The Canadian Association of Forensic Medicine (CAFM) is a Canadian Not for Profit Corporation with Canadian and international membership. The CAFM will promote the medical discipline of forensic pathology in Canada and deliver an annual conference for education and research in forensic pathology and related disciplines including medicolegal death investigation, forensic anthropology, forensic toxicology, and allied fields.
October 1st is the last day to register.
Thank you to our Sponsors
Bronze Sponsor: Join Jenna McCartney and Lee Kirk at their Stand.
LEEC
Established in 1953, LEEC Limited is an independent and privately owned Nottingham based manufacturing company offering a wide range of first-class products and equipment across 8 specialist sectors including laboratory, funeral and mortuary equipment.
With 70 years of experience and a true commitment to customer service, reliability and high-quality products we pride ourselves on our ability to deliver a range of equipment that meets the specific needs of our customers with continuous development and a commitment to listening to our customers’ ever-changing requirements.
LEEC Limited has a long history of top quality installations through the UK and internationally… (content shortened for display)
Bronze Sponsor: Maria Mustapha and Jennifer Anderson at their Stand.
Randox
You may recognise Randox as the principal sponsor of the world’s most famous steeplechase, the Randox Grand National or as the Team GB Official Diagnostic Health partners ahead of the upcoming Olympics, but for forty years Randox have been focusing on the provision of timely and accurate diagnostic testing and promotion of preventative healthcare.
Randox’s proprietary Biochip Technology allows many tests to be run simultaneously, which greatly improves the diagnostic power available to clinicians… (content shortened for display)
Conference Objectives:
Describe how new & emerging technologies can be applied to Forensic Medicine.
Analyze how the Portapique, Nova Scotia mass fatality incident will change policy in Canada.
Discuss evolving best practices in forensic toxicology.
Overview
Day 1
Day 2
Mass Fatalities & Emerging Technologies
Toxicology & Biochemistry
Location:
Saint Mary’s University
McNally Auditorium, Halifax, NS
Evaluations & Hoodie Order
Evaluations,Hoodie Order and Certificate of Participation
CAFM Membership
Membership Benefits:
CONTRIBUTE to a forum where forensic pathologists can MEET ONE ANOTHER, exchange ideas, DISCUSS practices, and CONSIDER new approaches to difficult and emerging problems.
ATTEND annual meetings where we can receive continuing education that is relevant to our PRACTICE AND OUR GEOGRAOHIC LOCATION/JURISDICTION.
Help FOSTER AND PROMOTE excellence in DEATH INVESTIGATION in Canada by THE DEVELOPMENT OF BEST PRACTICE GUIDELINES, and by hosting educational programs for allied professionals.
ADVOCATE FOR OPTIMUM WORK ENVIRONMENTS by collecting and sharing information about working conditions and creating workload and other standards that are relevant to our practice.
Be part of the VOICE for all Canadian forensic pathologists, on the provincial, national, and international stage.
Receive DISCOUNTED RATES to attend CAFM events
Membership Types
Member (Voting):
A licensed medical doctor with recognized postgraduate training in Forensic Pathology.
Physician Affiliate (Non-Voting):
A licensed medical doctor.
Non-Physician Affiliate (Non-Voting):
A professional working in a medico-legal death investigation system, holding a graduate degree in a forensic field, or working in forensic medicine/medico-legal work.
Trainee (Non-Voting):
A student enrolled in medical studies, postgraduate medical training, or relevant postgraduate studies at a recognized university.
Call for Abstracts
Submit Your Abstracts
Deadline: August 15
OPEN TO: Pathologists, Residents, Pathologists’ Assistants, Investigators & Coroners are encouraged to submit abstracts.
AWARD: There will be an award for the best poster.
Please note, should your abstract be accepted, registration is required to participate.
Registration Rates
Each registration includes access to all sessions and welcome reception.
Membership Type
Membership Fee
Registration Rate
Earlybird Bundle & Save
Member
Regular
300.00
450.00
Affiliate (Physician)
300.00
450.00
Affiliate (Non-Physician)
100.00
200.00
300.00
Trainee
0.00
200.00
200.00
Non-Member
Regular
800.00
—
Affiliate (Physician)
800.00
—
Affiliate (Non-Physician)
600.00
—
Trainee
200.00
—
All fees subject to Ontario Sales Tax: HST Registration: #1313 72286 RT0001
TERMS AND CONDITIONS:
The deadline to register is and is strictly enforced for your security.
An Air Canada Travel Discount Code is included with your registration.
