Chief medical examiner resigns in Cook County

Cook County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Stephen Cina will resign effective June 5, and Dr. Ponni Arunkumar, the deputy chief medical examiner, will take over as interim chief M.E., Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said Wednesday. Preckwinkle said Cina took the M.E.'s office, which handles about 5,500 cases and performs nearly 3,000 autopsies annually, "from crisis to full accreditation" after management lapses resulted in the remains of deceased being improperly stored earlier that year. Cina, hired in 2012, doubled the number of pathologists on staff, recruited top talent for management jobs, installed a cloud-based case management system and built a new automated cooler to house the deceased.

In a news release, Cina said his decision to leave is "purely personal."

"I know the office will be in good hands under the stewardship of Dr. Arunkumar," he added.