The Office of the State Pathologist (OSP) provides a national, year round, forensic pathology service in Ireland. Forensic pathology is the discipline of medicine that deals with the determination of the cause of death for legal purposes. Forensic pathologists are medical doctors who are trained in anatomical pathology, histopathology and the interpretation of injuries at post mortem examination.

The Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (RCPI) was commissioned by the Department of Justice and Equality (DoJE) in 2018 to conduct a review of the Office of the State Pathologist (OSP). In July 2018, RCPI established a project team to lead the work.