Because the university sponsors the event, there is no charge for participants.

The symposium – from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. – will offer a presentation on mass fatality and disaster victim recovery from the National Transportation Safety Board; discussion with Joseph Scott Morgan, a criminal justice and forensic professor and author of Blood Beneath My Feet: The Journey of a Southern Death Investigator; a session on recognizing child maltreatment from Child Enrichment Director Dan Hillman; and sensitivity and compassion training from GHSU’s chaplain, Brennan Francois.

The symposium was developed by Augusta-Richmond County Chief Deputy Coroner Mark Bowen, who serves as the District 2 director for the Georgia Coroners Association. His duties include providing training and support for coroners in 32 counties.