Investigating and Certifying Drug Caused and Related Deaths: 2026 Updates and Challenges

LIVE Ten-Part Webinar Series

When: 

Wednesday, March 18th, 2026 from 1pm - 3pm ET

The Center for Forensic Science Research and Education (CFSRE), in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Network of Public Health Institute (NNPHI), and the Public Health Institute (PHI), is pleased to announce a new series focusing attention on drug-caused and drug-related deaths in the United States. 

Drug caused and related deaths remain among the most scientifically and operationally complex case types encountered in medicolegal and forensic practice. As the drug landscape continues to evolve, professionals across investigation, toxicology, and forensic pathology face increasing challenges in recognizing, interpreting, and certifying drug involvement in death. This 10-part webinar series brings together Medicolegal Death Investigators, forensic toxicologists, forensic pathologists, and medical examiners for a practical, case-informed exploration of the issues shaping drug death investigation today. Participants may earn FREE CME and CE credits, providing valuable continuing education at no cost.

The series is designed to reflect the inherently collaborative nature of modern medicolegal death investigation. Sessions integrate investigative considerations, toxicological interpretation, and medical certification practices, emphasizing how each discipline contributes to accurate and defensible determinations. Particular attention is given to the investigative foundations that frame laboratory findings and medical conclusions, while reinforcing the critical interpretive and diagnostic roles of toxicology and forensic pathology. This balanced approach ensures relevance for professionals across disciplines while strengthening shared decision-making and collaboration.

Participants will examine persistent and emerging challenges influencing casework in 2026, including polysubstance use, shifting drug supply dynamics, and the continued emergence of novel psychoactive substances and toxic adulterants. Expert-led panel discussions provide practical insight into interpretive complexities, certification dilemmas, and recurring sources of uncertainty encountered in real-world cases. The program highlights not only what is changing, but also the enduring principles that support consistent and scientifically sound practice.

Across all sessions, the central objective is to enhance accuracy, consistency, and professional confidence in the investigation and certification of drug caused and drug related deaths. Attendees are encouraged to engage actively through discussion and partnership within the forensic community, while earning continuing education credits and strengthening the quality and public health value of their work.

The content, expert presenters, and presentation dates for the series include:

Webinar 1 - Drug Overdose and Deaths in 2026: What has Changed and What Hasn't

WHEN: MARCH 18, 2026 FROM 1 PM - 3 PM ET

PRESENTERS:

• Dr. Barry Logan, PhD, F-ABFT - CFSRE President, Horsham, PA
• Dr. Charles Marks, PhD, MPH - Senior Epidemiologist, San Diego, CA
• Dr. Thomas Gilson, MD, - Chief Medical Examiner, Cuyahoga County, Cleveland, OH

Webinar 2 - Updates on Ketamine in 2026 - Clinical and Forensic Perspectives

WHEN: MARCH 31, 2026 FROM 1 PM - 3 PM ET

PRESENTERS:

• Dr. Samuel Wilkinson, MD, - Associate Professor, Medical Director, Yale University, CT
• Dr. Kari Midthun, PhD, F-ABFT - NMS Labs, Horsham, PA
• TBD 

Webinar 3 - Foundations of  Accuracy - Scene Investigation and Autopsy in Suspected Opioid Deaths

WHEN: APRIL 14, 2026 FROM 1 PM - 3 PM ET

PRESENTERS:

• Dr. Greg Davis, MD: Moderator - Chief Medical Examiner, Jefferson County, AL
• Dr. Michelle Rippy, EdD - Department Chair of Criminal Justice, California State University, CA
• Dr. Jerri McLemore, MD - Pathology Professor, Wake Forest University, NC

Webinar 4 - From Specimen Collection to Certification: Best Practices in Postmortem Opioid Toxicology

WHEN: APRIL 28, 2026 FROM 1 PM - 3 PM ET

PRESENTERS:

