The CURML welcomes you to our website!
- Centre universitaire romand de médecine légale,
Lausanne - Genève (CURML)
- University Center of Legal Medicine,
Lausanne - Geneva
- Universitätszentrum für Rechtsmedizin,
Lausanne - Genf
Introduction
On 1st October 2007, the University Institutes of Legal Medicine of the Faculty of Medicine of Geneva and the Faculty of Biology and Medicine of Lausanne merged to become the University Centre of Legal Medicine (CURML).
Located on the two University Hospital sites of Lausanne and Geneva, the Centre employs around 140 people in the following seven specialist units: Forensic medicine (one of the branches of forensic science and a term sometimes used instead of legal medicine); Traffic Medicine and Psychology; Violence Medicine, Legal Psychiatry; Medical Law, Ethics and Humanitarian Medicine; Forensic Genetics; Forensic Toxicology and Chemistry; and the Swiss Laboratory for Doping Analyses.
Through the versatility of its skill sets, the Centre is able to respond to requests for expertise, assistance and advice in the fields of legal medicine, medical law and doping analysis. Based in the Lake Geneva area, its influence extends not only locally and regionally, but also at a national and international level.
Forensic medicine is an evolving discipline that relies more and more on the most up-to-date scientific techniques in the fields of biomedical imaging, molecular biology, and analytical toxicology. Its evolution over recent years has been summarized in an article published in the Swiss Journal of Medicine. Forensic medicine and forensic science have also benefited from a special media promotion through television series and crime fiction.
The Centre works essentially with legal authorities and the police, cantonal administrations responsible for road traffic management, national and international sports federations, the World Anti-Doping Agency, the International Olympic Committee, public and private international institutions (United Nations, World Health Organization, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Council of Europe, International Criminal Court, as well as non-governmental organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, Amnesty international, Physicians for Human Rights, Alkarama for Human Rights) where the Centre’s expertise can play a part in resolving problems.
Because of its University nature, the Centre is also actively involved in teaching and continuing education, as well as research in all areas within its scope. The aim of this site is not only to inform the public about the activities and skills of our Centre, but also, through a description of the missions of this academic institution, to provide insight into the attraction, diversity and complexity of the discipline of legal medicine.
Professor Patrice Mangin, Director, (Wikipedia)
- News in brief from Winter 2011- Spring 2012
- The 5th and 6th November 2012, the first "Virtangio" (jpg, 201ko) workshop will allow you to explore new possibilities in post mortem imaging. You will discover the next generation of virtual autopsy, perform your first CT-angiography, start to read post mortem radiological images, understand and learn the indications, benefits and limits of the technique. Information: Dr Silke Grabherr and registration: CURML Secretary's office.
- From April 2012, under a new agreement with the Canton of Valais, a unit of forensic medicine will be open in Sion (Valais) in the town hospital which is part of the Health Network of Valais (RSV). Autopsies aside, many of the tasks of a forensic pathology unit will be made on site by the incumbent forensic pathologist Dr Bettina Schrag who, while being appointed senior physician at the Hospital of Sion, will remain affiliated to the CURML. In the field of forensic toxicology, there is also a collaboration agreement between the department of Clinical Chemistry and Toxicology of the ICHV in Sion and the UTCF of the CURML. The incumbent toxicologist is Mr. Nicolas Donze, FAMH and SSML toxicologist.
- November 12th, 2011, the Swiss Society of Legal Medicine was awarded to Dr. med. Silke Grabherr the price 2011 (pdf, 284ko) for her scientific work entitled "Multi-phase post-mortem CT angiography: development of a standardized protocol" and published in Int. J. Legal Med. 2010 Nov 7.
- Dr Frank Sporkert, as head of the group "Forensic toxicology" of the Swiss Society of Legal Medicine (SSML), led the expertise about the dangers of ecstasy. The expertise has been put online (stamp 1st September 2011) on the web site of the Prosecutor of the Canton of Zürich (pdf, 370ko), principal of the expertise. One hundred sixty grams (160 g) of MDMA (ecstasy, Methylenedioxymethamphetamine) as hydrochloride (MDMA-HCl) must be considered as the serious case according to article 19 point 2 of the Swiss Law on narcotics.
