Harris County Bids Farewell to First Female Chief Medical Examiner in Texas and Says Hello to New Leadership

Joye Maureen Carter, M.D. current Harris County chief medical examiner, will bid adieu Oct. 18, to her staff of six years and the many citizens and organizations throughout the county with whom she has become acquainted.

Carter's decision to resign was prompted by the need to relocate due to the illness of a loved one. She leaves behind a legacy of growth and humanitarianism unprecedented in the history of the Medical Examiner's Office.

Carter said she sincerely appreciates the support of Texas Medical Center president and CEO, Richard E. Wainerdi, Ph.D., for his support of the medical examiner's office during her tenure.

Before coming to Houston, Carter served as the chief medical examiner for the District of Columbia where she also had the distinction of being the first female to be appointed in that position. Prior to that she served as a major in the U.S. Air Force and as deputy chief medical examiner for the armed forces' medical examiner department, located in the Walter Reed Army Hospital complex.

Carter has traveled to South Africa to evaluate the organization of death investigations, and addressed their Supreme Court on developing an independent system. She has provided expert testimony to the United States Senate Judiciary Committee on the actions of date-rape drugs, and was instrumental in the passage of a law that made drugs like gamma hydroxy butyrate, or GHB, illegal.

Carter has held faculty appointments at The University of Texas Health Science Center, The University of Texas School of Public Health, and Baylor College of Medicine. She has authored several articles in peer review medical journals and writes a monthly column on general health issues for African-American News & Issues, a local newspaper. Among other career accomplishments, Carter was the first director of the "Healthy People 2000" anti-violence campaign in Washington, D.C., and while in Houston, developed a teen driving program to deter teen fatalities called Saving Our Kids.

Carter, who has authored two books, plans to continue to write, and do consulting and community work as time permits. She leaves her position, confident of the capabilities of Luis Sanchez, M.D., who becomes the Interim Chief Medical Examiner on Oct. 19.

Sanchez joined the Harris County Medical Examiner staff last June as the senior deputy chief medical examiner. He has more than 10 years of hands-on experience and expertise in forensic pathology, and is certified by the American Board of Pathology in anatomic and forensic pathology.

At the beginning of his tenure, he reorganized the child fatality review focus for the Harris County Medical Examiner's Office and has taken on the responsibility of ensuring timely completion of pediatric autopsies. He is in charge of day-to-day office operations, including interagency relationships and overseeing the autopsy service.

Sanchez received his medical degree from the University of Massachusetts in 1988. From 1989 through 1992, Sanchez specialized in anatomic pathology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York City. He then went on to complete a one-year fellowship in forensic pathology at the Dade County Medical Examiner's Office in Miami.

Sanchez served as the Acting Chief Medical Examiner for the District of Columbia in 1998. Additionally, he was the liaison to the U.S. Attorney's Office from 1994 to 1998. He then served as a deputy chief medical examiner for the District of Columbia for 6.5 years.

Sanchez holds faculty appointments at The University of Texas Health Science Center and George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the National Association of Medical Examiners.

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URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmcnews/10_01_02/page_18.html