Nancy Toffolo, M.S.
Academic Qualifications: Nancy Toffolo received her B.S. in Animal Sciences from the University of Florida in 1996. After working in research for a Life-Sciences mission for NASA, as well as for a private genomics company, she moved to the University of Florida Racing Laboratory where she worked as a Senior Chemist and Scientific Research Manager. During this time, she started her M.S. in Forensic Toxicology, which she completed in 2005. Nancy worked as a teaching assistant for the Forensic Science Program before moving into a Lecturer position in 2009 and in 2016 she was promoted to Senior Lecturer. Nancy is currently the Director of the Forensic Science Online Graduate program and is an Instructional Associate Professor.
Joe Pasternak, M.S.
Academic Qualifications: Joe Pasternak received his B.S. in Biology from the Arizona State University in 2000. Joe got his start as a forensic serologist at the Phoenix Police Department Crime Laboratory where he worked for 3 ½ years. At the Montana Forensic Science Division he has performed forensic DNA Analysis for the past 16 years. In 2007 he started his M.S. in Forensic Science, which he completed in 2009. In 2013, he advanced to the position of DNA Supervisor / DNA Technical Leader and continues in this role. He has served as a Lead and Technical DNA Laboratory Assessor for the National Science Technology Center (NFSTC), participated in analysis of mitochondrial DNA for the identification of victims of the World Trade Center disaster, and presented to the scientific community on matters of current trends in forensic DNA analysis. Joe worked as a teaching assistant for the Forensic Science Program for 7 years before moving into an Instructional Assistant Professor position for the Distance Education Programs in Forensic Science in 2022.
Tate Yeatman, M.S.
Academic Qualifications: Tate Yeatman earned a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Central Florida in 1994 and a M.S. in Veterinary Medical Sciences with a concentration in Forensic Toxicology from the University of Florida in 2003. He is a Fellow of the American Board of Forensic Toxicologists and a Diplomate of the American Board of Criminalistics in the discipline of drug chemistry. He is also a certified technical assessor for the ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) in the disciplines of toxicology and controlled substances. He has over 25 years of experience in forensic toxicology and 13 years of experience in Forensic Drug Chemistry and has testified as an expert in Forensic Toxicology and Forensic Drug Chemistry in over 200 DUI trials throughout Florida. He has worked as a teaching assistant and instructor for the Distance Education Programs since 2003. In 2022, he was promoted to Instructional Assistant Professor.
Oliver Grundmann, Ph.D.
Academic Qualifications: Oliver Grundmann received a bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy and European pharmacist license from the University of Muenster, Germany, in 2004 and started his Ph.D. at the University of Florida shortly thereafter. While continuing his Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences, he worked for the Forensic Science program after graduating with a master’s degree in Forensic Toxicology and minor in Statistics. His research interests include the search for new treatment options from natural products for CNS diseases such as anxiety disorders and depression, as well as structural elucidation and mechanism of action of new drug entities derived from natural products and natural poisons. He also is interested in the implementation and impact of national and international collaborations for curricular development in the natural sciences. Currently, Dr. Grundmann is a Clinical Assistant Professor with the Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy and the Department of Adult and Elderly Nursing, College of Nursing at the University of Florida. He develops and teaches courses for the Distance Education program. In addition, he holds an adjunct assistant professor position with the Pharmaceutical Science department, College of Pharmacy at Midwestern University. Link to faculty website: http://plaza.ufl.edu/grundman/
Chris Lennard, Ph.D.
Academic Qualifications:Professor Lennard has a Bachelor of Science (Honours), a Ph.D. in chemistry (Australian National University), and a Graduate Certificate in Applied Management. His doctoral research was in the area of latent fingermark detection. On completion of his Ph.D., he took up a postdoctoral position within the School of Forensic Science at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, eventually gaining the position of Associate Professor in Criminalistics at this university in 1989. He returned to Australia in 1994 to take up a position with the forensic science section of the Australian Federal Police (AFP), initially as the Coordinator Laboratory Services and then as the Manager Forensic Operations Support. After more than 12 years as an operational forensic scientist with the AFP, Professor Lennard returned to academia in 2006 to take up his current role as Head of Forensic Studies at the University of Canberra (Australia). His research interests include fingermark detection and enhancement techniques, the detection and identification of explosives and explosive residues, the chemical analysis of trace evidence, and the development and evaluation of portable analytical equipment for on-site forensic analyses.
Cortney MacDonald, M.S.
Academic Qualifications: Cortney MacDonald earned her B.S. in Biology from the Pennsylvania State University in 1998 and her M.S. in Forensic DNA and Serology from the University of Florida in 2005. After working briefly for a private Forensic Toxicology Laboratory, she was hired by the New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Sciences in 2001. Cortney was assigned to the Forensic Serology unit until 2017. During her tenure there, she processed physical evidence, testified over 65 times as an expert witness, and assisted in processing crime scenes. In 2017, Cortney was promoted to Supervisor of the Drug Chemistry Unit. In addition to her work as a Forensic Scientist, Cortney worked as a teaching assistant for the University of Florida Online Graduate Program from 2005 to 2022, at which time she was promoted to Instructional Assistant Professor within the department of Medicinal Chemistry in the UF College of Pharmacy.
Christine Schlenker, M.S.
Christine Schlenker earned a B.S. in Forensic Science, a B.S. in Biology, and a Minor in Chemistry from the University of New Haven in 2000. Upon graduation, she worked at The Bode Technology Group in Virginia. There she analyzed various types of DNA samples, as well as processing samples to identify victims of the World Trade Center disaster. She left Bode to start with the New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Sciences in the DNA Laboratory in 2002. As a DNA and Serology analyst, she has testified over 50 times in the state of New Jersey. In 2005 she started her M.S. in Forensic DNA and Serology at the University of Florida which she completed in 2006. She currently participates in validation projects, and analyzes and tech reviews current NJSP cases. She is actively involved in with Cold Case Units and performs case management, sample selection, and subsequent sample processing. Christine worked as a Teaching Assistant for the Spring 2022 semester before being promoted to an Instructional Assistant Professor beginning with the Summer 2022 semester.
