Carla Valentine

Carla Valentine studied Forensic and Biomolecular Science at university after working as an embalmer’s assistant and Quality Assurance Scientist during her gap year. She then trained as an Anatomical Pathology Technician (APT), or mortuary technician, receiving both her certificate and diploma in Anatomical Pathology Technology and progressing from trainee to Senior APT in a few years.  

During her eight-year mortuary career, she continued her professional development by studying for an MSc in Forensic Anthropology at military college and taking part in skeletal excavations in Belgium and Venice. She carried out autopsies on a variety of deceased victims, including those killed in the 7/7 bombings in London, CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear) and other high risk cases such as SARS, Swine Flu and CJD (commonly referred to as ‘mad cow disease’).  

Since beginning work at Barts Pathology Museum, Carla has been featured in the Sunday Times, Stylist magazine, the Independent and the Guardian, and has written about her pro profession for the Association of Anatomical Pathology Technologists, the Huffington Post and Londonist. She writes for magazines as varied as the tattoo publication Things and Ink, the baking bible Beaten and Creamed and the official Agatha Christie website.  

Carla co-presented Fatberg Autopsy for Channel 4 and was involved in the PR campaign for the computer game Resident Evil 6. She consulted on The Wellcome Collection’s forensic science exhibition entitled ‘Forensics: The anatomy of crime’, which received record numbers of visitors, and the London edition of the Bodyworlds plastinate exhibit.