Mayor Adrian Fenty asked the D.C. Council for more time to hirea board-certified forensic pathologist as the city’s next chief medical examiner, as the city faces a recruiting struggle that one expert linked to the office’s shoddy reputation.
Current Chief Medical Examiner Marie Pierre-Louis’ term expired April 30, but the Fenty administration has yet to find a qualified replacement, a search that could require another year. Pierre-Louis is not certified in forensic pathology by the American Board of Pathology as required by a 2004 D.C. law.
There’s a relative shortage of medical examiners nationwide, especially those qualified to be the District’s chief, said Dr. Joseph Prahlow, president of the National Association of Medical Examiners, which audits and accredits medical examiner offices. And those people, he said, are “going to steer away from those places that have a history of running people off.”
“From a historical perspective, there are some offices around the country that have just not had the greatest history and Washington, D.C., happens to be one of those,” Prahlow said. “Within our profession, these offices more or less get a reputation and it’s tough to break through that reputation.”
The council in July authorized Fenty to offer a new chief up to $279,900 a year, so far to no avail.
The matter of Pierre-Louis’ non-board certified status is an obstacle to winning accreditation, said D.C. Council Member Phil Mendelson, chair of the public safety committee. And the lack of accreditation, he said, is making it more difficult to fill the slot.
Just as important as earning accreditation is having a certified forensic pathologist on board to facilitate prosecutions, Mendelson said, as defense lawyers would have more trouble calling autopsy results into questions. But Mendelson, who credits Pierre-Louis for turning around the office, said he has no issue with the mayor using more time to find her replacement.
Prahlow said the Fenty administration has reached out to his association for help fixing the medical examiner’s office, a “good first step in working toward accreditation.”
