Congratulations to Karen Scott – Recipient of the 2025 Outstanding Service to COFSE Award
2025 Outstanding Service to COFSE – Karen Scott, University of Alabama at Birmingham
This award recognizes COFSE members for their outstanding service to COFSE and have contributed significant volunteer effort on behalf of COFSE. Award winners have gone above and beyond what has been asked of them and make COFSE operations more effective to the membership.
Dr. Karen Scott has been a long standing member and supporter of COFSE. Karen served as the COFSE President from 2017-2019, which was followed by her service as President-Elect of a 2-year term. During her time as President, Karen took the innovative to increase COFSE’s international present, reaching out to international institutions and educators, suggesting they join COFSE and highlighting the benefits to our organization. This effort grow COFSE’s international members and partnerships with forensic science educators outside of the United States.
During Karen’s term as Past-President, 2019-2021, she suggested creating awards specific to the mision of COFSE – in excellence in forensic science education and service to COFSE. Under her leadership, as the nominating chair, she took on the responsibility to seek nominations, review nominee packets, and present awards to much deserving COFSE members.
Dr. Karen Scott is currently the Director of the Forensic Toxicology Laboratory and an Associate Professor of Laboratory Medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She has over 30 years of experience in the fields of forensic and clinical toxicology and is published in the areas of post-mortem and human performance toxicology, and hair and alternative matrix testing. She is also a reviewer for three of the main Forensic Toxicology journals.
Dr. Scott has a Bachelor of Science degree in Forensic & Analytical Chemistry from the University of Strathclyde(Glasgow, UK, 1994) and a PhD in Forensic Toxicology from the University of Glasgow (UK, 1998)). On completion of her degrees she carried out postdoctoral research in Tokyo, Japan investigating incorporation rates of drugs into hair. Dr. Scott has been a member of the Alcohol Drugs and Impairment Division of the National Safety Council since 2015 and sits on the executive board of this organization. She is also on the editorial board of Clarkes Analysis of Drugs and Poisons and a member of the OSAC Forensic Toxicology subcommittee.