{"id":221016,"date":"2025-08-27T12:24:52","date_gmt":"2025-08-27T22:24:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=221016"},"modified":"2025-08-27T12:26:29","modified_gmt":"2025-08-27T22:26:29","slug":"fellowship-forensic-science","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/08\/27\/fellowship-forensic-science\/","title":{"rendered":"From crime scenes to autopsies: A student’s fellowship in forensic science"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi presented Mehring (center) with a certification of completion after her Poʻokela<\/span> Fellowship.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Mānoa undergraduate had the opportunity to observe a pathologist perform an autopsy and shadow forensic investigators at a crime scene during her Poʻokela<\/span> Fellowship<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This hands-on experience with the City and County of Honolulu\u2019s Medical Examiner\u2019s Office gave Nanami Mehring, a fourth-year molecular biosciences and biotechnology major at the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience<\/a> (CTAHR<\/abbr>), a profound lesson in personal resilience, solidifying her interest in a field that demands both scientific precision and empathy.<\/p>\n

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Nanami Mehring<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While the technical skills and pre-med knowledge she gained from her CTAHR courses such as biochemistry were essential, Mehring discovered that her most valuable insight was the compassionate nature of the work.<\/p>\n

The Medical Examiner’s Office provides clarity and closure to families whose loved ones have died in mysterious circumstances.<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s a job full of compassion,” she said. A pathology career asks for a blend of objectivity and a “strong soul.”<\/p>\n

Solidifying career aspirations<\/h2>\n

For Mehring, the Poʻokela<\/span> Fellowship solidified her career aspirations and prepared her for a future where she can provide answers and much-needed closure to families in their time of grief.<\/p>\n

The Po\u2019okela Fellows Internship Program introduces college students to the City and County of Honolulu\u2019s departments<\/a>, connects them with City leaders and encourages them to apply classroom knowledge to various projects and make a difference in their communities.<\/p>\n

The internship gave Mehring confidence in her career path and a sense that she can handle the emotional and physical demands of pathology. Investigators and pathologists at the office gave her insight into the next steps—from medical school to pursuing a master\u2019s program to become a pathologist assistant. Internship programs such as the Poʻokela<\/span> Fellowship help to support workforce development in Â鶹´«Ã½,<\/span> one of the core pillars of the UH<\/abbr> System Â鶹´«Ã½<\/a>. Research shows too that early career exposure such as Mehring\u2019s is strongly correlated with academic persistence and early career success.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nanami Mehring observed a pathologist perform an autopsy and shadowed forensic investigators at a crime scene during her Poʻokela<\/span> Fellowship. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[212,1466,1010,9],"class_list":["post-221016","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","tag-college-of-tropical-agriculture-and-human-resilience","tag-manoa-enhancing-student-success","tag-molecular-biosciences-and-bioengineering","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221016","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=221016"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221016\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":221029,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221016\/revisions\/221029"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=221016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=221016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=221016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}