President's Messages

Published on: 10-09-2018

As I write this, I am on my way home from another wonderful TIAFT Conference. Many thanks go to Sarah Wille, Christophe Stove, and the entire Belgian Team for putting together a magnificent scientific program and exceptional social event. It truly was as promised – “Addictive Days and Toxic Nights”.

Published on: 28-07-2018

It is interesting that one of Belgium’s most famous historical figures was Gerardus Mercator, whose maps eventually became the standard for how we view the world today. So as we find our way to Ghent in the coming weeks, we should give a small thanks to the Belgian-born Gerardus Mercator.

Published on: 16-06-2018

In a famous scene from The Wizard of Oz, Toto reveals the true identity of the "Great and Powerful Oz" as a mild-mannered man pulling on control levers and turning the wheels that operate a grander figure...

Published on: 21-05-2018

Last week, the TIAFT Board of Directors held its Mid-Year Meeting in conjunction with a Regional TIAFT Meeting in Greece. Both meetings were huge successes. But before I share information about these meetings, let me explain this month’s quote...

Published on: 24-04-2018

Believe it or not, we are just a few months from our next annual TIAFT Conference. This year’s meeting will be in Ghent, Belgium and our hosts, Sarah Wille and Christophe Stove, are working very hard to make this another memorable TIAFT experience.

Published on: 22-03-2018

Benjamin Franklin was one of the “Founding Fathers” of the United States and known for his many contributions as a politician, author, scientist, inventor, printer, postmaster, civic activist, and humorist.

Published on: 17-02-2018

I am happy to report that in just a little more than a month after the election of the new TIAFT Board of Directors, we are off to a great start!

Published on: 15-01-2018

What an honor it is to know that this organization and its members have the trust in me to serve as its President for the next three years. I promise to do my very best to represent all of you in a positive manner while in this role.

Published on: 20-12-2017

How lucky I am to write my last message as TIAFT president twice. Yes, this is truly the last one because there won’t be the Hurricane in wintertime and the 5th Joint SOFT-TIAFT meeting and the 55th TIAFT annual meeting is just around the corner. Finally I will pass my presidency to Dr. Marc LeBeau in Boca Raton. Thank you very much for waiting, Marc.

Published on: 04-12-2017

Winter is here in the northern hemisphere, and this means that we are going to meet very soon in Boca Raton. Recently there was the 13th TIAFT Latin American Regional meeting on November 14-17 in Calarca, Colombia and in the past two months, I attended two very interesting meetings in China and Portugal.

Published on: 11-09-2017

It has been a very tough week for all TIAFT and SOFT members due to Hurricane Irma. It was a right decision to postpone the meeting. I thank the SOFT leadership for making a wise and timely decision. Their prompt decision allowed most TIAFT members to cancel their flights and stay safely at home.

Published on: 18-08-2017

It has truly been an honor and privilege for me to serve as the 13th president of TIAFT. I will hand over the presidency to Dr. Marc LeBeau during the joint SOFT-TIAFT meeting next month. I am sure he will be a great president for the association. While writing this message, I am very sad and shocked because we lost our dear friend, Anya Pierce. She was thoughtful and caring and a true a role model for all of us. Her passing is a great loss for TIAFT, and we will miss her. May she rest in peace.

Published on: 23-07-2017

Our 55th meeting in Boca Raton is just two months away, and now it is time to finalize our travel arrangements. We will be having participants coming from all over the world. It's going to be special, and I hope all of you attend.

Published on: 31-05-2017

I have just arrived back in Korea from Romania where we had a delightful TIAFT regional meeting. The meeting was held with the Romanian Congress of Legal Medicine, and there were 230 participants from all over Romania. The organizing committee set the first day as the day of Forensic Toxicology. All board members presented their talks from 9:00 am until 7:00 pm on all different topics of toxicology.

Published on: 04-03-2017

Last week, I was in the US to attend the 69th AAFS meeting in New Orleans. The theme of this year was ‘Our Future Reflects Our Past; the Evolution of Forensic Science.’ Regarding the presentation, there were 36 oral and 30 poster presentations in New psychoactive substances (NPS), drugs and driving, analytical methods, multidisciplinary session, general forensic toxicology and pediatric postmortem toxicology.