Cook County’s Dr. Stephen Cina Named Vice President Of National Association of Medical Examiners

Chief Cook County Medical Examiner Dr. Stephen Cina was elected this week as vice president of the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) at the group’s annual meeting in Charlotte, N.C.

NAME is the country’s premier organization for medical examiners, those physicians who investigate sudden, violent and suspicious deaths and perform autopsies. NAME also serves educational, research and professional development functions, promotes the exchange of professional experiences for the betterment of the overall profession, and develops consensus around professional standards and guidelines for medical examiners.

Dr. Cina’s term begins January 1, 2016, and lasts for one year. His nomination was bolstered by his five terms on NAME’s Board of Directors, liaison work with the College of American Pathologists, and turnaround of the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.

“I am honored to be selected as vice president of NAME,” Dr. Cina said. “Being chosen by my colleagues for this office validates the hard work and improvements we have made in Cook County, as we strive to be the finest ME office in the country.”

Dr. Cina was appointed to his position by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle in September 2012 after a nationwide search. Since assuming his position, the ME’s office has gained provisional accreditation from NAME (the office hopes to achieve full accreditation in the near future), constructed a new state-of-the-art cooler, migrated its data and daily operations to a cloud-based case management system, and significantly boosted staffing.

Dr. Cina took over the County’s ME office following the discovery of critical shortcomings in the office’s daily operations. He quickly acted as a change agent, modernizing systems and updating protocols and procedures to ensure smooth operations in what is the nation’s third-busiest medical examiner office.

“Dr. Cina has done an outstanding job in taking an office in need of strong leadership and providing just that,” said President Preckwinkle. “His creative approach and firm hand will ensure that the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office will serve as a national model of efficiency and excellence.”

In his capacity as NAME’s vice president, Dr. Cina will work with other national leaders to promote high-quality death investigations around the country and throughout the world.

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