Dr. Frederick W. Fochtman has been appointed the new director of the Cyril H. Wecht Institute of Forensic Science and Law at Duquesne University.
“I’m looking forward to continuing the great leadership of the institute,” said Fochtman. “We interact with schools from across the University to offer excellent learning opportunities for students, faculty members, professionals and the public.”
Established at Duquesne in the fall of 2000, the institute collaborates with the University’s schools of law, nursing, natural and environmental sciences, business, pharmacy and liberal arts, as well as with other academic institutions. It offers a professional-certificate program in forensic science and law, and interfaces with Duquesne’s five-year, entry-level Master of Science Forensic Science and Law Program.
The founding director of the master’s degree program in forensic science and law, Fochtman teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses in laboratory quality assurance, forensic drug chemistry, pharmacology and forensic toxicology. He has been a faculty member in Duquesne’s Mylan School of Pharmacy since 1978, and he served as director and chief toxicologist at the Allegheny County Medical Examiners Office for 10 years.
Fochtman holds a B.S. in pharmacy, an M.S. in pharmacology-toxicology and a Ph.D. in pharmaceutical chemistry from Duquesne University. He is a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors, the Society of Forensic Toxicology and the American Academy of Forensics Sciences, for which he serves as a fellow.
A resident of Presto, Fochtman replaces the institute’s founding director, Duquesne Law Professor John Rago, who is focusing on the School of Law’s Innocence Project.
