Chief Medical Examiner, Francisco J. Diaz, MD, FACP
Dr. Francisco J. Diaz received his medical degree in his native country, Dominican Republic. After receiving his medical degree, Dr. Diaz trained in Anatomic Pathology at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center in Johnstown, Pennsylvania/Temple University. In 2000, Dr. Diaz accepted a fellowship in forensic pathology with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in affiliation with Hahnemann University (now Drexel University).
After completing the forensic pathology fellowship, Dr. Diaz joined the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Wayne County, Michigan, as an Assistant Medical Examiner. In January 2012, in affiliation with the Wayne County Medical Examiner's Office, Dr. Diaz was appointed to the University of Michigan faculty, Department of Pathology as Assistant Professor. Dr. Diaz was a Medical Examiner in Michigan for 16 years.
Dr. Diaz has performed more than 8500 autopsies during his career and testified hundreds of times in circuit, district, and federal courts. He has also provided numerous civil depositions. Dr. Diaz is the co-author of "Spitz and Fisher Medicolegal Investigation of Death in his 5th edition.
Dr. Diaz has also co-authored 35 peer-reviewed articles, abstracts, and presentations and has been invited on numerous occasions to speak at regional, national, and international conferences. He is board-certified in Anatomic Pathology as well as Forensic Pathology. He is a fellow of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME), and the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).
He is a member of the board of directors and the government affairs committee's chair for NAME.
After joining DC OCME, Dr. Diaz was appointed to the faculty of George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and holds an Assistant Professor's rank.
Dr. Diaz enjoys reading and traveling when he is away from the office.
Chief of Staff, Beverly Fields, Esq.
Ms. Beverly Ann Fields, Esq. PRP is a native Washingtonian and attended the Georgia Institute of Technology and Howard University, receiving a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1989 and Howard University’s School of Law, earning a Juris Doctor in 1994, cum laude. She is a member of the United States Supreme Court Bar and the DC and MD State Bars. Ms. Fields holds a Six Sigma Black Belt certification from Villanova University.
Ms. Fields began her career as a science intern at the National Science Foundation and then worked as a mechanical engineer in the Ship Systems Practice of Booz Allen & Hamilton. After returning to and graduating from law school, she began a legal career at the Law Firm Dewey Ballentine, practicing energy law.
Subsequently, she transitioned to the legislative arena and utilized her legal skills working for three members of Congress over an eight-year span: Representatives Harold Ford, Jr., Elijah Cummings and Eddie Bernice Johnson.
Ms. Fields currently serves as Chief of Staff to the D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, managing agency operations including budget, operational, strategic, and performance planning; procurement; human resources; legislative affairs; risk management; and labor management.
In her spare time, Ms. Fields serves as an international officer, chapter president, and other leadership roles as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.; The Links, Incorporated; the National Association of Parliamentarians; American Institute of Parliamentarians; and the National Brotherhood of Snowsports, Inc. She is the owner of Uhura Enterprises, Inc. – a parliamentary consulting service.
Ms. Fields is also quite active as a classical pianist, advanced skier and PSIA-AASI Alpine Level I Ski Instructor, certified scuba diver, and enjoys road cycling, motorcycling, aerobics, basketball and concerts.
General Counsel, Rodney Adams, Esq.
Becoming General Counsel at OCME has brought Rodney K. Adams’ career full circle. After a semester of graduate forensic science study at George Washington University, Mr. Adams completed an LL M in Forensic Medicine at the University of Glasgow (Scotland), Faculty of Law as a Rotary International Scholar. The University of Illinois, College of Law awarded a Juris Doctorate to him two years later.
After graduating from law school, Mr. Adams joined a large law firm that represented most of the Chicago area academic medical centers. He was soon recognized for his expertise in advising and defending healthcare providers on matters involving patient care and other unique issues confronting the healthcare industry. After six years, Mr. Adams relocated his practice to Richmond, Virginia and helped grow a law firm from fewer than thirty attorneys to more than three hundred attorneys in twenty-two offices around the country. He tried more than seventy-five major cases to jury verdict, and was named Lawyer of the Year – Medical Malpractice, Defendant, by Best Lawyers in America.
Mr. Adams was certified by the American Board of Trial Advocacy and appeared in Best Lawyers in America, Benchmark, Martindale Hubbell AV-Peer Rating and other rankings. He is a member of the Bars of the District of Columbia and of Virginia and is retired from the Illinois State Bar.
Capping a more than thirty-year career in the private practice of health law, Mr. Adams accepted a two-year joint appointment at the University of Richmond Law School and at Virginia Commonwealth University, Dept. of Health Administration in 2018 to teach medical ethics, mental health law, corporate health law and health policy. The graduate students in the MHA and MSHA programs flattered him with teaching awards. At the College of William and Mary Law School, Mr. Adams has taught a medical malpractice trial practicum since 2015 that includes physicians and surgeons playing key roles in the trial held before a judge and jury. He has also taught study abroad programs on global medical ethics for William & Mary undergraduates. Teaching assignments have taken him to China, South Africa and Mauritius.
A frequent speaker at national medical and law conferences, Mr. Adams has authored several books and book chapters.
Chief Toxicologist, Samantha Tolliver Ph.D
Samantha S. Tolliver, Ph.D., is the Chief Toxicologist at the Washington, DC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (DC OCME). She was previously employed as the Deputy Chief Toxicologist at the DC OCME and has been employed there since 2014.
Her fifteen years of toxicology experience include postmortem, driving under the influence, drug facilitated crime, pre/post exposure and work place drug testing. Her testimony experience encompasses both civil (family law) and criminal, within the States of Texas and Massachusetts, as well as the District of Columbia.
Dr. Tolliver holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry from West Virginia State University. She earned both her Master of Science in Forensic Science, as well as a Doctorate in Chemistry from Florida International University.
She is certified in toxicology from the National Registry of Certified Chemists. Dr. Tolliver has made scientific presentations at the Drug & Alcohol Testing Industry Association, the American Academy of Forensic Scientists and the Society of Forensic Toxicologists (SOFT). Dr. Tolliver is an active member of SOFT and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.