to a couple of Rad Techs.
Speaker B:Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker B:Chandria, I'm excited to talk to you and your listeners.
Speaker A:We are excited to have you.
Speaker A:So I have to start with this question.
Speaker A:How did you first get into Forensic imaging.
Speaker B:So this is recent for me.
Speaker B:It's a new venture, and I'm always trying new things, trying to keep it fresh, trying to keep learning all the time.
Speaker B:That's what helps me stay focused in this career.
Speaker B:So I first heard about forensic imaging when I was a X ray tech student.
Speaker B:Um, and my program director, who later became a mentor in the education profession to me, was trained in the military and talked about doing some forensic X ray in his previous experience.
Speaker B:And it was really fascinating to me.
Speaker B:And then around the time that I received my bachelor's degree from UNM here, the office of the Medical investigator and the radiology department here at UNM got a big grant to do research on forensic imaging.
Speaker B:And I had heard about it.
Speaker B:That is really fascinating.
Speaker B:But, you know, didn't get involved at that point.
Speaker A:So this was at the beginning while you just got into your mentor.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B: This is around: Speaker A:But before that.
Speaker A:Let me ask you, before that, were you a student when you heard about it or you had gotten into the field?
Speaker B:I was a student when I heard about it, yeah.
Speaker B:From.
Speaker B:From my professor in X ray.
Speaker A:What excited you about that?
Speaker A:Like, was it exciting or were you like.
Speaker A:I don't know about that.
Speaker B:I was excited.
Speaker B:I was really fascinated.
Speaker B:It just sounded really interesting to me, just hearing the stories that my professor told about doing it and, you know, just getting sometimes just bags of parts and having to try to reconstruct identity or.
Speaker B:It just sounded really interesting to me and really amazing what we're able to do.
Speaker A:Even.
Speaker B:Even as far as determining the gender of the patient based on their pelvic bones.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:So it's something that just always sounded really interesting.
Speaker B:I love the, you know, crime drama investigation shows in addition to the ER shows.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:I'm one of those ER show junkies and Dateline and 48 Hours.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So it's really interesting to me because I've been in the field for 20 years and I heard about it because I have friends that work in the crime scene investigator, that part of the government, and they talk about how medical imaging is used, and there are several cases out there.
Speaker A:But I want to start with those of us in the field because I think it's going to be twofold here.
Speaker A:People that work in the field that are going to be interested in this, people that are students as well as people outside of our field.
Speaker A:So maybe talk to those students and help them to understand.
Speaker A:When it was mentioned to you, was there a curriculum or anything?
Speaker A:Or was it just mentioned to you and you were like, eh, I'll think about it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So no, there wasn't a curriculum.
Speaker B:And I was like, how do I do that?
Speaker B:I want to learn how to do that.
Speaker B:And at that time it's basically just, you know, sometimes they would ask for X rays on a decedent before they're taken to the coroner's office or however they handle it.
Speaker B:So you just have to kind of be at the right place at the right time.
Speaker A:But.
Speaker B:And there's still, still.
Speaker B:There are not that very many dedicated forensic imaging laboratories in the U.S. i think I know of about three, including the one here in Albuquerque.
Speaker B:So I think it's for the most part it's kind of like right place, right time for a lot of people.
Speaker A:But you guys in New Mexico are showing the need for it and how it can fill in those gaps because forensic pathologist is needed and a lot of things are needed in order to, to figure out what happened to people.
Speaker A:And some things are just not known.
Speaker A:And we know radiology and X ray and CT being able to see within someone whether they're alive or not is very important to understanding maybe internal injury.
Speaker A:So can you tell us how CT and X ray?
Speaker A:Because I always thought just X ray.
Speaker A:How about ct?
Speaker A:How do you guys use CT and X ray in investigating deaths and gathering evidence?
Speaker B:So at our imaging center, we use CT for pretty much every single decedent that comes through the office of the medical investigators.
