Dr. Thomas Beaver Forensic Pathologist

Dr. Thomas Beaver is a forensic pathologist and medical examiner with more than 30 years of experience in anatomic, clinical, and forensic pathology. He serves as Associate Clinical Professor at the Medical University of South Carolina, where he teaches medical students and residents in pathology, autopsy practice, and medico-legal death investigation. His career includes senior leadership roles as Chief Medical Examiner and Chief Forensic Pathologist in Florida, Texas, and California, as well as service in West Virginia. He is board-certified in Anatomic, Clinical, and Forensic Pathology and serves as an expert reviewer for medical boards in California and South Carolina. Dr. Thomas was born in Oakland, California, and attended Oxnard High School, where he participated in water polo and swimming, and engaged in science fairs and mechanical projects. During his teenage years, he developed hands-on technical skills, began surfing, and started SCUBA diving at age 13. To support these interests, he worked agricultural jobs picking lemons and strawberries. He studied at UCLA and later completed his Bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences at the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1980. Dr. Thomas earned his M.D. from St. George’s University School of Medicine between 1982 and 1986. He then completed a five-year residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center from 1986 to 1991, followed by a fellowship in Forensic Pathology in Denver from 1991 to 1992. Dr. Thomas began his career in private practice in California from 1992 to 1997 and was selected as an expert reviewer by the Medical Board of California in 1996. He later transitioned to public forensic service in Florida, serving as an Associate Medical Examiner and, later, Chief Medical Examiner from 1998 to 2006, during which he oversaw complex death investigations and supervised forensic operations. His work included cases such as the 2004 Deltona murders, the death of Dale Earnhardt, the 2012 Oikos University shooting, and the death of Rob Stewart. He also contributed to medical examiner practice guidelines that were later codified as administrative code 11G and served as Chairperson of the Healthy Start Coalition from 1998 to 1999. Dr. Thomas Beaver, Forensic Pathologist, later held academic and leadership roles in Texas and California. He served as Chief Medical Examiner in Florida from 2014 to 2017, conducting over 700 death scene investigations and more than 700 postmortem examinations. Since 2018, he has continued teaching, supervising training, conducting forensic casework, and remaining active in professional organizations, outdoor activities, robotics, and charitable support.