The CLIA and CAP-accredited UAB Forensic Toxicology Laboratory (FTL) was first established in 1992 under the leadership of Dr. C.A. Robinson. In 2022, FTL directorship was passed to Dr. Karen S. Scott. Today it provides testing to both hospital and private medical examiner’s offices as well as to the Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner’s Office (JCCMEO). The medical examiner’s offices have jurisdiction over unnatural deaths, gunshot victims, drug overdoses, unidentified remains, accidental deaths, vehicle accidents, and persons who do not have a physician to sign the death certificate. Annual reports are compiled by JCCMEO at the end of every year, highlighting the statistics of assumed cases. UAB’s FTL offers a substantial contribution to the medical’s examiner’s determination of cause of death.
The FTL offers a series of screening and confirmation testing. A volatiles panel including methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, and acetone is conducted in the lab. A ten-panel drugs of abuse screen using immunosorbent assay is also performed, which is subsequently confirmed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Hospital antemortem samples and postmortem samples from the medical examiners are evaluated with a validated, reproducible FTL workflow in a timely manner, offering an exceptional service to UAB and Jefferson county.
Additionally, the FTL provides the opportunity for research or internships. UAB offers a Forensic Science Master’s program, in which eligible students have the chance to conduct research under the guidance of FTL faculty and lab staff. Dr. Scott has a research laboratory in the Ryals Public Health Building, where students can carry out independent research towards their Master’s degree. The FTL also engages with interns from various UAB programs, including the MSFS program, Race4Path, and other natural science programs across UAB’s campus. Please inquire to forensictox@uabmc.edu if interested in our internship opportunities.