Speaker B:So we have a few standard protocols.
Speaker B:We have a skeletal remains protocol, we have an adult standard protocol and a pediatric standard protocol.
Speaker B:The adult is just a head to toe scan.
Speaker B:And then we do some multiplanar reconstructions and different windows and that kind of thing.
Speaker B:And then those images are used to determine whether or not a full autopsy is needed or if it can just be a surface exam.
Speaker B:And then that is a huge cost savings and time saving and resource because forensic pathologists are, we've got a shortage of them just like we do X ray techs and CT techs and pretty much every other medical provider.
Speaker A:And I was thinking how backlog many departments are with homicides, using medical imaging in forensic forensics can, like you say, not only save money, but it can speed up time and helping families get closure, helping prosecutors and and defense attorneys come to a conclusion on something where it's just not hanging in the balance and gets forgotten about.
Speaker A:I love how you talked about there are just a few.
Speaker A:And one thing that New Mexico did.
Speaker A:You were earlier talking about a grant.
Speaker A:How did you guys, like, how does that work?
Speaker A:How did that work out?
Speaker B:So that it was an NIH grant and I wasn't around at that time.
Speaker B:I don't know all the details, but the office of the Medical Investigator, along with the UNM's radiology department received this NIH grant to study, among other things, I think specifically if CT scan could, could determine cause of death and save money.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:I just think it's so fascinating and so amazing.
Speaker A:We just don't give radiology and imaging the credit that it needs.
Speaker A:I don't think people really, really understand what all goes into and how many places we touch.
Speaker A:Not just in the hospital, but, you know, we're bringing closure to people's family.
Speaker A:I wonder when you tell people that you are a forensic imager, what do they say?
Speaker A:What kind of reaction do you get?
Speaker B:So it's always a good one.
Speaker B:It's a, that's a fun one to pull out at dinner parties.
Speaker B:Everybody's interested, everybody's fascinated.
Speaker B:Well, what is that?
Speaker B:Like why do you do it?
Speaker B:Like what, you know, what do you see?
Speaker B:Like, how do you, how do you, how do you deal with it?
Speaker B:And of course all my friends, I think it's us ladies of a certain age, we're all into kind of the crime podcast and the date.
Speaker A:Yeah, I would, I would think that would be a real good conversation starter at the table.
Speaker A:All, all eyes shift towards Cheryl.
Speaker A:When you say what you do for a living, everybody wants to talk to you because it's just not something that people know that we do and I think really talking about it and you coming on this podcast, opening up not only patients minds and people out of the healthcare realm to understand that how important medical imaging is to everyone, but also to us technologists.
Speaker A:Because sometimes we get into our head that, oh, it's just an associate's degree or it's just, you know, I'm, I'm just an X ray tech.
Speaker A:This is where to me I really push going to radiology technology school.
Speaker A:For those entering from high school, younger individuals, it gives you the ability to create options and a long term career that gives you opportunities.
Speaker A:And this is one of the opportunities that you can only get by going to radiologic technology school.
Speaker B:Right, right, exactly.
Speaker B:To scan an OMI that you need to be certified not only in X ray, but CT as well.
Speaker B:And so it takes that training.
Speaker B:And I do love that you said that because that's what I tell my students getting into the field all the time.
Speaker B:There's a place for every single person you Will find your niche or try several different places.
Speaker B:There's something.
Speaker B:If you want to be in an office, you can be in an office, want to scan decedents, you can do that and be part of that field or really, I mean anything in between.
Speaker B:So it's a, it's a great field to get into for that reason.
Speaker B:It's always something to learn.
Speaker A:You hit the nail on the head.
Speaker A:So one of the things I got from that piece of this conversation is forensic imaging is what happens when radiology meets justice.
Speaker A:And we're just not looking for a disease, we're uncovering the truth.
Speaker A:Now you talked about dinner parties and the conversations that happen when you tell people what you do.
Speaker A:Tell our audience.
