As part of TIAFT’s ongoing commitment to promoting education and capacity building in forensic toxicology worldwide, we are seeking members willing to contribute as trainers to support colleagues in developing regions.
Through the Bryan S. Finkle Visiting Scientist Grant (BFVSG), we recently called for applications from laboratories requiring training. Encouragingly, we received over 30 requests from members around the world, highlighting a significant global need for capacity building in forensic toxicology.
We are now inviting experienced TIAFT members to volunteer as trainers to support this important initiative. Volunteers may:
- Provide hands-on or structured training in key areas of forensic toxicology
- Host trainees within their own laboratories
- Travel (where feasible) to deliver training in the trainee’s home laboratory
Training areas may include, but are not limited to:
- Analytical techniques and instrumentation
- Method development and validation
- Interpretation of toxicological findings
- Quality assurance and laboratory best practices
- Overview of new psychoactive substances (NPS) and their detection
If you are interested in participating as a trainer, please email me at pastpresident@tiaft.org, indicating your preference to host training at your facility or to travel to the trainee’s laboratory. Your contribution will directly support laboratories in resource-limited settings and help strengthen global forensic toxicology capacity.
In the most recent BFVSG round (2025) ,TIAFT members Volker Auwärter (Germany) and Cynthia Côté (Canada) provided training to Duygu Yeşim Ovat (Türkiye) and Paula Fuentes Azócar (Uruguay), respectively. This training has now been completed, and reports will be made available to all members in the next TIAFT Bulletin. Both Volker and Cynthia should be commended for making themselves available for this very important work.
The deadline for expressions of interest is 21 June, 2026.