Jan Garavaglia

Garavaglia was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to Charles and Jennie Garavaglia. She graduated from Lindbergh High School in 1974. Garavaglia received her medical degree from the St. Louis University School of Medicine and completed an internship in internal medicine and residency in anatomic/clinical pathology at St. Louis University Hospital. She completed a fellowship in forensic pathology at the Dade County Medical Examiner's Office in Miami, Florida. She is board-certified in combined anatomic and clinical pathology and forensic pathology.[7]

Garavaglia married her first husband in 1980. In 1988, she got her first job as an Associate Medical Examiner in Duval County, Jacksonville, Florida and gave birth to their first son. Garavaglia and her family moved to Georgia in 1991 where she took a job as Associate Medical Examiner for the next two years. In 1993, the family moved once again to San Antonio, Texas where Garavaglia spent the next ten years as a Medical Examiner in the Bexar County Forensic Science Center (Bexar pronounced as 'Bear'). Their second son[8] was born during this time, in 1994. Garavaglia and her first husband later divorced in 2006, and in 2007 she married her second husband, Dr. Mark Wallace, whom she had met years earlier while attending medical school. Dr. Wallace has made several appearances on Dr. G: Medical Examiner as an expert in infectious disease and internal medicine. The couple reside in Mount Vernon, WA.

One of the first cases Garavaglia worked on as a medical examiner was the Morning Glory Funeral Home scandal, in which 37 bodies, many in advanced stages of decomposition, were found in a funeral home. After several caskets that the funeral director had buried were exhumed, Garavaglia determined that the director had placed multiple persons in single caskets, and pocketed the money he received.[9]

As an associate medical examiner in Bexar County, Texas, Garavaglia autopsied the body of Tracie McBride at the Bexar County Forensic Science Center in San Antonio, Texas.[10] The case was covered on Dr. G.[11] McBride was murdered by Louis Jones, who was executed by the federal government in 2003.[12]

On December 11, 2008, Garavaglia autopsied the remains of a small child that was confirmed to be those of missing Caylee Anthony. Garavaglia testified about her findings during the murder trial of Caylee’s mother, Casey Anthony.[13]

In 2008, Garavaglia authored How Not to Die, in which she relates her experiences as a medical examiner to educate readers about how to care for their health and avoid premature death.[14]

On May 18, 2012, Garavaglia delivered the keynote address at the opening ceremonies of the 2012 Science Olympiad National Tournament at the University of Central Florida.[15]

After more than two decades in the practice of forensic pathology, Garavaglia retired from the District 9 medical examiner's office on May 28, 2015. She and her husband retired to her husband's hometown, 90 minutes north of Seattle, Washington.[16]

How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America’s Favorite Medical Examiner is a book about safe and healthy living written by Jan Garavaglia.[17] The book was released on October 14, 2008 by Crown Publishing, a division of Random House. Using cases from her 20 years of experience as a medical examiner, Garavaglia identifies some lifestyle and behavioral choices that may result in premature death.[18] She also offers advice on how to be smart and proactive about one's health. The Library Journal has called the book "surprisingly entertaining".[19]

• Official Website