Speaker A:What does a day in the life of a forensic imager look like?
Speaker B:Okay, so it starts really early.
Speaker B:We need to have all our scans done before the attendings and residents and everyone meet to go over the cases.
Speaker B:So I clock in about 5:45 in the morning, run QCS on the equipment.
Speaker B:Well, first suit up, head to toe, shoe covers, apron, gloves, N95 respirator, bouffant cap, where everything.
Speaker B:Do QCs on the equipment, print out my docket, figure out what's going on for the day.
Speaker B:And then I have, we have morphology technicians who assist and do a lot of the heavy lifting.
Speaker B:So that's something that a lot of people ask me, is it hard?
Speaker B:Like you have to bring the.
Speaker B:Put the decedents on and off the scanner and.
Speaker B:No, they're amazing.
Speaker B:They, they're wonderful.
Speaker B:They help out so much.
Speaker B:And one of the things I love about working there is that everybody is so positive and has such great energy and works so well as a team.
Speaker B:And we see hard things, we see sad things sometimes.
Speaker B:Some days are really heavy, but everybody's there to support each other and checking on each other and we're in it together.
Speaker B:So that's a great thing about that.
Speaker B:So we get our scans done.
Speaker B:It takes about six minutes to do a head to toe and then we just get all the scans done.
Speaker B:Then I go in and do all the reconstructions, send them through and then we go into the meeting.
Speaker B:And that's really interesting because we listen to the whole case presentation and can answer questions.
Speaker B:If anybody has questions on the imaging or if they want to ask for something additional, we're in there.
Speaker B:And then that wraps up the meeting wraps up usually around 9 o'.
Speaker B:Clock.
Speaker B:So it's a short little shift.
Speaker B:So I'll do that and then go about my day teaching and onto the next Usually.
Speaker A:Do you guys ever get any stat cases?
Speaker A:I live in a big city, so sometimes, you know, in New Mexico, I'm sure I've been there before.
Speaker A:It's pretty big live there.
Speaker A:Do you ever get cases where it's like you're called in?
Speaker A:Do you guys have to be on call?
Speaker B:No, we don't take call.
Speaker B:So it's basically, you know, every, every case that comes in from after we get done scanning till we get there the next day, we just kind of do 24 hours worth at a time, if that makes sense.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:Interesting.
Speaker A:Okay, so from the cases that you've seen over the period of time that you've been doing this, does one stand out to you that you're comfortable sharing with the audience?
Speaker A:Great information.
Speaker A:When you talk about scanners just for technologists, are they the same scanners that or are they special scan?
Speaker A:I know like when I did research, MRI research, they were kind of same scanners but there were certain things that were different about them.
Speaker A:Not just the protocols, but certain things that we accessories that came with them.
Speaker A:We use certain functions on the scanner a little different that were going into like research mode.
Speaker A:What about for forensic imaging?
Speaker B:So I do think that there is a scanner out there that is specific to forensic imaging.
Speaker B:We don't have it.
Speaker B:Actually the scanner that I am working on at OMI is almost exactly the same as the one I'm working on and my other PRN job at a hospital.
Speaker B:So it was very easy to crossover.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:Pretty cool.
Speaker A:Okay, so typically you say you do how many scans of patients within a three to four hour shift?
Speaker B:So it varies a lot.
Speaker B:I've heard the average is about 12.
Speaker B:I've had anywhere from five to 16 and on the my 16 day, on top of that I had two skeletal surveys.
Speaker B:So when we use X ray typically is only for under two years old.
Speaker B:We do a skeletal survey if there's any suspicion of non accidental trauma.
Speaker A:And is that similar to the skeletal X ray that we do at children's.
Speaker B:Health care when they same exact same protocol?
Speaker A:Interesting.
Speaker A:Wow.
Speaker A:This is interesting because you know guys, the scanner does not lie.
Speaker A:It captures the final chapter of someone's story.