There is No single day attendee registration for this 2 day event.
There will be No On-Site Registration. For security reasons, no registrations will be accepted after the cut-off date of . No exceptions.
Any costs related to travel, accommodation, transportation and conference registration will be the attendee’s own responsibility.
CANCELLATION POLICY:
Cancellation of registration must be received in writing by .
No refunds will be issued after . However, substitutions can be made for a colleague to take your place.
A processing fee of $100 will be charged on all refunds.
Other Information
This event is an Accredited Group Learning Activity (Section 1) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and approved by the Canadian Association of Pathologists. (credits are automatically calculated).
Through an agreement between the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the American Medical Association, physicians may convert Royal College MOC credits to AMA PRA Category 1 Credits. Information on the process to convert Royal College MOC credit to AMA credit can be found at ama-assn.org/go/internationalcme.
This event has NOT been registered with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
We encourage you to start organizing your travels as soon as possible as there may be delays in obtaining your travel documents for entry into Canada. Please note that costs related to travel, accommodation, transportation and conference registration will be your own responsibility.
(1) Be a presenter at the conference, as demonstrated by submitting an abstract relevant to the conference topics (to the discretion of the Scientific Planning Committee).
AND/OR
(2) Be a registered attendee for the conference, as demonstrated by completing payment for your conference registration.
After filing a request, those who meet either of the above criteria will receive the invitation letter by e-mail (in PDF format).
Note:Letters cannot be mailed-in; hard-copies are not available.
Note:Depending on where you live, you will need to meet certain entry requirements to visit Canada.
To find out if you need a travel visa and/or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), see the Immigration and Citizenship Visitor page and answer a few simple questions.
To learn about the visa application process, visit the How to Apply page.
You may also need to give your biometrics. If so, then this is a MANDATORY requirement, and you must appear in person at a Visa Application Centre in order to provide your fingerprints and photograph.
Find the Visa Application Centre closest to you here.
Christopher Milroy is a forensic pathologist in Ottawa and a Full Professor in the University of Ottawa. He qualified in medicine from the University of Liverpool and started training in pathology forty years ago. He trained in Forensic Pathology in Sheffield. He worked as a forensic pathologist in Sheffield for 18 years before moving to Ottawa in 2008. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists and the Royal College of Physicians of CanadaHe has given evidence in hundreds of criminal trials and in inquests in multiple jurisdictions. He has published over 130 peer reviewed articles and chapters and is co-editor of forensic neuropathology with the late Helen Whitwell and with Daniel Du Plessis. He edits Academic Forensic Pathology. His research interests include the metabolic autopsy and the history of forensic medicine. With colleagues he has provided a forensic pathology service for Nunavut since 2010. He was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 2023.
Dr. Chatterton is the Chief Toxicologist at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) in Edmonton, AB, Canada and an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathology at the University of Alberta. Dr Chatterton earned his PhD from the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom prior to taking up employment within the toxicology department of the Forensic Science Service (FSS) in 2001. Dr Chatterton is a board-certified forensic toxicologist (F-ABFT) and chartered chemist.As a senior reporting officer and service delivery team leader, Dr Chatterton managed the National DUID and Road Traffic Alcohol units of the FSS before moving to Canada in 2011 to join the OCME as Deputy Chief Toxicologist; he was promoted to Chief Toxicologist in 2017.Dr Chatterton is a member of numerous professional organisations including The Society of Forensic Toxicologists (SOFT), The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (TIAFT), The Society of Hair Testing (SoHT), The American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS) and The United Kingdom and Ireland Association of Forensic Toxicologists (UKIAFT).As an active member of these organisations Dr Chatterton has chaired scientific workshops, presented numerous platform, poster and workshop presentations and completed a large number of abstract reviews. Dr Chatterton has published peer-reviewed papers and book chapters on forensic toxicology and drugs in hair analysis, and most recently, post mortem toxicology in Clarke’s Analysis of Drugs and Poisons.
Dr. Jacqueline Parai is a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. She is a full time forensic pathologist at the Eastern Ontario Regional Forensic Pathology Unit in Ottawa; previously having worked in Toronto for 8 years. She completed a Forensic Pathology Fellowship at the OCME for the State of Maryland and is board certified in Forensic Pathology by the American Board of Pathology. She has completed a Master’s of Science in Epidemiology at the University of Toronto. She is an examiner in Forensic Pathology and past Chair of the Specialty Committee in Forensic Pathology of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. She is secretary-treasurer of the CAFM and sits on the Board of Directors of the CAP-ACP. She holds the appointment of Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of Ottawa. She is involved in research looking at postmortem biochemistry and its use in Forensic Pathology.
