PHOENIX -- March 28, -- Noted forensic experts in a number of disciplines will share their knowledge about the medico-legal process at the first-ever Forensic Focus , to be held June 17-20 at the Millennium Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz.
As society copes with threats of violence and bioterrorism, and as new DNA-backlog and forensic funding legislation makes its way through Congress and as the applications of forensic science infiltrate science, law, healthcare and industry, the need for well-trained forensic professionals is at a premium. And as government and the private sector respond to the mandate for forensic nurses in clinical settings, these nurses will continue to need specialized training in the identification, collection, preservation and documentation of evidence.
The speaker schedule, subject to change, currently includes Michael Baden, MD, co-director for the Medicolegal Investigative Unit of the New York State Police and former chief medical examiner of New York City; Charles Wetli, MD, chief medical examiner for Suffolk County, N.Y.; Mary H. Dudley, MD, chief medical examiner for Sedgwick County, Kan.; Barry Fisher, crime laboratory director for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department; and former psychiatric nurse and FBI agent Candice DeLong, who will deliver the keynote address. Also sharing their experiences will be forensic nurses Nancy Cabelus, MSN, RN, DABFN; Tascha Boychuk-Spears, PhD, RN; Sharon Crowley, RN, MN; and Diana Faugno, RN, BSN, CPN, FAAFS.
Forensic Focus offers a dynamic slate of presentations, including pre-conference workshops on courtroom testimony for the medical professional; evidence collection, preservation and documentation; forensic photography; and a special case study on quadruple homicide. Plenary and concurrent sessions will be presented by more than 20 forensic science experts, forensic nurses, FBI agents and civil and military professionals on topics ranging from the role of forensic nurses in forensic medical investigations, to practical applications for clinical forensic medicine in the ER. Nursing continuing education units (CEUs), provided through the Forensic Focus conference, are pending approval by the Arizona Nurses Association.
Forensic Focus also will offer book signings, vendor presentations, a gala dinner and special Career Day sessions for students and nurses wanting to enter the exciting and fast-growing field of forensic nursing. A highlight of the event will be the presentation of a special lifetime achievement award to noted author, clinician and retired USAF Col. Janet M. Barber Duval, MS, RN, FAAFS, in recognition of her leadership, vision and innumerable contributions to the discipline of forensic nursing.
"Forensic nursing is an idea whose time has come," says Baden, who also is a member of the editorial advisory board of forensic nurse magazine, the country's first journal dedicated exclusively to serving the needs of forensic nurses of all specialties. Forensic nursing was recognized as a discipline by the American Nurses Association in and is one of the fastest-growing nursing specialties in the country.
Forensic Focus is sponsored by the Health and Nutrition Division of Phoenix-based Virgo Publishing Inc., publisher of forensic nurse magazine. For more information about this unique, industry-defining publication, log on to forensicnursemag.com. For more details about Forensic Focus , log on to www.forensicfocus.net.