Speaker A:And medical imaging and forensic is really blowing my mind.
Speaker A:I mean whether it's CT or X ray, it just goes to show that our training is so important because you're just not going to have a patient lay on a table.
Speaker A:These are special cases where you are really trying to get to the bottom of what happened to this individual.
Speaker A:For a proper case to be built for justice to be served, for families to get answers.
Speaker A:And if you've ever been someone waiting on a justice system, especially in cases such as these, that you see any of you listening out there, it's so important that we know our anatomy, that we know positioning, because we don't have the patient to say patient was, you know, we couldn't get the patient in the right position.
Speaker A:People need to have answers for this.
Speaker A:This, this is not some job where I don't want people to think, oh, this is a, a cake job.
Speaker A:I'm going to go into this and, you know, people kind of think sometimes, oh, this is really easy.
Speaker A:No, this is a very serious and important job.
Speaker A:And you've really got to know what you're doing.
Speaker A:Because someone's life could hang in the balance.
Speaker A:That is either being charged with this case because of how you take X rays or how you take a ct, or someone's family may not get the answers.
Speaker A:You know, justice could be served inaccurately by the X rays or the CTs that you take on either side.
Speaker A:So I just commend what you do.
Speaker A:But I want to transition over into.
Speaker A:I can imagine how heavy these cases can be.
Speaker A:Working in children's health care, really, it opened my eyes to a lot of things that I just never grew up seeing, and it still kind of affects me to this day.
Speaker A:Things that you've seen, but what you see as a forensic imaging professional, what some of the cases like, how have they affected you?
Speaker A:How do you cope with them?
Speaker A:How do you talked about teamwork earlier, but how.
Speaker A:What are some things you see, maybe, and how they affect you and how do you guys cope?
Speaker B:I think it is important that we do check on each other, and I think for the most part, I stay focused on doing the job.
Speaker B:You know, there's like, just like working in a hospital with living patients, there's not time to, to fall apart emotionally.
Speaker B:But it is important, I think, to process it after we're done.
Speaker B:So I'll.
Speaker B:I go home, think about how grateful I am to be able to go home and for my family that I get to go home to.
Speaker B:And it does really give me a new perspective on how lucky I am, even just seeing people's living conditions and circumstances.
Speaker B:And it's something you wouldn't, you don't see unless you're seeing those crime scene photos or scene photos and their health conditions that they were living with and all that.
Speaker B:So it really gives me.
Speaker B:Focusing on the gratitude for what I have is something that's really important, I think that focusing on the good that I am able to do and focusing on the task at hand and just paying attention to the details is really important.
Speaker B:And this is one of the jobs where I just.
Speaker B:I lose track of time because I am just so focused and so.
Speaker B:And we're giving myself that minute to, like, let my eyes tear up when I see this, like, little, you know, pediatric case and then.
Speaker B:And then bring myself together and focus and realize that I'm doing something that.
Speaker B:That can give answers potentially.
Speaker A:I think you mentioned.
Speaker A:Sorry to mention earlier, about even homeless.
Speaker A:You all do imaging of homeless people that are unfortunately found deceased and you have to figure out what happened to them, right?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:It is our protocol.
Speaker B:If someone is found outside, they have to.
Speaker B:Do they have to come through the office of the medical investigator.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:To determine cause of death.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So, I mean, people think of just abuse cases, but I think of people who unfortunately are homeless for whatever reason and they pass away.
Speaker A:You got to figure out, you have to give their family close.
Speaker A:You have to make sure no crime was committed.
Speaker A:And those are things you.
Speaker A:For me, when I see things like that, I would think of my grandfather.
Speaker A:What if that was my grandfather?
Speaker A:What if that's somebody's grandfather?
Speaker A:That's somebody's father, right?
Speaker A:Somebody.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:That's somebody who served in the military and deserves the same care and respect that anybody does and might have families somewhere that don't know where they are.
Speaker B:The unhoused population is.
