Coroner - Dr. Dobersen

Michael J. Dobersen, M.D. PhD. is the Arapahoe County Coroner and one of only 450 forensic pathologists in the United States. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio and earned his undergraduate degree from Kent State University. After earning a Ph.D. in microbiology and biochemistry from the University of Miami in 1976, Dr. Dobersen spent the next 10 years as a medical researcher for the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. In 1989, he earned his medical degree from the University of Colorado, and later studied forensic pathology and completed his residency at the King County Medical Examiner’s Office in Seattle, Washington before he was appointed Arapahoe County Coroner in 1993.

Dr. Dobersen is the President of Colorado Coroner Association and has consulted in national high profile cases such as the JonBenet Ramsey murder; the Columbine High School shootings and the 1994 Steamboat Springs "Black Widow" case. He was also called to assist with the World Trade Center terrorist attack. He is highly regarded by his colleagues and is often asked to perform autopsies for other counties and states. Dr. Dobersen is a member of the 18^th Judicial District’s Critical Incident Team, and the federal National Disaster Medical Service, which responds to airplane crashes and other major mass fatalities. He is also an associate professor in the Department of Pathology of the University of Colorado Medical School and has authored more than 60 publications on various subjects.

Dr. Dobersen and his wife live with their 2 children in Littleton.