FEATURED AUTHOR
Natalie Shirley
I am a biological anthropololgist with training in forensic anthropology and human anatomy. I teach medical gross anatomy at LMU DCOM and do forensic casework on a consulting basis. As an adjunct faculty member of the University of Tennessee Anthropology Department, I participate in research activities with UT colleagues and am involved with the Forensic Anthropology Center.
Biography
Natalie Shirley is Assistant Professor of Anatomy at the LMU DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine and an adjunct faculty member in the University of Tennessee Anthropology Department. She received her B.A. (1998) and M.A. (2001) in anthropology from Louisiana State University, where she was actively involved in the forensic anthropology program (LSU FACES Laboratory). She received her Ph.D. (2009) from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville as a student of Dr. Richard Jantz, Director Emeritis of the Forensic Anthropology Center. Her research interests include skeletal maturation in modern populations, age and sex estimation from the human skeleton, secular changes in skeletal biology, currency of forensic standards, and skeletal trauma. She is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, American Association of Anatomists, and American Association of Physical Anthropologists. In 2007, the AAFS Forensic Science Foundation awarded her the Emerging Forensic Scientist Award for her research in skeletal maturation. Dr. Shirley has published articles in the Journal of Forensic Sciences, American Journal of Physical Anthropology, and Clinical Anatomy, numerous book chapters, and a textbook entitled Forensic Anthropology: An Introduction. During the spring of 2012, she was the forensic anthropologist on an 8-episode television series airing on the National Geographic Channel entitled The Great American Manhunt.Education
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Ph.D., University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 2009
M.A., Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 2001
B.A., Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 1998
Areas of Research / Professional Expertise
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My research interests are skeletal maturation, secular change, age estimation from the human skeleton, geometric morphometrics, and best practices in forensic anthropology. I enjoy collaborations with US and international researchers.
Personal Interests
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fitness, gardening, home decorating, cooking, and baking