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 that investigates deaths that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, to perform post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdictio ...

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 state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, 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 an ...

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 Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin language, Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a profes ...

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 Sou ...

in biology from

D’Youville College D'Youville University (D'Youville or DYU) is a private university in Buffalo, New York. It was founded as D'Youville College in 1908 and named by the Grey Nuns after the patroness saint Marie-Marguerite d'Youville. As of Fall 2020 D'Youville Co ...

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 one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, 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 research university in Richmond, Virginia. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virginia in 1854. In 1968, the Virgini ...

. 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 a professional association and lobbying group of physicians and medical students. Founded in 1847, it is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Membership was approximately 240,000 in 2016. The AMA's state ...

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 an ...

, a Fellow of the

American Society of Clinical Pathologists The American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) is a professional association based in Chicago, Illinois encompassing 130,000 pathologists and laboratory professionals. Founded in 1922, the ASCP provides programs in education, certification and ...

, 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 The American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) is a society for forensic science professionals, and was founded in 1948. The society is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. The AAFS is a multi-disciplinary professional organization that p ...

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 and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

'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 ''The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (formerly Raven Press) covering research on forensic medicine and forensic pathology. The current editor ...

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 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