LOCATION: LIVE Webinar via Zoom
DATE: Thursday, July 30, 2026
TIME: 11:00am - 2:30pm EST
CLE Credits: Approx. 3.0 Credits
Program Description:
This 3-hour extensive training will equip you with the scientific foundation needed to critically evaluate and challenge forensic toxicology evidence. Participants will learn how drugs interact with the body, including pharmacokinetics (how the body absorbs, distributes, metabolizes, and excretes substances) and pharmacodynamics (how drugs produce their effects). Particular attention will be given to how route of administration, whether smoked, injected, ingested, or inhaled, affects the speed and intensity of drug effects, a critical factor in cases involving impairment timing and causation arguments.
The training will then then turn to the forensic testing process itself, walking attorneys through the two-stage analytical scheme used by forensic laboratories: preliminary screening (qualitative positive/negative results) followed by confirmatory testing (which identifies specific drugs and metabolites and quantifies amounts present). Defenders will gain insight into the standard operating procedures, validation requirements, reporting cutoffs, and accreditation standards that govern laboratory testing, and how variability between forensic labs, private labs, and hospitals can create openings for cross-examination and evidentiary challenges.
By the end of the training, you will be better positioned to question lab methodology, scrutinize toxicology reports, and effectively challenge the scientific basis of drug-related charges in court.
Agenda
This is a LIVE event. As such, the program agenda, faculty, and presentation times are subject to change throughout the day. All times are EST.
| Thursday, July 30, 2026 | |
|---|---|
| 11:00 am - 12:00 pm EST | Beyond the Toxicology Laboratory Report: Insights Into Reporting and Interpretation of Drug Results - Amanda M. Kogelschatz, M.S., D-ABFT-FT |
| 12:15 pm - 1:15 pm EST | Cross of Forensic Experts - Speaker TBA |
| 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm EST | From Chemistry to Courtroom: The Role of Toxicology in Alcohol and Drug Cases - Amanda M. Kogelschatz, M.S., D-ABFT-FT |
Faculty
Amanda M. Kogelschatz, M.S., D-ABFT-FT
Amanda M. Kogelschatz, M.S., D-ABFT-FT is a board-certified Toxicologist with over a decade of direct experience in evaluating drug and alcohol cases working for a state forensic laboratory before transferring into the private sector. She specializes in the pharmacology and interpretation of alcohol and drugs, including drugs of abuse, pharmaceuticals, emerging substances, and their effects on human performance and impairment.
Her professional background includes supervising a state forensic laboratory, where she oversaw toxicology operations, case management, chain of custody, quality assurance, Discovery, and compliance with state and federal regulations. She has testified in multiple trials involving impairment, evidence handling, analytical methods, and laboratory practices. Her education background includes a Master of Science in Forensic and Investigative Science and dual bachelor’s degrees in Forensic and Investigative Science and Chemistry from West Virginia University. As part of the Rimkus Toxicology and Food Safety practice group, she specializes on forensic investigations involving general toxicology, DRAM shop, impairment, alternative causation, increased risk, and dose response relationships.
Pricing
Members of NACDL enjoy exclusive registration rates for our seminars.
| Registration Fees | |
|---|---|
| NACDL MEMBERS | $99 |
| Non-Members | $129 |
NOTE: All registrations are final and non-refundable.
Code of Conduct
NACDL endeavors to foster a working, learning, and social environment free of harassment, discrimination, intimidation, and insult. To that end, NACDL has adopted a Code of Conduct for Affiliated Persons that applies to all attendees and participants of any kind at all NACDL sponsored events.
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