
Professor, Department of Pathology
Biosketch
Edmund Donoghue, MD, received his undergraduate degree in pre-professional studies from the University of Notre Dame in 1966 and his medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1970. He completed an internship in internal medicine and specialty training in anatomic pathology at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, from 1970 to 1973.
Dr. Donoghue completed fellowship training in forensic pathology at the Office of the Medical Examiner of Wayne County (Detroit), Michigan, and the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, DC, from 1973 to 1975. For two years, from 1975 to 1977, he served on the staff of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology.
Following service in the US Navy Medical Corps, Dr. Donoghue was appointed deputy chief medical examiner of Cook County (Chicago), Illinois, in 1977. In July 1993, he became chief medical examiner of Cook County and served until his retirement in 2006.
Dr. Donoghue joined the Georgia Bureau of Investigation from 2007 to 2022 as a Regional Medical Examiner in the Coastal Regional Crime Lab in Savannah.
Dr. Donoghue has served as president of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the National Association of Medical Examiners, and the Chicago Medical Society. He also served as a Clinical Professor of Forensic Pathology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is the author of many scientific articles and is a member of the editorial review board of the American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology.
While in the Navy, Dr. Donoghue participated in the investigation of the April 1977 Pan Am-KLM aircraft crash in the Canary Islands. In Cook County, he participated in the investigations of the May 1979 crash of American Airlines Flight 191 at O’Hare International Airport, the Tylenol-Cyanide murder in September 1982, the 1995 Chicago Heat Wave Disaster, and the exhumation of civil rights victim Emmett Till in 2005.
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Education and Training
- Fellowship 1975, Forensic Pathology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology
- Fellowship 1974, Forensic Pathology, Office of the Medical Examiner of Wayne County
- Preliminary Residency 1973, Anatomic Pathology, Mayo Graduate School of Medicine
- Internship 1971, Internal Medicine, Mayo Graduate School of Medicine
- MD 1970, Medical College of Wisconsin
- BS 1966, Pre-Professional Studies, Science, University of Notre Dame
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Research
- Wounds, Gunshot
- Potassium Cyanide
- Hyperthermia
- Heat Stroke
- Fires
- Electric Injuries
- Alcohol and Substance Abuse
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Publications
Denton J., Donoghue E., McReynolds J., Kalelkar M. An epidemic of illicit fentanyl deaths in Cook County, Illinois: September 2005 through April 2007 Journal of Forensic Sciences. 2008;53(2):452-454.
Hauck F.R., Herman S.M., Donovan M., Iyasu S., Moore C.M., Donoghue E., Kirschner R.H., Willinger M. Sleep environment and the risk of sudden infant death syndrome in an urban population: The Chicago infant mortality study Pediatrics. 2003;111(5 II):1207-1214.
Meny R., Vreman H., Stevenson D., Hauck F., Donoghue E., Smialek J., Fowler D., Zielke H. Failure to detect elevated levels of carboxyhemoglobin in infants dying from SIDS Journal of Forensic Sciences. 2002;47(3):660-662.
Mileusnic D., Donoghue E., Lifschultz B. Pathological case of the month: Sudden death in a child as a result of pancreatitis during valproic acid therapy Pediatric Pathology and Molecular Medicine. 2002;21(5):477-484.
Tatum A., Greenberger P., Mileusnic D., Donoghue E., Lifschultz B. Clinical, pathologic, and toxicologic findings in asthma deaths in Cook County, Illinois. Allergy and asthma proceedings : the official journal of regional and state allergy societies. 2001;22(5):285-291.
Lipton R., Good G., Mikhailov T., Freels S., Donoghue E. Ethnic differences in mortality from insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus among people less than 25 years of age Pediatrics. 1999;103(5 I):952-956.
Lifschultz B.D., Donoghue E.R. Forensic pathology of heat- and cold-related injuries Clinics in Laboratory Medicine. 1998;18(1):77-90.
Wissler R.W., Strong J.P., Robertson J., Cornhill J.F., McGill J., McMahan C.A., Malcom G.T., Oalmann M.C., Gay S., Gay R.E., Huang G.Q., Miller E.J., Furuto D.K., Narkates A.J., Daoud A., Frank A.S., Hyer M.A., McGovern E.C., Smith L.C., Strickl F.M., Vesselinovitch D., Komatsu A., Kusumi Y., Friedman G., Bridenstine R.T., Stein R.J., Donoghue E.R., Buschmann R.J., Katsura Y., An T.L., Choi E., Jones N., Kalelkar M.S., Konakci Y., Lifschultz B., Gumidyala V.R., Harper R.M., Norris F., Newman W.P., Bhattacharyya A.K., Guzman M.A., Hatem A.A., Hornick C.A., Restrepo C.D., Tracy R.E., Breaux C.C., Hubbard S.E., Zsembik C.S., Gibbs D.G., Trosclair D.A., Mergner W., Resau J.H., Vigorito R.D., Yu Q.C., Smialek J., Chandler A.B., Rao R.N., Falls D.G., Gerrity R.G., Spurlock B.O., Sharma K.B., Sexton J.S., Smith K.K., Forbes G.W., McManus B.M., Jones J.W., Kendall T.J., Remmenga J.A., Rogler W.C., Adrion W.R., Fardel P.M., Gara B., Herderick E., Meimer J., Tate L.R., Hixson J.E., Powers P.K., Rainwater P.K., Barnwell G.M., Marinez Y., Prihoda T.J., Wigodsky H.S., Virmani R., Atkinson J.B., Harland C.W., Gleaves L., Manik P., Jagannathan S.N., Caterson B., Frost J.L., Rao K.M.K., Johnson P., Rodman N.F. Risk factors and progression of atherosclerosis in youth American Journal of Pathology. 1998;153:1023-1033.
