Aug. 30, 2008 — Dr. D'Michelle DuPre is no longer on the job as medical examiner at St. Croix's Juan F. Luis Hospital because she didn't renew her "institutional" license that allowed her to practice medicine at the hospital, hospital spokesman Rashidi Clenance said Thursday.
"She was expected to renew her license but she opted to resign," Clenance said.
She also served as the hospital's vice president of emergency preparedness and risk management.
Clenance said DuPre did not work in the hospital's own pathology department.
Without her institutional license, the Justice Department was forced to let her go as its only medical examiner on St. Croix.
"She was great. We're sorry to see her go," Justice Department spokesman Sara Lezama said.
DuPre's phone number is not listed and she could not be reached for further comment.
She worked for the Justice Department from December 2004 to September 2005 and from July 2006 to July 2008. Lezama said that during the interim period away from St. Croix, she worked in New Orleans helping out with the post-Hurricane Katrina relief.
Without the institutional license, which allows her to practice only in a government hospital or health facility under the supervision of the medical director or other licensed physician, Lezama said DuPre could no longer use the hospital's morgue to perform her medical examiner duties.
Until the Justice Department finds another medical examiner for St. Croix or until the situation with DuPre gets sorted out, the St. Thomas/St. John medical examiner, Dr. Francisco Landron, is shuttling back and forth between St. Thomas and St. Croix.
"He being stretched thin," Lezama said.
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