Speaker B:They are, in a way, discarded by our society.
Speaker B:And the violence that they experience doesn't seem as important as if it was somebody who we identify with or who looks like us or who.
Speaker B:We could imagine something like that happening to us.
Speaker B:I think it's even more important in those cases that.
Speaker B:That we try to find justice for them.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I'm sure you have routines and things that you do, support systems.
Speaker A:I appreciate that.
Speaker A:It's not that you're.
Speaker A:Excuse me.
Speaker A:It's not that you're turning off compassion, but you still have to do your job, but you do take time for yourself and you do have a support system.
Speaker A:So for those out there that may not work in forensic imaging, but work in imaging or health care, and you feel burned out.
Speaker A:Imagine the different ones, like Cheryl, who work in different spaces.
Speaker A:You see things like this, learn that you can stay empathetic without being consumed in what you do.
Speaker A:And I think that's really a big message here.
Speaker A:So thank you, Cheryl, for sharing that.
Speaker A:So I want to talk a little bit about why forensic imaging matters.
Speaker A:This sounds like an Important but overlooked part of medicine.
Speaker A:To me, it's really important.
Speaker A:Why do you think so few technologists, even hospitals, are aware of forensic imaging?
Speaker B:Well, I think that a big reason it's not available to more facilities is that the equipment is expensive.
Speaker B:So the cost of a CT scanner, the cost of creating a forensic imaging lab seems prohibitive in some cases.
Speaker B:What we are able to show is that long term, it does save a lot of cost and it is a great tool that can lead to cost savings.
Speaker B:So yeah, having that dedicated facility, I think, and just knowing how it can be used and being certain that you can eliminate some of those full autopsies, there may just not be the awareness and definitely not the.
Speaker B:There's not tons of forensic imaging centers.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Because we just.
Speaker B:It's highly specialized and we don't need to.
Speaker B:I think a lot of forensic imaging.
Speaker B:And I'd love to hear from your listeners if they're aware of, of happening elsewhere.
Speaker B:Because I have heard a lot of people who do have experience, but I think sometimes it, they would just use a hospital center, you know, after hours, or contract with a facility or something like that, maybe to get those imaging done in for special cases, but to process a full caseload every day like we're doing, you do need that, you do need that dedicated facility.
Speaker B:But this facility saves millions of dollars for the state of New Mexico every year.
Speaker A:Yeah, I've worked at a place before.
Speaker A:That's what they did after hours.
Speaker A:They had a scanner in the basement.
Speaker A:This is, you know, a long time ago when you had scanners in the basement of all the hospitals.
Speaker A:But that's what they did.
Speaker A:They come in after hours once it kind of the patient load wasn't there.
Speaker A:You didn't have the outpatients and everybody in there, and they would just do them down there, the morgue back up and do it there.
Speaker A:But I do want to ask you, what do you see as a future?
Speaker A:We see all this AI coming in to.
Speaker A:Especially imaging.
Speaker A:I think I went to a conference and it said imaging in healthcare gets about 80% use of AI.
Speaker A:So out of all the healthcare professions, we're affected in a good and bad way by AI.
Speaker A:80%.
Speaker A:Do you see that filtrating into forensic imaging in any way?
Speaker B:There's a possibility for it.
Speaker B:I mean, it's, it's everywhere.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And especially like you mentioned in medical imaging, we use it in a lot of different ways.
Speaker B:So, you know, the, the processing algorithms that detect pathology potentially could be used.
Speaker B:We're not using anything like that right now.
Speaker B:But you know, I'm sure you're familiar with the, you know, fracture detection software and stroke detection, that kind of thing.
Speaker B:Of course, we're not like, we're not as time bound.
Speaker B:We're not, we're not treating people.
Speaker B:So that like stroke detection type of thing maybe isn't such a big deal in forensic imaging, but certainly the, the pathology detection could aid pathologists because for the most part we're not having radiologists read these scans.
