T&T Medical Association
Re: 6th Caribbean Medicolegal and Forensic Science Symposium
“Courtroom Examination of Bodies of Evidence: Trials and Errors“
Kindly permit me to introduce myself. I am Dr Alfredo Walker, a Trinidadian-born forensic pathologist who is based in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PALM) of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa (uOttawa) and a registered category A (forensic) pathologist of the Ontario Forensic Pathology Services. I was the recipient of the Hummingbird Gold Medal Gold in the field of Medicine (Forensic Pathology) for “loyal and dedicated service to Trinidad and Tobago” in the recent 2022 National Awards Ceremony.
Within the academic hierarchy of the uOttawa’s Department of PALM, I am both a Vice Chair and Director of Education with primary responsibility for all intra-departmental academic and educational activities. In this regard, I have organized the annual schedule of presentations for our fortnightly intra-departmental continuing medical education activity (PALM Grands Rounds), conceptualized, planned, and executed annual uOttawa conferences in forensic/pediatric pathology and laboratory medicine and various international conferences and symposia.
Against this backdrop, it is my pleasure to announce that the above-named 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. Please refer to the event webpage for further details – https://med.uottawa.ca/pathology/news/6th-caribbean-medicolegal-and-forensic-symposium.
The 2019 CMFS was held in Rodney Bay, St Lucia as the collaborative venture of the St Lucia Forensic Sciences Services and the uOttawa Department of PALM. The 2019 CMFS was the last in-person iteration of this symposium prior to the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Please see the attached 2019 symposium booklet for your perusal. The 2020 event was envisaged to be in-person event in Trinidad and Tobago but was eventually converted to a very successful, TT-centric, online event because of the pandemic. Unfortunately, no symposium (virtual or in-person) was held in 2021.
The 2022 CMFS reflects the progressive growth of a medicolegal movement which had started in St Vincent and the Grenadines in 2016, following the planting of a “quest for knowledge” seed by Justice Kathy Ann Waterman-Latchoo, then an SVG-based member of the judiciary (criminal division) of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court circuit. The planted seed was nurtured and supported by collaborative efforts of the SVG Medical and Bar Associations, with facilitation of the academic content of the symposia by me. The previous events can be reviewed at https://med.uottawa.ca/pathology/?p=5.
The content of the 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-products into the criminal justice system so that miscarriages of justice do not occur.
A cohort of local, regional, and international professionals and experts will deliver oral presentations. Please refer to the attached symposium programme for the full list of speakers and their presentations. I would like to draw you attention to the range of high calibre legal and judicial speakers from Trinidad and Tobago on the programme.
With murders and other violent crimes being a central societal issue for the people of Trinidad and Tobago, the importance and relevance of this symposium being held in Trinidad and Tobago cannot be overstated, regard to establishing a better appreciation of the role that a quality forensic service plays in the delivery of justice.
The cost of putting on this event for 200 participants at the Hilton Hotel and Conference Centre is US$29,331 (please see attached Proforma Invoice from the Hilton Hotel in this regard). Therefore, it is necessary to seek sponsorship from corporate bodies, allied professional organizations who can be potential affiliate partners and local, regional, and international donor agencies to assist in defraying the associated expenses to make the registration fee affordable for professionals and to provide complimentary registration for undergraduate and postgraduate students in medicine, science and law. In this regard, I am kindly reaching out to PLNL to humbly request any level of financial assistance that can be provided for the event.
The provision of sponsorship will be associated with certain defined levels of recognition of the sponsoring organization in all matters related to the symposium, that can include Official Affiliate Partner Organization status. Please feel free to connect with me (email aewalker@eorla.ca; phone 1 613 737 8899 ext. 75279 or videoconference call) to discuss further if needed. My Administrative Assistants for the symposium, Sheila Schnupp (sschnupp@uottawa.ca) and Rachael Armstrong (racarmstrong@eorla.ca) are also available in this regard. Kindly review the attached Sponsor and Exhibitor Prospectus for full details.
For administrative reasons, it would be appreciated if you can respond to this request as soon as possible so that the appropriate measures can be implemented to ensure clearance of the invoice in tranche payments prior to November 18, 2022, as agreed with the host hotel. Also, it would also be appreciated if you could kindly circulate the attached event flyer and symposium programme to the membership of your organization for their awareness.
Thank you in advance for your kind consideration.
Sincerely,
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 MedicineEastern Ontario Regional Laboratory Association (EORLA)The Ottawa Hospital General Campus
501 Smyth Road
Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8L6
Canada.Email: aewalker@eorla.ca
