Bruce Goldfarb grew up in Amherst, New York. He was an EMT/paramedic before attending nursing school. His clinical experience includes drawing blood and running EKGs in clinical labs, arterial blood gas analysis, and as a tech in a psychiatric emergency room. For a year, he was an EMT for the West Memphis, Arkansas, fire department.

Along the way he also drove a taxi cab, worked the night desk at a YMCA rooming house, and made sandwiches in a kosher delicatessen.

Quitting nursing school in his last semester, Goldfarb moved to Baltimore and received his undergraduate degree in emergency health services from University of Maryland Baltimore County.

As a journalist, Goldfarb’s work has appeared in American Archaeology, American Health, Baltimore magazine, Baltimore Sun, Harper’s, Maryland magazine, NPR’s All Things Considered, Washington Post, USA Today and many others, for which he has won several awards.

He has also written for dozens of medical publications and served as editor of Physician’s Practice Digest, managing editor of DOC News for the American Diabetes Association, and as managing editor of HemAware magazine for the National Hemophilia Foundation.

For ten years, Goldfarb served as executive assistant to the Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Maryland. He was public information officer for the one of the largest and busiest forensic medical centers in the country.

Goldfarb also served as curator of the Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death and was involved in the first and only public exhibition of the dioramas at the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery. He has given talks about the Nutshells and their creator, Frances Glessner Lee, to sell-out crowds at museums and other venues across the country.

Goldfarb has authored eleven books, eight of which are medical texts and reference books.

Goldfarb’s first book of popular nonfiction, 18 TINY DEATHS, was released by Sourcebooks in 2020. His second book, OCME, was released by Steerforth Press in 2023. His latest, THE WORST DAY, was published by Steerforth Press in January 2026.

He lives in Catonsville, Maryland, with his family, three cats, and a dog.

Connect with Bruce on Facebook and Goodreads.

Representation: Tamar Rydzinski, Context Literary Agency