This release was issued under a previous government.

Dr. Gofton’s appointment follows an open competition to fill the position. Dr. Gofton takes over from Dr. Graeme Dowling, who acted as the interim chief medical examiner while the search for a new chief was underway.

Dr. Gofton has been an Assistant Chief Medical Examiner in the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) since he was hired in January 2013. He received his medical degree at St. Georges University School of Medicine in Grenada, West Indies, and he was certified in combined anatomic and forensic pathology by the American Board of Pathology in 2002. Dr. Gofton has also been a clinical lecturer at the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary, and he was an assistant professor at Eastern Virginia Medical School.

The OCME provides an essential service in the criminal justice system. When a death occurs suddenly or cannot be explained, the OCME conducts an investigation.

The chief medical examiner is appointed under Alberta’s Fatality Inquiries Act by the Lieutenant Governor in Council upon recommendation of the Minister of Justice and Solicitor General.

The appointment takes effect March 13, 2015.