Young Alum of the Month: Jamie (Navinskey) Tennyson

  March 2025

  Name: Jamie (Navinskey) Tennyson

  Hometown: Atchison, KS

  Major(s) and Graduation Date: Athletic Training and Exercise Science. May 2018.

  Favorite BVU Class: Human Anatomy (with the cadaver lab) with Dr. McClellan.

  Job Title & Company: Forensic Pathologists’ Assistant, Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner

Major Job/Position Responsibilities: I work with our team of Forensic Pathologists to conduct autopsies, investigate scenes, collect evidence, and review medical and social histories, in order to come to a determination about a person’s cause and manner of death. Our office of pathologists, death investigators, autopsy technicians, and myself are responsible for conducing autopsies and death investigations for 96 of Iowa’s 99 counties – including Buena Vista County.

What do you like most about your job/position? I am one of approximately 30 PAs in the entire nation that works in forensic autopsy, and love using my passion for anatomy and healthcare in a supremely unique and niche way. It allows me to still utilize a person’s medical history, family/social history, and scene history to develop a differential diagnosis, but ultimately evaluate the body to determine what exactly went wrong. My interactions with patients looks completely different than most healthcare professionals, but being able to answer questions for them, along with their grieving family and friends, is extremely important work.

What advice would you give to current students at BVU? Find a career you genuinely love! I spent years in another aspect of healthcare that I didn’t truly find sustainable for my career, but going back for a second Master’s degree in pursuit of my dream career was absolutely worth it. Don’t be afraid to switch majors, intern with various professionals, and use your faculty and alumni network to find a position and career that brings you genuine joy – it’s always worth the extra time and effort.