I started FHO 10 years ago as a way to make sure there was a way to bring accessible and affordable continuing education to my fellow forensic colleagues. A lot has changed in the profession and in my own life since those early days, but we’re still here, doing the work that we do. To celebrate a decade on the interwebs, it seems fitting to give a little something away to one lucky FHO reader, so how do you feel about New Orleans in the fall with hundreds of your closest friends? Because I am definitely feeling that.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS FOR ENTERING!

ALSO: To celebrate 10 years of FHO, please use the coupon code FHOIS10 in the store (good through the end of the month) for 10% off the reviews.

Seriously, though–thanks for being the most excellent readership a woman could ask for. You fill my nerdy heart with joy and wonder on the regular. Here’s to the next 10.

[PLEASE NOTE: this is not a sponsored post. I am giving away an IAFN conference registration because the mission of this site has always focused on clinician education and the annual conference is the epitome of that ideal.]

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Have you checked out the FHO store lately? You can find our newest research brief, Aging Bruises Based On Color, plus our original guide, Injury Following Consensual Sex. Both available now for electronic download.

We all were pretty busy in 2018, and even here at our little site, it turns out a bunch of you stopped by. So if you’re curious, scroll through to see who showed up and what you all were reading on FHO. And by all means, come back on Monday, because FHO turns 10(!), and to celebrate, we are doing the biggest giveaway ever. I promise, it’s worth your while (and open to all FHO readers, anywhere around the globe).

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Have you checked out the FHO store lately? You can find our newest research brief, Aging Bruises Based On Color, plus our original guide, Injury Following Consensual Sex. Both available now for electronic download.

This is the last post of the year, my friends. I’m signing off to finish up some work here in Italy and then go on to Reykjavik where I will meet Sasha for a spot of vacation before we meet up with the girlchild for the remainder of the holiday season. Here’s hoping you have a healthy and happy holiday of your own. May the new year bring us peace–for our families and loved ones, the patients we serve, and the humans with whom we inhabit this planet. See you back here after the new year. xo Jen

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I’m writing this from my parents’ kitchen table as I sneak in a bit of family time before I head to Italy this week. I have bold plans for productivity before I strap into my long haul flight, but ultimately all I can say is, we’ll see. If all works out as planned, I’ll get in an Articles of Note before I go. 

I try to avoid using busy as an excuse or a battle cry or a shield (or a boast), but whew–as this year winds down I am wondering how it is possible we are at this point in the calendar already? I know I’m not alone in this. Anyway, here are a few things that caught my eye as I waited for my flight to the 216 this weekend:

A pathologist’s perspective on gunshot wounds

Seems like every year some paper publishes this same article, as if it’s a revelation, and not the annual indictment that it should be

Have you been reading the Star-Telegram’s investigative reports on sexual abuse in the fundamentalist Baptist churches?

Dangerousness, codified

Sex ed isn’t serving young black women

And finally, this fascinating read, apropos of pretty much nothing, but still…so interesting.

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Have you checked out the FHO store lately? You can find our newest research brief, Aging Bruises Based On Color, plus our original guide, Injury Following Consensual Sex. Both available now for electronic download.

As things currently stand, I won’t be home again (save for 18 hours) until 26 December, so things over here may be pretty spotty. I’ll try to keep up as I bounce between the US and Europe over the next 4 weeks, but please be patient, since my time won’t always be my own and offerings also slow down significantly during the holidays. I’m currently at Ft. Bragg, and although there hasn’t been a ton of downtime, I have had the chance to catch up on a few articles I had bookmarked. Here’s what’s caught my eye since last we spoke;

I continue to be so excited by the work Monica and her folks are doing over at Alianza Nacional de Campesinas. The accolades are well-deserved.

The day my husband strangled me

The art of avoiding assholes

The NFL still has a domestic violence problem

And finally, Hanukkah Sameach to all of you who are celebrating!

Have you checked out the FHO store lately? You can find our newest research brief, Aging Bruises Based On Color, plus our original guide, Injury Following Consensual Sex. Both available now for electronic download.

Time for one of my favorite posts of the year, the annual team gift guide. This year’s has a little something for everyone, and I kept it all under $50 bucks, which will hopefully make it pretty manageable. And since Hanukkah begins Sunday night, we’re squeeking in right under the wire. Happy, merry gift giving everyone!

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Have you checked out the FHO store lately? You can find our newest research brief, Aging Bruises Based On Color, plus our original guide, Injury Following Consensual Sex. Both available now for electronic download.

IAFN’s 5-part series for members only on medical-forensic evaluation of asylum seekers continues next month with the 2nd session, Clinical Interview and Considerations for Vulnerable Populations. It will be held December 11th at 1pm ET. Registration is limited to 200, so don’t procrastinate (it will be archived, however, so if you miss it, you can still listen to it afterward).

The remaining topics in the series will be covered in 2019:

• Medical Forensic Exam & Utilizing the Istanbul Protocol
• Specific Forms of Torture & Corresponding Clinical Findings
• Writing a Medical-Legal Affidavit & Providing Oral Testimony

I’ll keep saying it–this is such a great topic for a webinar series. If I was not going to be on a plane at this exact time I would already be registered….