Speaker B:There are forensic radiologists and we do have a radiologist here at the hospital who reads all of the skeletal surveys, but the CT scans are being read by the pathologist.
Speaker B:So they're not diagnosing every single thing, but they are, you know, picking up on that pathology or injury patterns or things like that.
Speaker B:So having that assistance could be, could be a benefit, right?
Speaker A:Yeah, I can see it.
Speaker A:AI I'm very interested to see, but I want to talk too because I know some of the listeners are saying how do I learn about forensic imaging?
Speaker A:Like this should be part of a curriculum.
Speaker A:Do you see a future in that happening?
Speaker B:I think it would be something that a lot of people are interested in learning about.
Speaker B:I think it could, it's really beneficial because I basically got a couple days of on the job training and, and they're just things that you're not prepared for without having studied it.
Speaker B:And so I think there are, I googled it.
Speaker B:There are some continuing education type of activities available in forensic imaging.
Speaker B:I know that in our New Mexico Society of radiologic Technologists, we've had some like dental forensic imaging specialists speak, which is really interesting.
Speaker B:In my program that I'm just in the process of developing here at University of New Mexico, we're doing a bachelor's degree in radiologic technology and I'm working on getting students into clinical rotations, hopefully so that they can get some exposure and really know if this is something they want to pursue or not.
Speaker B:And then even, or take that experience somewhere and be able to use it in their career.
Speaker A:They can use it to advocate for maybe in their state getting a forensic imaging department.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:I think that's fantastic that you know, and that's where great directors of programs advance our, our, our imaging programs by looking for things such as this, you know, that you see there's a gap in the education and you want to add it to your program.
Speaker A:To me, that is, you know, very forward thinking and something that is needed, you know, because so many things are changing.
Speaker A:A is changing informatics, forensic imaging is growing, unfortunately.
Speaker A:But there's a place for it in imaging, and I think it wasn't recognized before.
Speaker A:So thank you, Cheryl, for looking at adding that to your school's curriculum.
Speaker A:It's just another thing that you can offer students to come out of their education with and then to use it to advocate for our profession to.
Speaker A:To make us even stronger within states.
Speaker B:Right, right, right.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I think it's.
Speaker B:It's important that people know what we're doing and know the scope of everything that's possible and realize how.
Speaker B:How vital this profession is in many different aspects of life and death.
Speaker A:And there is.
Speaker A:I think it's important because every state, in my opinion, should have a.
Speaker A:Whether it's small or large, to have a forensic imaging lab.
Speaker A:You know, you have a crime lab.
Speaker A:Why can't you have a forensic imaging lab attached to it in every state?
Speaker A:It would give so many answers to so many deserving families and justice, hopefully in the right way, to the right people.
Speaker A:And CT isn't replacing autopsy.
Speaker A:If you guys are thinking that, it's just replacing.
Speaker A:It's redefining what's possible.
Speaker A:You know, imaging doesn't stop at the hospital door.
Speaker A:It follows the truth wherever it leads.
Speaker A:Sheryl, this has been a great conversation, but I want to have a few closing remarks by you.
Speaker A:If you would like to share anything, educate our audience on what you've been doing as a director, more about your program so they know how to get in contact with you and know a little bit more about forensic imaging.
Speaker A:If you haven't shared anything that you would like to share.
Speaker A:What drives you now.
Speaker B:What drives me now is continuously adding tools to my tool belt, my skill set.
Speaker B:I. I'm a person who gets bored.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker A:Me, too.
Speaker A:Me, too.
Speaker B:Yeah, it's.
Speaker B:I always.
Speaker B:Sometimes I start to, you know, get a little worn out and think I'm gonna.
Speaker B:I'm gonna cut down to one job.
Speaker B:I'm just gonna do one job.
Speaker A:Husband told me, don't get any more jobs.
Speaker B:Nobody believes me anymore.
Speaker B:The next thing you know, I'm like, oh, yeah, I'm gonna do.