- Forensic Science International, Special issue "Fight against doping in 2011", edited by: Neil Robinson, Martial Saugy, Patrice Mangin, Jean-Luc Veuthey, Serge Rudaz and Jiri Dvorak Forensic Science International , Volume 213, Issues 1-3, Pages 1-114 (10 December 2011)
-The "Young Researcher Award 2011" given by the "Center of Excellence in Analytical Chemistry and Toxicology (ccCTA) was awarded to Dr.Aurélien Thomas, a former PhD student at the UTCF unit (CURML) for all his scientific work and his PhD entitled "Contribution of mass spectrometry to the study of cardiovascular diseases". Dr A. Thomas is currently NSFpostdoc in the Department of Chemistry of the University of Montreal, Canada.
- During the meeting of The "Society of Hair Testing" ( SoHT), held in Chamonix in March 2011, the CURML was chosen to welcome one of its next annual meetings. The planned dates are August 20-23, 2013.
- Non-exhaustive list of interventions by the centre
- International institutions:
- Intervention in East Timor, 2000, United Nations
- Guantanamo, 2006, Alkarama for Human Rights
- Council of Europe, European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT), 2007
- Former Yugoslavia, International Criminal Court, 1998 – 2000
- Major disasters:
- Airbus crash Mont Ste-Odile, France, 1992
- Temple solaire, Switzerland, 1994
- Tsunami, Thailand, December 2004
- Affairs
- Lady Diana, 1997, France
- Cédric Tornay, 1998, Vatican
- Judge Bernard Borel, 2002, Djibouti
- Gendarme Jambert, 2004, France
- Tommaso Onofri, 2007, Italy
- Mots clés: médecine légale, forensique, homicide, mort subite, thanatologie, levée de corps, autopsie, pathologie forensique, examen postmortem, identification, imagerie post-mortem, angiographie, anthropologie forensique, anthropologie virtuelle, chimie clinique postmortem, autopsie moléculaire, toxicologie forensique, chimie forensique, génétique forensique, profil ADN, profil génétique, STR, microsatellite, recherche en paternité, test de paternité, lien de parenté, ADN mitochondrial, chromosome Y, identification génétique, banque nationale de profils ADN, trace ADN, forensique animale et végétale, alcool, éthanol, alcoolémie, marqueurs de l'alcoolisme, drogues, stupéfiants, intoxication, soumission chimique, dopage, athlète, EPO, stéroïdes, dopage sanguin, médicaments et drogues au volant, aptitude à conduire, psychiatrie médico-légale, médecine des violences, droit médical, éthique médicale, expertise médico-légale.
- Key words: legal medicine, forensics, homicide, sudden death, thanatology, crime scene investigation, autopsy, forensic pathology, post-mortem examination, identification, investigation of death, postmortem imaging, angiography, forensic anthropology, virtual anthropology, postmortem clinical chemistry, molecular autopsy, forensic toxicology, forensic chemistry, forensic genetics, DNA profile, genetic profile, STR, microsatellite, paternity testing, paternity test, relatedness, mitochondrial DNA, Y chromosome, genetic identification, national DNA database, trace DNA, wildlife forensics, alcohol, ethanol, BAC, markers of alcohol abuse, drugs, narcotics, poisoning, drug facilitated crime, doping, athletes, EPO, steroids, blood doping, drugs and driving, driving ability, forensic psychiatry, violence medicine, medical law, medical ethics, expert opinion.
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The first Virtangio workshop in Lausanne will allow you to explore new possibilities in post mortem imaging: perform your first multiphase CT-angiography, start to read post mortem radiological images, learn the benefits and indications of post mortem angiography. Information: Dr Silke Grabherr and registration: CURML secretary's office.
CURML, Lausanne (pdf, 161ko)
CURML, Lausanne, Psychology and Traffic Medicine (UMPT) (pdf, 250ko)
CURML, Geneva (pdf, 254ko)
Reconstruction of a crime scene (doc: CEMCAV-CHUV, P. Dutoit)
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