News

Here is a link to our meeting schedule for next week.  Our meeting hosts have put together a great program! We look forward to seeing you all there!

2023 SAT Meeting Shreveport

Several have asked about providing documentation of the OKC meeting last year for ABFT purposes.  There are two .csv files that Guidebook will auto-generate describing our program.  It is not very impressive.  Nonetheless I am providing links to those files here.

SAT_OKC_2022_schedule_export.csv

SAT_OKC_2022_Speakers_export.csv

This is certainly a drawback to the exclusive use of electronic media for the meeting guide. At this point we are planning on using Guidebook again for the Shreveport meeting, but I am certainly open to discussion about alternative solutions, including a return to paper format.

Look forward to seeing everyone next month!

-M

Please read the OSAC guidelines for alcohol calculations.  This version will be released by ASB for public comment soon, so please submit any comments you may have when it is released.  

Click the following link to review the guidelines. 

OSAC 2020-Guidelines for Performing Alcohol Calculations.pdf

The next SAT Conference will be held in Georgetown, Texas on November 10-12, 2021. Dana Baxter and Sheryl Peyton are both Forensic Scientists with the Texas Department of Public Safety in Austin Texas and they are inviting you to submit your abstracts for papers and presentations to them for consideration. Help us fill up this meeting with reports of regional toxicology trends from your lab’s location. Do you see a lot of PCP, Xanax, or other designer Benzos, Methamphetamine, THC, Cocaine, Heroin, or prescription drugs in your driving cases? Let’s compare and share! Do you have a case study or two you would like to present regarding post-mortem toxicology findings and homicides, suicides, or accidental deaths? Perhaps you have some groundbreaking research on a new analytical technique that you developed for your lab and that you are ready to present.  Are you providing regulatory testing for racehorses or dog racing? Tell us about it!  Or maybe you can contribute to a panel discussion on alcohol and toxicology testimony for driving cases, sexual assaults, or homicides.  This is your chance to send us your proposals and turn this meeting into a valuable experience for communicating shared experiences in our SAT community!

Please email abstracts to: Sheryl.peyton@dps.texas.gov and dana.baxter@dps.texas.gov

or use our online form (added 9/11/21)

Information on the MATT 2021 virtual meeting has been added above.  If you are interested in registering and/or presenting, please check it out via the links provided. 

Upcoming news on our annual SAT meeting will be coming SOON! 

The 2020 Online Forensic Symposium will be June 8-12th, 2020.  Some of the details are as follows: 

• The Symposium is now a series of weeklong events:  Forensic Toxicology (week of June 8^th), Trace Analysis (week of July 27^th) & Seized Drugs (week of October 26^th)
• The Scientific program each week was established by Program Chairs from the community.  The program for Forensic Toxicology (attached) was set by Simon Elliott & Nik Lemos (bios located here if you are not familiar with their work: (https://www.forensicscienceeducation.org/forensic-education/courses-and-workshops/online-toxicology-symposium/)
• The event will be hosted by the Center for Forensic Science, Research & Education (CFSRE). This will enhance overall ease of use and symposium registration.
• This year’s event has been officially endorsed by the Netherlands Forensic Institute (NFI) stating that “the NFI considers this initiative an excellent opportunity to increase the forensic capability in sister organizations worldwide and fully supports this initiative”.

And of course certain things will never change

• Invited speakers are internationally known experts in their field – this year representing 7 countries across 3 continents
• The hour long invited presentations are scientific, non-commercial and vendor neutral.  The shorter (15 min) sponsored talks are clearly denoted as such.
• A 30min panel discussion concludes each day to allow for direct interaction with each day’s invited speakers
• The ABFT has reviewed the material and deemed it appropriate for submission for CE credits
• A weeklong poster session highlights submissions from those that would like to present their work but who were not selected as part of the oral program (there is still an open call for posters on the symposium website www.forensicsymposium.org if any of your members would like to make a scientific contribution).
• The event is recorded for on-demand viewing should time zone differences or schedules present a conflict and the Symposium proceedings will be published in an e-book at the conclusion of the week

 Online-Tox-Symposium-Schedule 4_6_20.pdf

Greetings Members, Vendors, Speakers, and Presenters,

The SAT & MATT boards and meeting hosts have been working hard behind the scenes to address the COVID-19 issues that we are all facing.  Considering the current status of various agencies, and vendors with travel restrictions, and the newest CDC recommendation of no gatherings of 50 people or more, the boards of each organization have decided to cancel our upcoming joint meeting in Kansas City.  

Our hope is that the cancellation notification will allow people the time needed to cancel hotel and air reservations, and allow agency managers to use these budgeted training funds towards a future meeting or class.  

The Boards will still need a bit more time to sort out some of the details.  The Sunshine-Wong and Garriott travel awards will be discussed. Information about refunds for people who have registered for the Kansas City meeting through Eventbrite will be sent out soon.  We ask people to be patient while we work through their questions. 

We regret to have to cancel our first chance to meet with our neighboring regional Associations and we thank each of our host representatives for all the hard work that they have done in preparing for this meeting.  Our hope is that we will get a chance to meet together in the future. 

SAT President, Aria McCall &
MATT President, Jennifer Hobbs

CALL FOR SPEAKERS

We are currently developing the scientific program for the 2020 Joint Conference of the Midwest Association for Toxicology and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (MATT) and the Southwest Association of Toxicologists(SAT)in Kansas City and want your input and ideas!

All topics will be considered. If you have information to share regarding historical drugs of abuse, novel psychoactive substances, case reports, development/validation of analytical methods, running a cost effective laboratory, managing scientific staff, and/or instrumentation in the 21st century, please submit your proposals. 

Please encourage your fellow laboratory technologists, technicians, and scientists working in the discipline of toxicology, or students working on a BS, MS, or PhD in a related field, to submit a presentation and apply for the Sunshine Wong Travel Award by February 28th, 2020. The winner will receive a $1000 award to put toward travel, lodging, and meeting registration for 2020 Conference as well as a one-year membership to MATT! Contact us for more information. We look forward to seeing you in Kansas City!