— Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato today formally dedicated the Medical Examiner Facility on Penn Avenue as the Cyril H. Wecht Institute of Forensic Science. The renaming of the building honors the achievements of Cyril Wecht, M.D., J.D., who served as County Coroner from 1970-1980 and 1996-2005 and as Medical Examiner in 2006.

 

 

Dr. Wecht is a Clinical Professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Graduate School of Public Health. He also holds positions as Adjunct Professor at the Duquesne University schools of Law, Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and he is a Distinguished Professor of Anatomy at Carlow University. Dr. Wecht is also the author of more than 550 professional publications and editor or co-author of 45 books.

 

“I am deeply honored by this special dedication,” said Wecht. “Such professional recognition by the Allegheny County Executive and all the members of Allegheny County Council is something that my family and I will cherish for the rest of our lives. I am very fortunate to have had the opportunity to contribute to the development of official forensic scientific investigation and the establishment of a state-of-the-art facility in Allegheny County.”

 

A past president of both the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the American College of Legal Medicine, Dr. Wecht has been a leader through his profession, attaining many highly regarded scholastic awards and positions.

 

The 80,000-square-foot Cyril H. Wecht Institute of Forensic Science, which includes the County’s crime lab and morgue, provides forensic, analytical and medical testing services to law enforcement agencies throughout Allegheny County.

 

Allegheny County Council President Rich Fitzgerald, Duquesne University Institute of Forensic Science & Law Director Dr. Fred Fochtman, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine Department of Pathology Chairman & Professor George Michalopoulos, former Allegheny County Executive Jim Roddey, and Tree of Life Synagogue Rabbi Emeritus Alvin Berkun also participated in today’s dedication ceremony.