(From a press release.)
Delaware County Council recently appointed Dr. Albert Chu as the county’s Chief Medical Examiner.
The mission of the medical examiner is to conduct expert medicolegal investigations into deaths that occur under statutorily prescribed circumstances. The findings of these investigations are then independently shared with members of the public and relevant agencies to improve public safety and health. Chu will lead the Medical Examiner’s Office and its departments, including administration, autopsy, evidence, forensic investigation, and morgue operations.
Dr. Chu completed undergraduate and graduate studies at Johns Hopkins University and received his medical degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo. He then completed an Anatomic and Clinical Pathology residency at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital and a Forensic Pathology fellowship at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Maryland. Before becoming Chief Medical Examiner, he served as an Assistant Medical Examiner at the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences in Houston, Texas, and as deputy chief medical examiner for the City of Philadelphia.
“The ultimate goal is to create a Medical Examiner’s office that optimally serves our stakeholders – including family members, funeral homes, organ procurement organizations, law enforcement, attorneys, courts, hospitals, educational institutions, and public health agencies – using employing best practices and utilizing up-to-date technology, “said Chu.
Steps to fulfill this goal include addressing staffing issues, training new and current employees, and developing policies and procedures that will allow the Medical Examiner’s Office to standardize and optimize best work practices. Future plans include designing and constructing a new, state-of-the-art facility to replace the county’s aging building. Relocation into this facility will allow the office to apply for National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) accreditation.
“Accreditation by NAME would be tangible recognition that we are successfully providing the highest quality of medicolegal death investigation for the county,” said Chu.