Have you checked out the FHO store lately? You can find our newest research brief, Aging Bruises Based On Color, plus our original guide, Injury Following Consensual Sex. Both available now for electronic download.

It’ll be an abbreviated week here at FHO with the Thanksgiving holiday and all. Honestly, I spent most of the weekend trying to compensate for the days off, and it didn’t hurt that the wife was off with the Army for an extended weekend. That also left me some time to catch up on the interwebs. Here’s what caught my eye since last we spoke:

Could helping someone who is suicidal be as simple as this?

The health impacts of generational trauma

Related

Domestic violence tragedy in the neighborhood where I grew up; this one literally hits close to home on multiple levels

Understanding how the wildfires in California happened

…And how healthcare is happening in the wake of them

Patriarchy is a trap men keep falling for

The impact of the changes to Title IX

I found myself holding my breath reading this story about working in federal prison while female

In this country, we blame pregnant women for their own deaths

Terry Gross teaches us how to talk to people

Have you checked out the FHO store lately? You can find our newest research brief, Aging Bruises Based On Color, plus our original guide, Injury Following Consensual Sex. Both available now for electronic download.

With the really chilling stories of the fires in California, I give you this uplifting twitter thread about one particularly heroic nurse in Paradise:

Here’s the crazy story of just one of the many heroes in Paradise, the town destroyed by California’s deadliest fire ever. His name is Allyn Pierce, and he’s the badass nurse who drove this truck through the flames. pic.twitter.com/xAL7zRf34H

— Jack Nicas (@jacknicas) November 13, 2018

(Click on the arrow at the bottom to read the full thread)

F*ck yeah, nurses! And as a reminder, here’s how you can help those impacted by the wildfires.

Have you checked out the FHO store lately? You can find our newest research brief, Aging Bruises Based On Color, plus our original guide, Injury Following Consensual Sex. Both available now for electronic download.

Today is a mellow day here at FHO headquarters, as we observe Veterans Day in the US, and I spend it with my very favorite veteran. We are making blueberry ricotta pancakes, just FYI. Thank you, veterans, for your service and dedication. I am lucky to work with and know so many of you. “In valor, there is hope” (Tacitus).

California folks, I hope you all are safe and doing whatever it takes to keep yourselves that way. If you want to help, here are a couple of good articles that recommend specific actions: New York Times; Refinery 29 Please let us know if there is anything FHO readers can do to assist you.

This week is my last reprieve before I’m back on the road every week through the end of the year, and Sasha’s calendar doesn’t look much better. So we’ll be prepping for a lot of travel, including two international trips. But with the long weekend, I’ve had some time to peruse the interwebs. Here are a few things that have caught my eye since last we spoke:

How did Larry Nasser deceive so many for so long?

MedTwitter is rightfully in an uproar over NRA’s ridiculous claim that gun violence isn’t in our lane. One byproduct of the nonsense is the new account @ThisIsOurLane

SNL tackles hip-hop/rap and consent (the video is great, but probably NSFW, the article has the video embedded if you want to watch)

“It is a peculiarly American affliction that this epidemic of gun violence doesn’t move us to take any real steps toward curbing gun violence and access to guns.” Roxane Gay, brilliant as always.

Yes, childhood trauma is a public health issue

Excellent list if you’re looking for something to read

Finally, this is some truth telling right here.

Have you checked out the FHO store lately? You can find our newest research brief, Aging Bruises Based On Color, plus our original guide, Injury Following Consensual Sex. Both available now for electronic download.

Hey, how about that election the other night! While it was not perfect (Florida, what happened? And the Texas senate race? And please do not get me started on what’s still going on in Georgia…), there were some really incredible things that *did* happen. One hundred plus women going to the House is a pretty big deal. New Mexico sending a full delegation of people of color to the House to represent the state is a pretty big deal. And other firsts: two Muslim women to the House; two Native American women to the House; many LGBTQ+ candidates elected (a rainbow wave!), including an openly gay man elected governor of Colorado.

And a nurse from Naperville, IL named Lauren Underwood became the 1st black woman from her district to get elected. I’d ask you to watch this clip from last night’s Rachel Maddow show about her surprise upset in a very Republican, very white district, because, look, how she went about making it happen was peak nursing (she basically did it all at the “bedside”–she went directly to the people, all of them, no matter who or where they were, even the most underserved by politicians). I found her story to be both inspiring and empowering as a nurse and a policy nerd.

And if that doesn’t light your fire today, here’s a little bonus for you: with the House flipping control, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), a nurse, is now poised to chair the House Science Committee. From The Hill:

Johnson, if elected chair, will be the first woman with a degree in a STEM field to hold the position since 1990. She was the first registered nurse elected to Congress when she won her first term in 1993, and she’s served as ranking member on House Science, Space and Technology Committee since 2011…Johnson released a statement Tuesday night promising to restore ‘the credibility of the Science Committee as a place where science is respected and recognized as a crucial input to good policymaking”.

F*ck yeah, nurses!

Have you checked out the FHO store lately? You can find our newest research brief, Aging Bruises Based On Color, plus our original guide, Injury Following Consensual Sex. Both available now for electronic download.