SPOKANE, September 22, 2008 – Dr. John Howard, Spokane Medical Examiner, was elected President of the National Association of Medical Examiners at their annual meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, September 5th through 10th. His one year term of office will begin in January, 2009.
The National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) was founded in 1966 to foster the professional growth of physicians who specialize in forensic pathology. NAME has developed standards for death investigation systems and certification programs for individuals who work as non-physician investigators. The National Association of Medical Examiners’ membership consists of physician medical examiners, medical death investigators, and death investigation system administrators. Fellows in the organization are required to be board-certified forensic pathologists.
Currently Dr. Howard works with Dr. S. Aiken, as a Spokane County Medical Examiner. The office employs 2 forensic pathologists, and eight other staff members including death investigators. The Spokane Medical Examiner’s office is accredited, and is a referral autopsy center for the Idaho panhandle and all of northeastern Washington State.
Dr. Howard has worked in the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office since April, 2007. For more than a decade he was the Chief Medical Examiner in Pierce County.