Donoghue E.R., Graham M.A., Jentzen J.M., Lifschultz B.D., Luke J.L., Mirchandani H.G. Criteria for the diagnosis of heat-related deaths: National association of medical examiners: Position paper American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology. 1997;18(1):11-14.
Levenson T., Greenberger P., Donoghue E., Lifschultz B. Asthma deaths confounded by substance abuse. An assessment of fatal asthma Pneumologie. 1997;51(3):325.
Whitman S., Good G., Donoghue E., Benbow N., Shou W., Mou S. Mortality in Chicago attributed to the July 1995 heat wave American Journal of Public Health. 1997;87(9):1515-1518.
Levenson T., Greenberger P.A., Donoghue E.R., Lifschultz B.D. Asthma deaths confounded by substance abuse: An assessment of fatal asthma Chest. 1996;110(3):604-610.
Lifschultz B.D., Donoghue E.R. Deaths due to foreign body aspiration in children: The continuing hazard of toy balloons Journal of Forensic Sciences. 1996;41(2):247-251.
Donoghue E.R., Kalelkar M.B., Boehmer M.A., Wilhelm J., Whitman S., Good G., Lyne S., Lumpkin J., Landrum L., Francis B.J. Heat-related mortality - Chicago, July 1995 JAMA. 1995;274(8):602.
Lifschultz B.D., Kenney J.P., Sturgis C.D., Donoghue E.R. Fatal intracranial hemorrhage following pediatric oral surgical procedure Journal of Forensic Sciences. 1995;40(1):131-133.
Choi E., Donoghue E.R., Lifschultz B.D. Deaths due to firearms injuries in children Journal of Forensic Sciences. 1994;39(3):685-692.
Lifschultz B.D., Donoghue E.R. Deaths due to forklift truck accidents Forensic Science International. 1994;65(2):121-134.
Goodson M., Lifschulz B., Donoghue E. A discussion of 'deaths caused by lightning' [4] Journal of Forensic Sciences. 1993;38(6):1260-1261.
Lifschultz B.D., Donoghue E.R. Deaths caused by lightning Journal of Forensic Sciences. 1993;38(2):353-358.
Lifschultz B., Donoghue E. Deaths in custody. Legal medicine. 1991:45-71.
Lifschultz B.D., Donoghue E.R. Fetal death following maternal trauma: Two case reports and a survey of the literature Journal of Forensic Sciences. 1991;36(6):1740-1744.
Tate L.R., Mittleman R., Donoghue E., Jones A.M. Forensic pathology in the 1980s American Journal of Clinical Pathology. 1991;96(4 SUPPL.)
Donoghue E., Lifschultz B. Discussion of "Operational criteria for the determination of suicide". Journal of Forensic Sciences. 1989;34(5):1056-1058.
Scala-Barnett D.M., Donoghue E.R. Sudden death in mitral valve prolapse Journal of Forensic Sciences. 1988;33(1):84-91.
Lifschultz B.D., Donoghue E.R., Leestma J.E., Boade W.A. Embolization of cotton pledgets following insertion of porcine cardiac valve bioprostheses Journal of Forensic Sciences. 1987;32(6):1796-1800.
Scala-Barnett D.M., Donoghue E.R. Dispensing error causing fatal chlorpropamide intoxication in a nondiabetic Journal of Forensic Sciences. 1986;31(1):293-295.
Lifschultz B.D., Donoghue E.R. Strut fracture in a Bjork-Shiley aortic valve prosthesis Journal of Forensic Sciences. 1985;30(4):1244-1247.
Wu Chen N.B., Donoghue E.R., Schaffer M.I. Methanol intoxication: Distribution in postmortem tissues and fluids including vitreous humor Journal of Forensic Sciences. 1985;30(1):213-216.
Donoghue E.R., Kalelkar M.B., Richmond J.M., Teas S.S. Atypical gunshot wounds of entrance: An empirical study Journal of Forensic Sciences. 1984;29(2):379-388.
Donoghue E.R., Lifschultz B.D. Stomach rupture by infusion pump and Foley catheter Journal of Forensic Sciences. 1984;29(4):1225-1228.
Lifschultz B.D., Donoghue E.R. Air embolism during intercourse in pregnancy Journal of Forensic Sciences. 1983;28(4):1021-1022.
Wu Chen N.B., Schaffer M.I., Lin R.L., Kurland M.L., Donoghue E.R., Stein R.J. The general toxicology unknown: I. The systematic approach Journal of Forensic Sciences. 1983;28(2):391-397.
Wu Chen N.B., Schaffer M.I., Lin R.L., Kurland M.L., Donoghue E.R., Stein R.J. The general toxicology unknown: II. A case report: Doxylamine and pyrilamine intoxication Journal of Forensic Sciences. 1983;28(2):398-403.
Donoghue E.R., Minnigerode S.C. Human body buoyancy: a study of 98 men Journal of Forensic Sciences. 1977;22(3):573-579.