Dr.Kona Williams
Dr. Williams is a forensic pathologist and coroner with the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service. She is both Cree (Peguis First Nation) and Mohawk (Kahnawake). She is the Director of the Northeastern Regional Forensic Pathology Unit at Health Sciences North (HSN). She is appointed as the First Nations Liaison for the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service (OFPS).She is the co-chair of the Indigenous Health Committee of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Dr. Williams is an Assistant Professor at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM). She serves on the Senate at the NOSM, and has recently been appointed to the National Advisory Committee on Residential Schools, Missing Children and Unmarked Burials
Dr. Matt Bowes obtained his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Toronto and is a graduate of the Queen’s University School of Medicine. After completing his anatomical pathology training at Dalhousie University, he traveled to Miami, Florida, where he was a forensic pathology fellow and associate medical examiner in the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner Department. He then returned to Halifax, where he worked as a consultant forensic pathologist and medical examiner in the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service until 2006, when he was appointed Chief Medical Examiner. In addition to his regular duties, Dr. Bowes has given many lectures around the country on various topics in forensic pathology and is honoured to have served on the Forensic Pathology Specialty Committee and on the Forensic Pathology Board of Examiners of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
Dr.Matthew Orde
Matthew Orde is a consulting forensic and anatomical pathologist, who is currently contracted to provide autopsy services to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Alberta. He is an Associate Professor at the University of Saskatchewan, Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Calgary, and former Medical Director of Autopsy Pathology at the Vancouver General Hospital (2013-2021). Matthew is a ‘Geordie’, originating from Newcastle upon Tyne in northern England, but attended medical school in Scotland, and underwent the majority of his pathology training in southern England. During his training he also spent a year as a Registrar in Forensic Medicine in South Africa, and prior to relocating to Canada in 2013, he worked as a forensic pathologist for 9 years in Sydney, Australia. Matthew also holds legal qualifications, culminating in call to the Bar of England & Wales, and previously held office as Her Majesty’s Deputy Coroner for the City of Brighton and Hove, England.undertaken by pathology trainees under his close supervision.He has been accepted as an expert witness in forensic and autopsy pathology by the Supreme Court of British Columbia on numerous occasions, as well as by courts in Australia and the United Kingdom.Matthew is a much sought-after and engaging speaker, and regularly presents to a variety of audiences, ranging from schoolchildren to senior criminal lawyers and members of the judiciary.
Dr Murphy is the President of the Canadian Association of Poison Centres and Clinical Toxicology, Medical Director of the Atlantic Canada Poison Centre, emergency physician at the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax, and a Fellow of the American College of Medical Toxicology. She is American Board certified in both Medical Toxicology and Addiction Medicine
Terri Lipton is a Crown Attorney with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada. She previously served for nearly two decades as a Senior Crown Attorney with the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service where she conducted numerous trials involving expert testimony including forensic pathology, toxicology, firearms, DNA and forensic psychiatry. In addition to her prosecutorial work, Terri is a part-time faculty member at both Dalhousie University and Saint Mary’s University, where she teaches courses and clinics in criminal law.
Mark received his LL.B. from Dalhousie University in 2005 and his LL.M. from the University of Cambridge in 2007 where he studied as a Rt. Honourable Paul Martin Scholar. Mark worked in the Special Prosecutions Section of the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service from 2007 until his appointment to the Nova Scotia Provincial Court in 2023. Prior to his appointment, Mark’s practice focused primarily on complex prosecutions and included appellate advocacy. In 2016, Mark was awarded the Young Justice Professional Award by the International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law. In 2023 he received an RCMP Commissioner’s Commendation for his work as a Crown Attorney. Mark frequently presents and lectures in criminal law and is a former part-time faculty member at the Schulich School of Law. He has authored several publications in criminal law, including texts, chapters and articles.
Len McKay
Len MacKay started his legal practice as a criminal defence lawyer before turning to prosecution work nearly 25 years ago & first as a Crown Attorney with the NS Public Prosecution Service (PPS) and for the last 17 years as a federal Crown. His latest gig splits his time between the two services as he begins coordinating the new Guns and Gangs team at PPS. Len has conducted countless hearings involving expert evidence and has been involved in expert training with the RCMP and local police agencies.
Ciara Perez is a second year resident at the Queen’s University Diagnostic and Molecular Pathology program. She completed her medical training at the University of British Columbia and is originally from Victoria, BC.