David J Harrison, MD, DSc, FRCPath, FRCSEd, FRCPEd, IFCAP
Academic Qualifications: David Harrison is a medical pathologist who has practiced in a variety of areas including forensic, transplantation and molecular pathology. His research interests center around systems medicine, with his main interest in understanding how cells respond to injury. He directs iCAIRD which is one of five UK centres of excellence for AI research in digital diagnostics. He is a senior clinical pathologist in Edinburgh, Scotland, and is also professor of pathology at the University of St Andrews, Scotland’s oldest university (600 years and counting), with visiting professor roles at the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Alex Graham, Ph.D.
Academic Qualifications: Alex Graham has taught on the University of Florida’s Forensic Science Distance Education Programs since 2003. Her first degree was in Natural Sciences (Pathology) and she completed her Ph.D. in molecular genetics, molecular biology and cell biology under the supervision of Professor Harrison. Her practical forensic experience comes from part-time consultancy with The Forensic Institute, a private consultancy firm, and she is a member of the Forensic Science Society. She worked in the University of Edinburgh’s Forensic Medicine section for 12 years, where she was a lecturer in forensic evidence analysis and co-ordinated the educational activities of the forensic medicine section, as well as being involved with a variety of research projects. In addition to teaching in the distance education program, she is also scientific adviser for a Scottish medical research charity.
James M. Madsen, MD, MPH, FCAP, COL, MC-FS, USA
Academic Qualifications: Dr. Madsen is an active-duty Army colonel and combat veteran and is board-certified in anatomic and clinical pathology as well as in occupational medicine. He has also received the coveted “A” proficiency designator from the Army Surgeon General for outstanding expertise above and beyond board certification. He has nearly two decades of experience in chemical casualty care (including four separate tours of duty at the Chemical Casualty Care Division at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, USAMRICD) and was the team physician for the first trial challenge inspection of Russian chemical-agent storage facilities under the Wyoming Memorandum of Understanding. In addition, he is Associate Professor of Preventive Medicine and Biometrics and Assistant Professor of Pathology and of Military and Emergency Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS). He is currently pursuing an Army-sponsored civilian fellowship in medical toxicology at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA as well as helping to develop the Chemical Hazard Emergency Medical Management (CHEMM) module in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the National Library of Medicine.
Joanna Peris, Ph.D.
Academic Qualifications: Dr. Peris is the Associate Director, University of Florida Center for Addiction Research & Education and Associate Professor Department of Pharmacodynamics, College of Pharmacy. Peris received her Ph.D. in 1984, from the Department of Behavioral Neurosciences, Oregon Health Sciences University, Portland OR and her Post-doctoral fellow, 1984-1988, Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver CO. Dr. Peris studies how previous ethanol exposure influences the behavioral and neurochemical characteristics of ethanol self-administration in rats. Dr. Peris’ lab is actively studying the neurochemical mechanisms of ethanol addiction. As part of this research, they measure how amino acid neurotransmission in brain regions highly implicated in the addiction process (e.g., nucleus accumbens, central nucleus of the amygdala) are altered in rats self-administering ethanol.
Margaret James, Ph.D.
Academic Qualifications: Professor James received her Ph.D. and her DSc degrees from the University of London. She is currently the Jack C. Massey Professor of Pharmacy and Chair of the department of Medicinal Chemistry and a professor of pharmacology at the University of Florida. Dr. James has technical experience in enzymology; analytical and protein chemistry; in vivo/in vitro correlations; the use of fish models for intestinal bioavailability studies, and the use of rat models for drug metabolism studies. Her research interests include factors affecting the metabolism and toxicity of drugs and other xenobiotics in humans and animal species, including aquatic species; drug and xenobiotic biotransformation; mechanistic toxicology; and intestinal bioavailability of xenobiotics; Dr. James has a dynamic and productive, federally funded research laboratory. Dr. James is also a consultant in the areas of drug metabolism, animal models and toxicology related to metabolism.
Jennifer Giangrande, M.S., PMP
Academic Qualifications: Jennifer Giangrande earned her B.S. in Sports Medicine from High Point University in 2000, her B.A in Forensic Science from Guilford College in 2005 and her M.S. in Forensic DNA and Serology from the University of Florida in 2008. She has worked for a private DNA laboratory in North Carolina since 2006, eventually becoming Technical Leader of the Convicted Offender Databasing unit. After earning her Project Management Professional certification in 2020, Jennifer transitioned to the role of Project Director, overseeing numerous large-scale projects for a world-wide Diagnostics and Drug Development company. Jennifer has worked as a Teaching Assistant for the University of Florida Online Graduate Program since 2012, and in 2022 was promoted to Instructional Assistant Professor within the department of Medicinal Chemistry in the UF College of Pharmacy.
Leah Stuchal, Ph.D.
Dr. Stuchal is the co-director of the Risk Assessment Core at the Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology at the University of Florida. Dr. Stuchal received her Ph.D. in medicinal chemistry/aquatic toxicology at the University of Florida in 2005. For 17 years she has been providing technical support in toxicology and risk assessment to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Miami-Dade County, and the Florida Department of Health. The Risk Assessment Core at the Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology holds the singular contract for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to provide technical reviews of risk assessments for the State of Florida. The work performed by the Core helps determine the soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediment cleanup standards for the State.