This 2-hour webinar, presented by Curt E. Harper, Ph.D., F-ABFT, Chief Toxicologist & Implied Consent Technical Director, Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, and Jason Kokoszka, Ph.D., ABC-MB, Forensic Biology Discipline Chief, Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, provides a comprehensive overview of drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) investigations, integrating both forensic toxicology and forensic biology evidence.

Designed for sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs), law enforcement, forensic scientists, and prosecutors, the training highlights the scientific principles, investigative considerations, and evidentiary best practices associated with DFSA cases.

Dr. Curt E. Harper has over 18 years of experience as a forensic toxicologist. He serves as Chief Toxicologist and Implied Consent Technical Director for the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences (ADFS). In this role, he oversees technical operations, method development and validation, and the quality assurance/quality control program. He manages laboratory productivity, serves as training coordinator, and develops and maintains standard operating procedures. Dr. Harper holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Toxicology and a Master of Science in Forensic Science from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Prior to his current role, he served as Toxicology Supervisor with the Virginia Department of Forensic Science.

Dr. Harper is board certified as a Fellow of the American Board of Forensic Toxicology (F-ABFT) and has served in multiple leadership roles, including Past Chair of the SOFT/AAFS Oral Fluid Committee and the SOFT/AAFS Drugs and Driving Committee, as well as Past President of the International Association for Chemical Testing (IACT) and the Alabama State Association of Forensic Sciences (ASAFS). He is a member of the National Safety Council's Alcohol, Drugs, and Impairment Division (NSC-ADID) and serves as faculty for the Borkenstein Alcohol Course at Indiana University. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Oklahoma State University.

His professional interests include expert witness testimony, oral fluid drug testing, DFSA, DUID testing and interpretation, and automation/robotics. Dr. Harper has been instrumental in the development of Alabama's comprehensive DUID oral fluid drug testing program. As a certified Drug Recognition Expert since 2015 and Alabama Peace Officer, he has testified in over 325 criminal and civil cases in Alabama and Virginia involving the effects of alcohol and other drugs.

Dr. Jason Kokoszka has been employed with the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences since 2005, initially serving as the Forensic Biology Section Chief in the Mobile Regional Laboratory. In 2017, he was appointed Forensic Biology Discipline Chief, and his responsibilities include overseeing casework and databank activities statewide, as well as the technical operations, training program, and quality assurance program within Forensic Biology.

Dr. Kokoszka holds a Bachelor's degree in Biology from Lehigh University and a Master's degree in Forensic Sciences from George Washington University. He earned his Ph.D. in Genetics and Molecular Biology from Emory University, where his graduate work spanned population genetics, biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology. Following graduate school, he worked at Orchid Cellmark, a private forensic DNA testing company, for approximately three years prior to joining ADFS in 2005.

The toxicology portion focuses on drug classes commonly encountered in DFSA, pharmacological effects (e.g., sedation, amnesia, and impairment), specimen collection timing, and best practices for submission and interpretation of results. Case examples will illustrate real-world findings and common pitfalls.

The Forensic Biology component will address evidence collection, preservation, and interpretation strategies in sexual assault cases, emphasizing coordination between medical, investigative, and laboratory personnel.

A dedicated question-and-answer session will be held at the conclusion of the webinar to address participant questions.

For more information, please contact Curt Harper, PhD at curt.harper@adfs.alabama.gov or Barbara Wright at bwright@ua.edu.

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This course contains no sessions.