Speaker B:Wait.
Speaker B:This is really fun.
Speaker B:Like, I want to try this, so.
Speaker B:And I think that's what builds resilience for me.
Speaker B:It certainly has built resilience in my career is that I think it's really important that we all stay focused, stay engaged, stay interested in what we do, because this is really interesting stuff.
Speaker B:This is cool stuff that we get to.
Speaker B:The technology is so cutting edge.
Speaker B:The people that we're helping and serving are so deserving of our care.
Speaker B:And what the way we get to impact people's lives in this profession truly is, truly is groundbreaking and so important.
Speaker B:So continuing to learn, continuing to push myself to do new things, to find new opportunities, to grow myself and to provide new opportunities for my students and grow the profession and advocate for the profession, that's, that's what keeps me going.
Speaker B:And I do, I do also volunteer with the asrt.
Speaker B:I highly recommend getting plugged into the ASRT or another professional organization that can help you to stay engaged, stay connected to other technologists, listen to podcasts, especially.
Speaker A:A couple of rad tech's podcasts.
Speaker B:Yes, because there's so much that we don't know about if we're in our little corner and just doing our same thing the same way that we've always done it.
Speaker B:So people tend to get burnt out, to kind of disassociate from, you know, just doing the same thing over and over again.
Speaker B:Humans are like interested people.
Speaker B:We're, we're curious and we're creative.
Speaker B:And feeding that in your profession, I think, is really a gift.
Speaker B:Like, some people have really boring jobs and there's nothing to learn after they learn how to do their job.
Speaker B:And we get this opportunity with the, with the technology changing, with the field growing, with the capacity of what we can do, with medical imaging growing, there's always something to learn.
Speaker B:And being attuned to that and looking for those opportunities is what keeps driving me forward.
Speaker A:I love it.
Speaker A:I love it.
Speaker A:As a director of a program, I applaud you.
Speaker A:You are not sitting back saying, I'm just going to ride this out to retirement.
Speaker A:You've gone from clinic to classroom to forensic lab, and now, you know, you are advocating for the profession in your way, and that is truly to be applauded.
Speaker A:I want to ask you, because you answered my other question.
Speaker A:I think for all of you that are burned out or just kind of questioning, where should you go in your career?
Speaker A:She gave some really good advice.
Speaker A:Rewind this podcast and listen to that advice again.
Speaker A:But what lesson do you hope your students and listeners to this podcast take away?
Speaker A:If you can just sum it up, what lesson would you say?
Speaker B:I would say that I hope the takeaway is that there are more opportunities out there than you know of.
Speaker B:There's technology that you're going to work on that doesn't exist yet.
Speaker B:Stay engaged, build your skill set.
Speaker B:Keep adding to your resume and to your credentials, and stay interested and stay engaged with your profession and your co workers and other professionals.
Speaker B:Surround yourself with people who are, are doing things that are interesting and let that drive you forward.
Speaker A:Beautiful.
Speaker B:Never stop learning.
Speaker A:Beautiful.
Speaker A:Beautifully said.
Speaker A:So if you guys feel stuck, remember radiology has more doors than you can see right now.
Speaker A:I think that that was what you told us here.
Speaker A:So Cheryl, thank you for opening a door that most of us, and I'm going to include myself, most of us didn't even know existed.
Speaker A:We might have heard about it, but we really didn't know all of what you just shared today.
Speaker A:You've shown us that medical imaging doesn't just diagnose, it tells stories.
Speaker A:It delivers justice.
Speaker A:It brings peace to so many people.
Speaker A:For anyone listening who's curious about this path, I'll link to Cheryl's Information and UNM's Radiologic Sciences Program in the show notes.
Speaker A:Be sure to check it out.
Speaker A:And Cheryl, thank you again for being a guest on a couple of rad tech's podcasts.
Speaker B:Thank you so much for having me and thank you for everything you do.
