NCDHHS' Toxicology Laboratory for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) has achieved national re-accreditation from the American Board of Forensic Toxicology (ABFT).
“ABFT accreditation reflects our ongoing commitment to excellence and validates the professionalism, hard work, and expertise that our laboratory team demonstrates on a daily basis.” Michelle Aurelius, MD, Chief Medical Examiner
The Toxicology Laboratory serves all 100 counties of the North Carolina Medical Examiner System by providing forensic analytical testing of tissue and fluid specimens and evidence from medical examiner cases. The laboratory is responsible for analytical testing, records maintenance and review of analytical testing for more than 15,000 medical examiner cases annually.
The staff, which consists of toxicologists, chemists, laboratory technicians and administrative technicians, performs more than 40,000 analytical tests each year.
“It is critical to have this level of accreditation as we present our findings to investigators, courts, and to the citizens we serve including the loved ones left behind.” Michelle Aurelius, MD, Chief Medical Examiner. "Our staff has worked diligently to achieve this important goal, and they are to be commended for their hard work."
Over the course of two days in March, ABFT visited the Toxicology Laboratory for an on-site inspection during which reviewers examined the lab's facilities, policies, procedures, personnel qualifications and performance on proficiency testing for compliance with a comprehensive checklist of quality laboratory standards.
