Dr Irene Gacheri believes that she is the first Kenyan to study for a doctorate in forensic nursing. “What drove me here was the desire to change the image of nurses. Initially, people thought we assisted doctors. We are not doctors’ assistants! We have our own scope of practice. Secondly, forensic nursing is one of the new specialties. In Kenya, it has not been formally introduced, even though the nursing council requires that we teach undergraduate nurses at least 26 hours.” Dr Gacheri is the Assistant Professor at the School of Nursing and Midwifery at Aga Khan University. She was inspired to specialise in forensic nursing following her brother’s homicide. Forensic nursing exists at the intersection of patient care and the legal system.