Current forensic pathology resident at University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. Finished anatomical pathology residency in June 2025 at Dalhousie university in Halifax. Has been interested in forensic pathology and autopsy pathology for many years, learning about that particular field of study during my forensic science courses and subsequently doing research on drug overdose deaths with Dr. Bowes during undergrad at Saint Mary’s University.
Dr. Williams studied Pharmacology and Toxicology then medicine at The University of Western Ontario, prior to training in pathology and forensic pathology at Dalhousie University and theUniversity of Toronto, respectively. In 2020, he completed a post-graduate Certificate of Advanced Studies in Forensic Imaging & Virtopsy at the University of Zürich in Switzerland. Dr. Williams is a Forensic Pathologist at the Provincial Forensic Pathology Unit in Toronto and is actively involved in various medical education endeavors both locally and nationally, serving as the currentProgram Director of the University of Toronto Forensic Pathology Residency Training Program and in various local and national postgraduate medical education accreditation roles. Dr. Williams is a persistent advocate for advancing national training standards and recognition for both Forensic Pathologists and Radiologists who practice in the intersectional domain of postmortem medical imaging
Dr. Rob Thacker is one of Canada’s most respected astrophysicists and the first two-term President of the Canadian Astronomical Society. He has held research positions at the University of California, Berkeley, and Queen’s University, and in 2007 was appointed Canada Research Chair in Computational Astrophysics at Saint Mary’s University. In 2015 he became the first non-U15 researcher to lead Canada’s national research review for astronomy, guiding funding decisions exceeding $500 million. Drawing on an earlier career in finance, Dr. Thacker now combines his expertise in technology, science policy, and computational methods in a consultancy practice, applying machine learning and AI techniques to identify gaps in research disciplines. A passionate advocate of public science communication, he has given over 1000 interviews on science since 2015, and contributes 90 minutes weekly to science discussions on City News Halifax and CFRA Ottawa.
Emily Schleihauf completed a Master of Epidemiology at Curtin University in Western Australia in 2007 and joined the Canadian Public Health Service of the Public Health Agency of Canada in 2008. She has been placed in various capacity building roles in Nova Scotia and has provided surge support for various outbreak responses over her years with PHAC. Currently, Emily is placed with the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service, building and expanding public health surveillance through analysis and knowledge translation of information and data collected through death investigations on topics ranging from drug toxicity to domestic homicide to infant mortality.
Dirk Huyer has been Chief Coroner for Ontario since March 2014. Dr. Huyer received his medical degree from the University of Toronto in 1986. He has served as a coroner in Ontario since 1992 serving as Regional Supervising Coroner between 2008-2013. He has been directly involved in over 5,000 coroner’s investigations. In partnership with Ontario’s Chief Forensic Pathologist, Dr. Michael Pollanen, the Office of the Chief Coroner and Ontario Forensic Pathology Service develop and deliver a unified strategic plan for Ontario’s Death Investigation System. Outlining the strategic direction for the organization, a key priority is to provide high quality services that are responsive to Ontario’s diverse needs, both culturally and geographically.
Artificial intelligence has been oversold more often than it has delivered: Media narratives are driven by ear-tingling hyperbole. Predictions of vanishing careers, such as radiology, have not come true, while Large Language Models (LLMs) swing between apparent genuine insight and hallucination. Meanwhile, quieter advances in machine learning are reshaping fields such as weather forecasting, showing that real progress is substantive. For forensic medicine, the challenge is sharper: evidence must be explainable, reproducible, and defensible, qualities that many (not all) AI tools still lack. This talk will cut through the hype, examine the significant ethical and technical pressures AI brings, and highlight where meaningful breakthroughs are emerging.
Session Objectives:
Describe the ability of machine learning and AI systems to explain deductions.
In this presentation Dr. Bowes will describe the Portapique mass casualty event, the Mass Casualty Commission, its recommendations, and propose how these recommendations will influence the practice of forensic medicine in Canada.
Session Objectives:
Describe how the Mass Casualty Commission recommendations may influence forensic practice in Canada.
