Jan Carla Garavaglia, M.D (born September 14, 1956), sometimes known as "Dr. G", served as the chief medical examiner for Orange and Osceola counties in

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

, from 2004 until her retirement in May 2015. She starred in the series '' Dr. G: Medical Examiner'' on the Discovery Health channel which aired in July 2004 until 2012. Repeats of the show are aired on the Discovery Life channel and Justice Network. Garavaglia has appeared on ''

The Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicag ...

'', '' Larry King Live'', ''The Rachael Ray Show'', ''The Doctors'' and ''

The Dr. Oz Show ''The Dr. Oz Show'' (or simply ''Oz'') is an American syndicated daytime television talk show, hosted by Mehmet Oz, that aired between September 14, 2009, and January 14, 2022. Each episode features segments on health, wellness, and medical infor ...

.'' She was on Head rush with Kari Byron

Early life and education

Garavaglia was born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

, 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 Saint Louis University School of Medicine is a private, Jesuit medical school. Part of Saint Louis University, the institution was established in 1836. The school has an enrollment of around 700, with about 550 faculty members and 550 residents in ...

and completed an internship in internal medicine and residency in anatomic/ clinical pathology at St. Louis University Hospital. She completed a

fellowship A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

in forensic pathology at the Dade County Medical Examiner's Office in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, Florida. She is board-certified in combined anatomic and clinical pathology and forensic pathology.

Family

Garavaglia married her first husband in 1980. In 1988, she got her first job as an Associate Medical Examiner in Duval County, Jacksonville,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

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 ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

where Garavaglia spent the next ten years as a Medical Examiner in the

Bexar County Bexar County ( or ; es, Béxar ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in South Texas and its county seat is San Antonio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,009,324. Bexar County is included in the San Antonio–New Bra ...

Forensic Science Center. Their second son 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 Mount Vernon is the county seat of Skagit County, Washington, United States. The population was 35,219 at the 2020 census. It is one of two principal cities of and included in the Mount Vernon-Anacortes, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area ...

Career

One of the first cases Garavaglia worked on as a medical examiner was the

Morning Glory Funeral Home scandal The Morning Glory Funeral Home scandal took place at the Howell Morning Glory Chapel in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1988, and involved improper disposal and burial of bodies by the funeral home's owner, Lewis J. Howell. Investigation eventually reve ...

, in which 37 bodies, many in advanced stages of

decomposition Decomposition or rot is the process by which dead organic substances are broken down into simpler organic or inorganic matter such as carbon dioxide, water, simple sugars and mineral salts. The process is a part of the nutrient cycle and is e ...

, 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. As an associate medical examiner in

Bexar County, Texas Bexar County ( or ; es, Béxar ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in South Texas and its county seat is San Antonio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,009,324. Bexar County is included in the San Antonio–New Bra ...

, Garavaglia autopsied the body of Tracie McBride at the Bexar County Forensic Science Center in

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. The case was covered on ''Dr. G''. McBride was murdered by Louis Jones, who was executed by the federal government in 2003."Echoes of an earlier execution Eight months before Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. killed Dru Sjodin, Louis Jones Jr. was put to death for killing Minnesotan Tracie McBride." '' Minneapolis Star Tribune''. September 24, 2006. Section Twin Cities + Region p. B1
Available at

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Available at
the archives of the ''Star-Tribune''. On December 11, 2008, Garavaglia autopsied the remains of a small child that was confirmed to be those of missing

Caylee Anthony Caylee Marie Anthony (August 9, 2005 – June-December 2008) was an American girl who lived in Orlando, Florida, with her mother, Casey Marie Anthony (born March 19, 1986), and her maternal grandparents, George and Cindy Anthony. On July 1 ...

. Garavaglia testified about her findings during the murder trial of Caylee’s mother,

Casey Anthony Casey may refer to: Places Antarctica *Casey Station *Casey Range Australia * Casey, Australian Capital Territory * City of Casey, Melbourne * Division of Casey, electoral district for the House of Representatives Canada * Casey, Ontario * Ca ...

. In 2008, Garavaglia authored ''

How Not to Die How may refer to: * How (greeting), a word used in some misrepresentations of Native American/First Nations speech * How, an interrogative word in English grammar Art and entertainment Literature * ''How'' (book), a 2007 book by Dov Seidma ...

'', in which she relates her experiences as a medical examiner to educate readers about how to care for their health and avoid premature death. On May 18, 2012, Garavaglia delivered the keynote address at the opening ceremonies of the 2012

Science Olympiad Science Olympiad is an American team competition in which students compete in 23 events pertaining to various fields of science, including earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Over 7,800 middle school and high school team ...

National Tournament at the

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State University ...

. 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 Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

''How Not to Die''

''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. The book was released on October 14, 2008 by Crown Publishing, a division of

Random House Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...

. 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 Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...

. She also offers advice on how to be smart and proactive about one's

health Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...

. The ''

Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...

'' has called the

book A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arr ...

"surprisingly entertaining".

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garavaglia, Jan Carla 1956 births Living people Medical examiners American coroners American writers of Italian descent Scientists from St. Louis People from Mount Vernon, Washington 21st-century American non-fiction writers American health and wellness writers American women non-fiction writers Scientists from Washington (state) People from Jacksonville, Florida Scientists from Florida People from Bexar County, Texas Scientists from Texas 21st-century American women writers