• Dr. Barry Logan, PhD, F-ABFT: Moderator - CFSRE President, Horsham, PA
• Dr. Robert Kronstrand, PhD - Chief Toxicologist, National Board of Forensic Medicine, Linkoping, Sweden
• Dr. Teresa Gray, PhD - Forensic Toxicology, Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, TX
• TBD

Webinar 5 - Synthetic Mitragynoids: The Proliferation of 7-OH Mitragynine and other Highly Potent Kratom Derived Drugs

WHEN: MAY 12, 2026 FROM 1 PM - 3 PM ET

PRESENTERS:

• Dr. Barry Logan, PhD, F-ABFT: Moderator - CFSRE President, Horsham, PA
• Dr. Alex Krotulski, PhD - Director, NPS Discovery Program, CFSRE, Horsham, PA
• Dr. Oliver Grundmann, PhD - Department of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Florida, FL
• Dr. Kathryn Pinneri, MD - Assistant Chief Medical Examiner, Roanoke, VA

Webinar 6 - Signals in Real Time - Poison Center Surveillance, Opioid and Stimulant Toxicity, and Clinical Forensic Integration

WHEN: MAY 26, 2026 FROM 1 PM - 3 PM ET

PRESENTERS:

• Dr. Barry Logan, PhD, F-ABFT: Moderator - CFSRE President, Horsham, PA
• Dr. David Gummin, MD - Wisconsin Poison Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, WI
• Dr. Kim Aldy, MD - ToxIC Program Director, Baylor University Medical Center, TX
• Dr. Diane Calello - Medical Director, New Jersey Poison Information and Education System, NJ

Webinar 7 - The Complex Interactions of Demand, Supply, and Harm Reduction in the National Decline in Opioid Deaths

WHEN: JUNE 9, 2026 FROM 1 PM - 3 PM ET

PRESENTERS:

• Presenters TBD

Webinar 8 - Delayed Death, Decomposition, and Cause of Death: Challenges in Drug Death Attribution

WHEN: JUNE 23, 2026 FROM 1 PM - 3 PM ET

PRESENTERS:

• Dr. Barry Logan, PhD, F-ABFT: Moderator - CFSRE President, Horsham, PA
• Dr. Laura Labay, PhD, F-ABFT, F-ABCC-TC - Principal Toxicologist, NMS Labs, Horsham, PA 
• Erin Worrell, MS, D-ABMDI - Assistant Supervisor - Investigations Department, Franklin County, OH
• Dr. Jennifer Hammers, DO - Chief Forensic Pathologist, Division Chief of Pathology, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA

Webinar 9 - Emerging & Atypical Substances: Nitazines, Orphines, Xylazine, Novel Sedatives, and What Comes Next?

WHEN: JULY 7, 2026 FROM 1 PM - 3 PM ET

PRESENTERS:

• Dr. Alex Krotulski, PhD - Director, NPS Discovery Program, CFSRE, Horsham, PA
• Dr. Michelle Madden Felicella, MD - University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX
• Dr. Demi Garvin, B.S., Parm.D., R.Ph., F-ABFT - Director of Forensic Science Services, Little Mountain, SC

Webinar 10 - The Future of Drug Death Investigation: Systems, Science, and Sustainability: 2036

WHEN: JULY 21, 2026 FROM 1 PM - 3 PM ET

PRESENTERS:

• MJ Menendez, JD: Moderator - Executive Director, CFSRE, Horsham, PA
• Dr. Julie O'Donnell, PhD - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, GA
• Presenters TBD

*The webinar series content has been reviewed by the ABFT and ABC, and determined to be acceptable for submission to the ABFT or ABC for continuing education credit.  

*The following statements apply to all live/virtual sessions*

This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of Penn State College of Medicine and The Center for Forensic Science, Research, and Education. Penn State College of Medicine is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Penn State College of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)^TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This [project/program/website/conference, etc.] is supported by the Public Health Institute and the National Network of Public Health Institutes under cooperative agreement FAIN: NU38PW000031. Funding for this conference was made possible (in part) by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does the mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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