Reflecting on the current state of advanced postmortem imaging in Canada and worldwide, we will explore the adaptation of FP practice to incorporate these technologies and look forward to a visionary future where accelerations in computational power and innovations in postmortem imaging enable the impossible
Session Objectives:
List 11 current applications of advanced postmortem imaging
Contrast traditional approaches to postmortem examinations to those supplemented by advanced postmortem imaging
Reflect and start planning for a future enabled by accelerated adoption and innovation in postmortem imaging
Target:
Residents Medical Students, Pathologists / Physicians
CanMEDS:
Medical Expert (the integrating role)
Collaborator
Leader
Health Advocate
Using Genetics To Investigate Sudden Cardiac Death
Plenary
Dr.Kristopher Cunningham
Outlining proper cardiac dissection and use of genetic analysis to identify heritable cardiovascular disease
Session Objectives:
Describe proper dissection of a heart for genetic studies
Review appropriate cases for genetic analysis
Target:
Forensic Pathologists
CanMEDS:
Medical Expert (the integrating role), Scholar, Professional
This session will review common scenarios where vitreous fluid analyses are used in medicolegal postmortem examinations. The session will concentrate on autopsy findings in deaths due to ketoacidosis. The presentation will also include pathological and biochemical differences in deaths due to diabetic ketoacidosis versus alcoholic ketoacidosis.
Session Objectives:
List the characteristics of adults dying of diabetic ketoacidosis versus alcoholic ketoacidosis.
Describe the macro- and microscopic findings seen at autopsy in deaths due to ketoacidosis.
Recognize how the hospital biochemistry laboratory can assist in medicolegal postmortem examination diagnoses.
Use of vitreous fluid in the postmortem setting is not new.
Target:
Forensic Pathologists
CanMEDS:
Medical Expert (the integrating role) Collaborator Health Advocate Scholar
Poison centre data is critical in identifying new trends in poisonings, and captures a very different demographic than medical examiner data. This presentation will review current North American trends in poisonings, and describe an ongoing collaboration in toxicosurveilllance between Canadian Poison Centres and Health Canada. The presentation will describe trends in drug toxicity mortality in Canada, highlighting the critical role of information obtained through death investigation in understanding this issue.
Session Objectives:
Identify new unregulated drugs of concern in North America
Describe the utility of poison centre data in toxicosurveillance
Describe trends in drug toxicity mortality in Canada
Target:
Medical examiners, coroners, Death investigators
CanMEDS:
Medical Expert (the integrating role), Health Advocate, Scholar
This presentation will assist expert witnesses with understanding the legal framework of expert testimony in Canada. In particular, the witness will learn how Canadian courts define and test bias and impartiality. It will further assist with strategies to enhance clarity, credibility and confidence.
This presentation is aimed at guiding forensic medical professionals on how to effectively testify as expert witnesses in criminal court. It focuses on impartiality, independence and clarity. Practical strategies for voir dire, direct and cross-examination, and communication with juries are included. The session encourages peer discussion on challenges, ethics, and best practices in forensic testimony.
Session Objectives:
Enhance courtroom presence and effectiveness
Identify common pitfalls and credibility risks
Explore techniques for clear, confident communication with juries
Describe how expert testimony is assessed and admitted
Learn how Canadian courts define and assess bias and impartiality
Target:
Forensic Pathologists
CanMEDS:
Medical Expert
Lunch & Networking
Buffet Lunch
Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome: A Case Study
Resident Paper
Mathew Carlton
This presentation will describe the features of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome and present a case report of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome as a cause of death
Session Objectives:
Describe the clinical features of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome
Consider cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome as a cause of death in the appropriate context.
The teaching autopsy was once central to medical education, yet many medical students today will never observe one. Despite this decline, evidence suggests that autopsy observation is a unique and valuable educational experience. This project explores whether digital tools may have the potential to replace or even revive the traditional teaching autopsy in undergraduate medical education.
Session Objectives:
Critically consider the role of the teaching autopsy in modern medical education
Compare and contrast various digital modalities and their potential applications to the teaching autopsy
Target:
Residents
CanMEDS:
Scholar
The Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Services’s Experience With Mass Surveillance Of Sars-cov-2 As Part Of The Pandemic Response.
Briefly describe the epidemiological impact of SARS-CoV-2 within Canada and Nova Scotia.
Describe the NSMES’s experience with mass surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 through autopsy.
Assess and compare how our findings relate to the Nova Scotia pandemic response.
Consider the overall utility of screening within this population.
Session Objectives:
This presentation will provide an overview of SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology within Canada and Nova Scotia, and describe the experience of the Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service with their roll in SARS-CoV-2 screening and how it relates to the provinces pandemic response.
Target:
Residents, Forensic pathologists, medical examiners, coroners
CanMEDS:
Medical Expert (the integrating role) , Collaborator, Leader, Health Advocate
Break & Networking
Coffee and Snack
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