Forensic Anthropology Program Adds Two New Faculty Members
Franklin Damann is the curator of the AFIP National Museum of Health and Medicine Anatomical Division in Washington, DC. As curator, he has oversight of the Anatomical and Neuroanatomical collections at the museum.
Mr. Damann holds a master’s degree in physical and forensic anthropology from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in physical and forensic anthropology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His dissertation research involves human decomposition ecology.
Prior to his current position at the AFIP NMHM, Mr. Damann served as a forensic anthropologist for the Department of Defense Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command Central Identification Laboratory located at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii.
Dr. Peter Cummings is a Forensic Pathologist and Staff Medical Examiner at Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. He is Board certified in Anatomic Pathology and Neuropathology and is the Director of the Neuropathology Service at the OCME.
Dr. Cummings has taught at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and at the University of Maine. Dr. Cummings was a NASA astronaut candidate finalist for 2009 and maintains an active research position investigating the effects of cosmic radiation on astrocyte activation and response of retinal glial cells to space flight. In addition, he also conducts research investigating the forensic implications of pediatric head trauma.
Dr. Cummings was a member of the identification teams for the World Trade Center and the SwissAir crash.
