Luis Arturo Sanchez, M.D., was appointed Chief Medical Examiner of Harris County effective January 1, 2003. Dr. Sanchez joined the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences staff in June of 2001 as the senior deputy chief medical examiner with more than 10 years of hands-on experience and expertise in forensic pathology.  In addition, he is certified by the American Board of Pathology in both Anatomic and Forensic Pathology.  As Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Sanchez oversees the day-to-day operations of the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences including interagency relationships, finance and administration, investigations, autopsy services, anthropology and crime laboratories.

During Dr. Sanchez's tenure, the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences has made unprecedented strides:

• Achieved accreditation by the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME), American Board of Forensic Toxicology (ABFT), the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), and re-accreditation by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors/Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB).
  
• Increased capacity to meet needs by obtaining over $14 million of new funding and a 79% increase in medical, laboratory and clerical personnel.
  
• Acquired cutting-edge laboratory equipment.
  
• Created the Forensic Nursing Program and Anthropology Division and expanded the DNA Laboratory and Investigations Divisions.
  
• Developed unique learning opportunities for visiting students, lawyers, law enforcement officers and doctors.

Dr. Sanchez received his M.D. degree from The University of Massachusetts Medical School in 1988.  After graduation, he established the position of the HIV program coordinator for the Department of Pediatrics/Pediatric Immunology of The University of Massachusetts Medical Center.  Coordinating with the Worcester Department of Public Health, he was responsible for the implementation of a comprehensive AIDS risk-prevention program targeted at the Hispanic community.

From 1989 through 1992, Dr. 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, Florida.

Dr. Sanchez served as a deputy medical examiner for the District of Columbia for six and a half years and served as the acting chief medical examiner for the District of Columbia in 1998.  During his tenure, Dr. Sanchez was a frequent lecturer at the Department of Criminal Investigation Homicide School of the Metropolitan Police Department.  Additionally, he was the liaison to the United States Attorney's Office from 1994 until 1998.

Dr. Sanchez holds the following academic appointments:  Endowed Professorship in Forensic Pathology and Clinical Assistant Professor with the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Senior Affiliate Member at The Methodist Hospital Research Institute (Houston), Clinical Associate Professor with the Department of Pathology at Baylor College of Medicine (Houston), Distinguished Lecturer of Forensic Science at South Texas College of Law (Houston), Staff Pathologist at Ben Taub General Hospital and the Harris County Hospital District (Houston), and Assistant Clinical Professor of Pathology at George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (Washington, D.C.).  Dr. Sanchez has been an active educator of medical residents and fellows throughout his career.

Dr. Sanchez is a member of the Board of Editors of the American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology.  Additionally, he is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, The National Association of Medical Examiners, Southern Medical Association, Texas Medical Association and the Harris County Medical Society.

Since 1995, Dr. Sanchez has been an active consultant in forensic medicine for the International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) under the aegis of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.  As an ICITAP instructor, Dr. Sanchez has taught all aspects of forensic medicine including the on-scene role of the medical examiner to police officers, doctors and lawyers in programs he designed and implemented in emerging democracies throughout the world.  During Dr. Sanchez's participation, these programs have become integral to the ongoing development of viable medicolegal systems throughout Central and South America, the Caribbean, Central Asia (Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan) and East Africa.

Luis Arturo Sanchez
Chief Medical Examiner