SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane County announced the hiring of a new Chief Medical Examiner on Monday.
Dr. Venna D. Singh will be filling one of the two medical examiner positions that are being vacated by Dr. Sally Aiken and Dr. John Howard when they retire.
According to a press release from Spokane County Spokesperson Jared Webley, Singh was most recently the medical examiner in Anoka County, Minnesota. Prior to that, she was a medical examiner in New Mexico and Arizona for several years.
Singh is a Doctor of Medicine and has a Master’s in Public Health from Oregon Health and Science University, according to Webley. She also completed residency training at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center and fellowship training at the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator.
“I am excited to join the Spokane County team, and I look forward to building on the existing strong foundation to shape the growth and development of the Medical Examiner’s Office,” Singh said in a press release.
Spokane County opened a new state of the art 24,200 square foot facility in June 2020.
The Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office was subject of a state investigation in 2017.
Dr. John Howard and Dr. Sally Aiken were investigated by the Washington State Department of Health after the department received a complaint asking for a review of several recent cause of death rulings in Spokane County.
The Washington Department of Health determined that the 14 autopsies they reviewed “met the standard of care,” according to the Associated Press.
