Dr. Marcella Farinelli Fierro (born 1941) is a

medical examiner The medical examiner is an appointed official in some American jurisdictions who is trained in pathology and investigates deaths that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, to perform post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdicti ...

and

forensic pathologist Forensic pathology is pathology that focuses on determining the cause of death by examining a corpse. A post mortem examination is performed by a medical examiner or forensic pathologist, usually during the investigation of criminal law cases an ...

. She was the former chief medical examiner of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, appointed in 1994 and serving in this position until her retirement in 2008. She was the ninth woman certified in

forensic pathology Forensic pathology is pathology that focuses on determining the cause of death by examining a corpse. A post mortem examination is performed by a medical examiner or forensic pathologist, usually during the investigation of criminal law cases ...

by the American Board of Pathology. Since retirement, Fierro has served as an educator, mentor, and adviser.

Education and career

Fierro decided to pursue a

Doctor of Medicine A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...

in forensic pathology at the State of University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine after she graduated

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

in biology from D’Youville College in Buffalo, New York in 1962. After earning her degree in 1966, Fierro pursued an internship and residency at

Ottawa Civic Hospital The Ottawa Civic Hospital is one of three main campuses of The Ottawa Hospital – along with the General and Riverside campuses. With 549 beds (including the Heart Institute), the Civic Campus has the region's only adult-care trauma centre, servin ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada followed by residencies in pathology at the Cleveland (Ohio) Clinic Educational Foundation and at

Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a Public university, public research university in Richmond, Virginia, United States. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virgin ...

. Fierro became chief resident in Pathology at the Virginia Commonwealth University and held a fellowship in forensic pathology in the Department of Legal Medicine at the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond from 1973 to 1974. After receiving board of certification in Anatomic, Clinical and Forensic Pathology, Fierro acquired the title of chief medical examiner of Virginia, the state's highest position in forensic science, in 1994. Fierro has been a member of faculty of the Department of Legal Medicine and Pathology at Medical College of Virginia Commonwealth University since 1973, and was a clinical professor of pathology at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville from 1983 to 1992 and also in 1999 to 2002. Fierro served as a staff pathologist at Richmond's Medical College of Virginia Hospitals from 1975 to 1992 and then returned to academia as a professor of pathology at East Carolina School of Medicine in Greenville from 1992 to 1994. Fierro has served as a member of the

American Medical Association The American Medical Association (AMA) is an American professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. This medical association was founded in 1847 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was 271,660 ...

and the

International Association for Identification The International Association for Identification (IAI) is the largest forensic organization in the world. It was originally formed as the "International Association for Criminal Identification" in October 1915. Through the years it has grown into ...

, a Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists, the

College of American Pathologists The College of American Pathologists (CAP) is a member-based physician organization founded in 1946, comprising approximately 18,000 board-certified pathologists. It serves patients, pathologists, and the public by fostering and advocating ...

, and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and was a former president of the National Association of Medical Examiners. Fierro has been a consultant to the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

's Task Force on National Crime Investigation Center, Unidentified Persons and Missing Persons Files, Washington D.C., since 1983. She has served on the board of editors for the American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology since 1979. She was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001 from the School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences Medical Alumni Association.

Patricia Cornwell's novels

Fierro's work in the field of forensic science inspired Patricia Cornwell's crime novels, in which she modeled her protagonist

Kay Scarpetta Kay Scarpetta is a fictional character inspired by former Virginia Chief Medical Examiner Marcella Farinelli Fierro MD (retired). She is the protagonist in a series of crime novels written by Patricia Cornwell noted for its use of recent foren ...

after Dr. Fierro and her work.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fierro, Marcella Farinelli 1941 births Living people Medical examiners American forensic pathologists University at Buffalo alumni D'Youville University alumni