Pierce County names another new medical examiner after first choice backs out
Following news that the county’s first choice for a new medical examiner has backed out, Pierce County announced Tuesday another candidate has accepted the job.
Dr. Karen Cline-Parhamovich of New Mexico has accepted the county’s chief medical examiner position, the county said in a news release.
Cline-Parhamovich is currently Albuquerque’s interim state chief medical investigator with the Office of the Medical Investigator.
The announcement comes hours after The News Tribune reported that the first pick to replace Dr. Thomas Clark withdrew his acceptance. Dr. Mark Fajardo was announced as Clark’s replacement in December. Fajardo counseled Pierce County about the resources necessary to maintain accreditation, the county communications director Libby Catalinich said. County Executive Bruce Dammeier is expected to present a supplemental budget proposal to the Council.
After obtaining a license to practice in Washington, Cline-Parhamovich will join Pierce County, Catalinich said in a press release.
Cline-Parhamovich has performed up to 220 autopsies annually, by her own count, according to the county’s press release. Before New Mexico, she was Tennessee’s chief medical examiner and the director of Division of Forensic Pathology at East Tennessee State University Quillen College of Medicine.
She graduated from Kent State University with a bachelor’s of general studies and pre-medicine. She has a degree in doctor of osteopathic medicine from Ohio University.
Her hiring is pending Pierce County Council approval.
This story was originally published February 4, 2020 at 7:16 PM.
