PHILADELPHIA—The Philadelphia Department of Public Health announces the appointment of Dr. Constance DiAngelo as their new Chief Medical Examiner. Dr. DiAngelo is a board-certified anatomic, clinical, and forensic pathologist with over 20 years of experience in determining cause and manner of death. She has personally performed autopsies or reviewed findings in thousands of routine and complex natural and injury cases including complex homicides and infant and child cases. Dr. DiAngelo “feels as though she’s been preparing for this role her whole life, and it fulfills a lifelong dream” that includes an interest in infant and child deaths having completed a pediatric pathology fellowship in 2018. In addition, she was the inaugural director of autopsy at the Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. in 2019, as well as the pathologist assigned to the Virginia infant and child mortality review committee for over 5 years. A board-certified medicolegal death investigator, Dr. DiAngelo has taught forensic pathology and medicolegal death investigation in classrooms, in autopsy rooms, and at crime scenes.

With a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the George Washington University, a Master of Science in Biology from Virginia Tech, and a Doctor of Medicine from the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), Dr. DiAngelo notably completed a one-year Forensic Pathology fellowship here in the City of Philadelphia at the Medical Examiner’s Office where she trained with Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Mirchandani and Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Hood. And, she is well-equipped for this specific role having experience with accreditation standards and was instrumental in helping to achieve accreditation in other ME offices.

As pointed out by Deputy Health Commissioner Dr. Frank Franklin, “Dr. DiAngelo’s reputation as a medicolegal death investigator, as evidenced by credentialing and a depth of experience, demonstrates her competence and capacity to lead the Medical Examiner’s Office. However, and equally important, Dr. DiAngelo has the keenness to diagnose the organizational health of the Medical Examiner’s Office and ensure the office’s operational capacity aligns with its statutory responsibilities and strategic objectives. I am confident Dr. DiAngelo will continue to move the Office and the City of Philadelphia in the right direction, and I look forward to supporting her leadership.”

Born and raised in York, PA, Dr. DiAngelo returns frequently to visit family, and is looking forward to the challenges and rewards of returning to the City of Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office.