T&T Medical Association
Dear Colleagues,
The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (Dept of PALM) of the University of Ottawa is pleased to announce that the 6th Caribbean Medicolegal and Forensic Symposium, will be held as an in-person event at the Hilton Hotel and Conference Centre, Port of Spain, Republic of Trinidad and Tobago on November 18 and 19, 2022, on the theme “Courtroom Examination of Bodies of Evidence: Trials and Errors.” Registration is now open.
This year’s symposium reflects the sustained growth of a medicolegal movement (the Caribbean Medicolegal Society) which had started in St Vincent and the Grenadines in 2016 and has been nurtured by the supportive collaborative efforts of the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Medical and Bar Associations.
The last in-person instalment of this symposium was held in Rodney Bay, St Lucia in November 2019 as a collaborative effort between the St Lucia Forensic Sciences Services and the uOttawa Department of PALM. The 2020 instalment had been envisaged to be in-person event in Trinidad and Tobago but was eventually converted to a very successful, online event because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, no symposium was held in 2021.
The content of the 2022 programme will focus on the necessity of having qualified practitioners in all fields of medicolegal death investigation who adhere to international standards of practice which are maintained by protective quality assurance measures that will ensure the entry of only high-quality end-product evidence into the criminal justice system to prevent miscarriages of justice.
Presentations will be delivered by an eclectic mixture of respected local, regional and international faculty of practitioners from the fields of medicolegal death investigation, forensic science and the judicial system.
Speakers who are carded to present at this two-day event include but are not limited to:
- Dr Michael Pollanen, Chief Forensic Pathologist of the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service,
- Dr Kenneth Obenson, Chief Forensic Pathologist, New Brunswick,
- Dr Roger Mitchell, former Chief Medical Examiner of Washington DC and current Chair of the Department of Pathology, Howard University College of Medicine;
- Dr Gary Collins, Chief Medical Examiner, State of Delaware, USA;
- Dr Sasha Breland, Deputy Chief Medical Examiner – Washington, DC
- Dr Jan Gorniak, Forensic Pathologist, Clark County, Nevada and former Chief ME of Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office, Atlanta.
- Dr Catherine Morris, Forensic and Cardiovascular Pathologist, University of Michigan
- Sgt Tony Gabrielli, Crime Scene Examiner – Ontario Provincial Police, Ontario, Canada
- Dr Rhonda Hutson, Emergency Medicine Physician and Sexual Assault Examiner
- Mr Gian Cho, Director – Belize National Forensic Science Service
- Ms Fernanda Henry, Director – Saint Lucia Forensic Science Laboratory
- Ms Joy Quinlan, Forensic DNA Analyst, Saint Lucia Forensic Science Laboratory
- Ms Sophia Chote, Senior Counsel – President of the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago;
- Ms Tricia Hudlin, Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Trinidad and Tobago;
- Ms Hasine Shaikh, Director – Public Defender’s Department of Trinidad and Tobago
- Mrs Delicia Helwig-Robertson, Public Defender’s Department of Trinidad and Tobago
- Ms Naline Singh, Magistrate/Coroner, Trinidad and Tobago
- Ms Sejilla McDowall, Director of Public Prosecutions – St Vincent and the Grenadines National Prosecution Service;
- Ms Rene Baptiste CMG, President of the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Bar Association.
- Ms Theresa Hadad, Attorney at Law, Athena Chambers, Trinidad and Tobago
- Dr Marie-Joanna Francis, Senior Medical Officer, Trinidad and Tobago Police Service
- Dr Natalie Dick, Consultant Pediatrician and Board Member – Children’s Authority of Trinidad and Tobago
- Ms Camille Grant, Forensic DNA Analyst, Trinidad and Tobago Forensic Science Centre
The keynote presentation will be delivered by Dr Michael Pollanen, Chief Forensic Pathologist of the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service on “Making the Case for Quality Medicolegal Death Investigation in any Jurisdiction: The Inquiry into Pediatric Forensic Pathology in Ontario.”
The final programme will be shared once additional invited speakers are confirmed.
Details of the event, registration and hotel room blocks can be reviewed on the event webpage – https://med.uottawa.ca/pathology/news/6th-caribbean-medicolegal-and-forensic-symposium.
Please see the flyer below that includes a hyperlink to this webpage. It will be appreciated if you can kindly forward this email to your network and disseminate the event flyer.
Registration is now open. Please note the deadline dates for Early Bird, Regular and Late Registration. Since only a maximum of 200 registrants will be allowed, you are kindly advised to register as soon as possible to ensure a spot.
With murders and other violent crimes being a central issue for the people of Trinidad and Tobago, the importance and relevance of this symposium being held in Trinidad and Tobago cannot be overstated.
We look forward to hosting you in Trinidad and Tobago.
Dr Alfredo E Walker MB.BS, FRCPath, DMJ (Path), MFFLM, MCSFS, Dip Teach Train.
Forensic Pathologist/Coroner – Eastern Ontario Regional Forensic Pathology Unit
Director of Education and Vice Chair – Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine,
Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Eastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association (EORLA)
The Ottawa Hospital General Campus
501 Smyth Road
Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8L6
Canada.
