A Synoptic Review of the 1985 Wingspread Symposium on Death Investigation

Abstract

In May 1985, the National Association of Counties (NACO) Research Foundation and the Johnson Foundation sponsored a “Wingspread Symposium” in Racine, Wisconsin, titled “Death Investigation in the Community: Forging New Partnerships.” The purpose of the three-day conference was to “examine the historic roles of coroners and medical examiners” and to develop “strategies for improving the quality and delivery of death investigation services in the community.” A dispute occurred between some of the researchers and a final summative report of the symposium was not prepared, so the meeting agenda (and recollection of one of the authors) was used to prepare this article. The participant list includes 52 individuals plus five Johnson Foundation staffers. Among the 52 participants were 12 medical examiners and coroners, of which seven were forensic pathologists. The Wingspread Symposium included participants with diverse backgrounds and perspective. As written, the agenda included a variety of topics which, if fully discussed, could have led to helpful suggestions for improving death investigation systems. Unfortunately, formal recommendations have not appeared in print except in brief form in a post-symposium news article. The symposium dealt with interagency cooperation, intergovernmental cooperation, improvement of organization and management, and promotion of productive change.