Mixture Interpretation Validation, and Protocol Development and Verification
This webinar is Part 2 of the three-part series Biology/DNA Standards and Best Practices Developed by OSAC & ASB. This webinar covers:
- ANSI/ASB Standard 020, Standard for Validation Studies of DNA Mixtures, and Development and Verification of a Laboratory’s Mixture Interpretation Protocol, First Edition, 2018
- ANSI/ASB Standard 040, Standard for Forensic DNA Interpretation and Comparison Protocols, First Edition, 2019
- How the Indiana State Police Laboratory system implemented these two standards
Summary
Biology/DNA Standards and Best Practices Developed by OSAC & ASB Three-Part Webinar Series
This series of webinars is designed to educate the forensic and criminal justice community on new/emerging standards and best practice recommendations applicable to forensic biology and DNA testing laboratories. The series will provide detailed information regarding the development of the documents aimed at promoting best laboratory practices and high-quality testing. In addition, we will discuss new standards currently available in the field for use and implementation in crime laboratories around the world. Finally, we will cover standards and best practices currently under development, and how members of the community can participate in the development and promulgation of future documents.
Series Presenter Overview
Since their first meeting five years ago, the Biological Methods and the Biological Data Interpretation and Reporting Subcommittees of the Biology/DNA Scientific Area Committee (SAC) of the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) for Forensic Science have been writing many standards and best practices documents relevant to forensic Biology and DNA testing laboratories. Upon completion of the initial OSAC drafting process, these documents then moved to the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) Academy Standards Board (ASB), a standards development organization created in 2015 and accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
Other Webinars in this Series
- Part 1: Development and Publication of New Standards and Best Practices – The Process
- Part 3: Training Standards Overview
Part 2 - Mixture Interpretation Validation, and Protocol Development and Verification
The second webinar in this series discusses two published standards that pertain to the interpretation and comparison of DNA profiles, with an emphasis on DNA mixture interpretation.
Speakers
Charlotte Word, PhD
Member of the OSAC Biological Data Interpretation and Reporting Subcommittee and the ASB DNA Consensus Board
Charlotte Word is currently a consultant in Human DNA Identification testing. She joined Cellmark Diagnostics in Germantown, MD in 1990 and over the 15 years she worked there performed technical reviews on many 1000’s of cases, consulted with attorneys, participated in validation studies, and testified in many court cases and admissibility hearings. She was a member of the Post-Conviction Issues Working Group of the National Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence and the Reporting and Testimony Subcommittee of the National Commission on Forensic Science. She is on the editorial board of The Journal of Forensic Sciences and a guest reviewer for Forensic Science International: Genetics. Dr. Word’s main focus throughout her career has been on mixture interpretation, best practices and neutral expert witness testimony and has given numerous talks and workshops on these topics. She is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the Biological Data Reporting and Interpretation Subcommittee of OSAC and the AAFS Standards Board (ASB) DNA Consensus Body.
Dr. Word received her B.S. in Biology from the College of William and Mary in Virginia and her Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. She did postdoctoral research at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, TX and was a faculty member at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine prior to joining Cellmark Diagnostics.
Joanna Johnson
Forensic Biology Supervisor and Alternate Technical Leader
Indiana State Police
Joanna Johnson is a Forensic Biology Supervisor and Alternate Technical Leader for the Indiana State Police Laboratory. She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Chemistry from Manchester College and Master of Science degree in Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology from Purdue University. She has been a biologist with the ISP for 17 years and a supervisor for 13 of those years. At the ISP laboratory, she has been the Team Leader for projects including updating mixture interpretation and statistics protocols and implementation of STRmix™.