In 2024, the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Network of Public Health Institutes (NNPHI) offered a webinar series entitled, “The Role of Comprehensive Medicolegal Death Investigation as part of a Public Health Improvement Strategy”. A recording of each session is available here.
This twelve-part series is now complete and access to recordings is available. The sessions feature presentations from forensic pathology, forensic toxicology, and medical toxicology experts; followed by panel discussions and interactive Q&A sessions on emerging topics and challenges in drug toxicity in death in today’s challenging illicit drug environment. The series involves a multitude of topics relating to drug and substance poisoning deaths that pose complexities and challenges in ensuring collection of accurate drug death certification data. Attendees will also gain an understanding of how forensic pathologists use autopsy findings and other evidence to determine the cause and manner of death in drug-related cases.
Each webinar explores the challenges and limitations of drug death certification, including issues related to the interpretation of toxicological results, the identification of drug-related deaths, and the potential for false-positive or false-negative results. The series also explores the emerging topics in drug death certification, such as the use of new psychoactive substances and the impact of the opioid epidemic on drug death rates.
The content, expert presenters, and presentation dates for the series include:
Webinar 1 – The Intersection of Forensic Pathology and Public Health: Improving Outcomes with Applied Forensic Epidemiology
PRESENTERS:
- Abigail Grande, Western Michigan University Homer Stryeker M.D. School of Medicine, Michigan
- Dr. Sarah Lathrop, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, New Mexico
- Megan Broekemeier, Utah Office of the Medical Examiner, Utah
- Dr. Michael Staley, Utah Office of the Medical Examiner, Utah
Webinar 2 – Fentanyl, Opioid and Polydrug Deaths in Infants and Children
PRESENTERS:
- Dr. Robert Middleberg, Forensic Toxicologist at NMS Labs in Horsham, Pennsylvania
- Dr. Katrina Monday, Onondaga County Medical Examiner’s Office, New York
- Dr. Julie Gaither, Yale School of Medicine, Connecticut
Webinar 3 – The Forensic Autopsy as the Practice of Medicine – The Public Health Value of Comprehensive Medicolegal Death Investigation
PRESENTERS:
- Dr. Deland Weyrauch, Montana State Medical Examiner’s Office, Montana
- Dr. Reade Quinton, Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner’s Office and the Mayo Clinic, Minnesota
- Dr. John Walsh, Armed Forces Military Examiner System, USA
Webinar 4 – NPS Discovery Updates and Trend Reports for Emerging Drugs in 2024
PRESENTERS:
- Dr. Alex Krotulski, Center for Forensic Science Research and Education in Horsham, Pennsylvania
- Dr. Lorenzo Gitto, Cook County Medical Examiners Office, Illinois
- Donna Papsun, NMS Labs in Horsham, Pennsylvania
Webinar 5 – Veterinary Drugs and other Toxic Adulterants in the US Drug Supply
PRESENTERS:
- Dr. Ed Sisco, National Institute Standards and Technology, Maryland
- Dr. Lewis Nelson, Rutgers University School of Medicine in Camden, New Jersey
- Dr. Barry Logan, Forensic Toxicologist and Executive Director of the CFSRE, Pennsylvania
Webinar 6 – The ToxIC Registry and Initiatives in the Medical Toxicology Community to Understand Issues in Drug Overdose, Morbidity, and Mortality
PRESENTERS:
- Dr. Alex Manini, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York
- Dr. Kim Aldy, American College of Medical Toxicology, Arizona
- Sarah Walton, Center for Forensic Science Research and Education in Horsham, Pennsylvania
Webinar 7 – The Value of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs in the United States, with Discussion of Access and Utility Challenges for Medicolegal Death Investigators
PRESENTERS:
- Dr. Wes Sargent, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Georgia
- Erin Worrell, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Denver, Colorado
- Dr. Kimberly Molina, Cheif Medical Examiner in Bexar County, Texas
Webinar 8 – Best Practices in Certification of Drug-Caused and Drug-Related Deaths: Drugs on Contributory Causes or Incidental Findings?
PRESENTERS:
- Dr. Laura Labay, NMS Labs in Horsham, Pennsylvania
- Dr. Jim Gill, Chief Medical Examiner for the State of Connecticut
- Dr. Greg Davis, Chief Medical Examiner for Jefferson County, Alabama
Webinar 9 – SUDORS: Using Data from the Medicolegal Death Investigation Community to Inform Drug Overdose Prevention and Response
PRESENTERS:
- Amanda Dinwiddie, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Georgia
- Alyssa Planas, Department of Health and Human Services, Nevada
- Matthew Kappel, Southern Nevada Health District, Nevada
Webinar 10 – Components of Counterfeit Pills: Death Investigation, Toxicology Report, Autopsy Suite to Preventative Public Health Responses
PRESENTERS:
- Dr. Julie O’Donnell, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Georgia
- Dr. Michelle Aurelius, Chief Medical Examiner for the State of North Carolina
- Laura Friederich, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, North Carolina
- Sarah Shuda, Center for Forensic Science Research and Education in Horsham, Pennsylvania
Webinar 11 – Challenges in Investigation of Drug-Related Deaths in Small / Rural Jurisdictions
PRESENTERS:
- Dr. Tom Gilson, Chief Medical Examiner of Cuyahoga County, Ohio
- Dr. John Lucas, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner San Diego, California
- Dan Anderson, NMS Labs in Horsham, Pennsylvania
- Dr. Jennie Duval, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, New Hampshire
Webinar 12 – Poison Centers and NPDS: Safeguarding Public Health with Data and Expertise
PRESENTERS:
- Dr. Jeanna Marraffa, Upstate New York Poison Center, New York
- Dr. Michael Yeh, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Georgia
- Dr. Alvin Bronstein, Hawaii Department of Health, Hawaii