Ontario sends chief forensic pathologist to Haiti

Toronto, ON – Dr Michael Pollanen, chief of the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service, left for Haiti on Monday as part of a Canadian team that will help assess the personnel and resources required to identify victims of last Tuesday’s earthquake in Haiti.

Dr. Pollanen is an associate professor of pathology in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He has consulted for East Timor (United Nations), Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Cambodia, Thailand (Indian Ocean Tsunami), Canadian Department of National Defense and was a visiting professional at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. He also testified at the Steven Truscott appeal hearing.

“I’m pleased to be able to contribute to the recovery efforts in Haiti. I will be working with the RCMP to assess how best to deploy Canadian forensic resources in support of the international response,” says Dr Pollanen.