Eight – 8 Is NOT THAT Great! A Webinar to Discuss the Various Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kit Tracking Systems
This webinar will be presented by: Erin Pollitt, Khara Breeden, Matthew Gamette, Christina Straub, Nicole Stahlmann
Erin Pollitt
Erin Pollitt is the Executive Director of District of Columbia Forensic Nurse Examiners (DCFNE), a nonprofit in Washington DC that provides trauma-informed, patient-centered care to survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. She also practices as a Tele-SANE Expert Consultant with the Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Telehealth (SAFE-T) Center at Penn State University. Ms. Pollitt has practiced as a forensic nurse examiner since 2011 and achieved SANE-A Certification in 2014. Since then, Ms. Pollitt has held several leadership positions within the International Association of Forensic Nurses. She has instructed at both local and international conferences on topics related to forensic nursing and provided expert consultation and testimony in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan area. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and a Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration.
Khara Breeden
Khara Breeden completed her Doctorate of Nursing Practice at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, in August 2016. Khara holds a Master’s of Science in Patient Safety Leadership from the University of Chicago at Illinois. Her Bachelor’s degree is from Regis University in Denver, Colorado. Her nursing career spans over 17 years with experience in critical care, emergency services, women’s health, and most currently, forensic nursing and academia.
Khara started working at Harris Health as a Forensic Nurse Examiner in 2011, and immersed herself within the field. In 2015, she became the Program Manager of Forensic Nursing Services, and was responsible for the day to day management of the department. After achieving her doctorate, Khara decided to pursue her goal of teaching, and is currently an Assistant Professor at Houston Baptist University.
While working with community partners, the gap in forensic nursing services was recognized, in response Khara formulated Harris County Forensic Nursing Services (HCFNE), a non-profit, community based forensic nursing program, where she currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer.
In 2018, Khara was recognized by the Texas Nurses Association as one of the “Top 20 Nurses” in the region. In 2019, she was honored by The Houston Business Journal as an “Outstanding Health Care practitioner.”
Khara serves as a Texas Association Against Sexual Assault (TAASA) board member and has served on the board of the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN). She has served as the Board liaison of the Strangulation Task Force, Title IX Task Force and the Suspect Exam Task Force. She serves on the policy committee for the Texas Council on Family Violence and is currently the IAFN Texas Chapter’s Past-President.
Matthew Gamette
Mr. Gamette was born and raised near Salt Lake City, Utah. He attended college at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah and did undergraduate work in Zoology. He also received a Master’s Degree from Brigham Young University in Microbiology where he studied parasitology with an emphasis on Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Mr. Gamette completed a certificate program in laboratory management through West Virginia University Forensic Management Academy, holds a certificate in Laboratory Management and Leadership from the University of California at Davis, and graduated as a Certified Public Manager in the Idaho program.
Mr. Gamette interned with the Utah State Crime Lab in Salt Lake City, Utah. He worked in the Spokane Laboratory of the Washington State Patrol from 2002 to 2008 as a biologist/DNA scientist and crime scene responder. He was promoted to Forensic Scientist 4 (Spokane Local DNA Technical Lead) in 2008. He has trained hundreds of detectives, crime scene responders, forensic nurses, and first responders in the collection of biological evidence. Mr. Gamette started his career with the Idaho State Police in late 2008 as the Laboratory Improvement Manager/Quality Manager for the laboratory system. He was promoted to Laboratory System Director over the three laboratories of the Idaho State Police in July 2014.
He serves as the ASCLD representative on the Consortium of Forensic Science Organizations (CFSO) and has served as the Chair of the CFSO Board for several years. Mr. Gamette served as an elected board member of the American Society of Crime Lab Directors (ASCLD) for over seven years and served as President from 2018-2019. He Chaired or Co-chaired several ASCLD committees including Finance, Symposium Planning, Advocacy, the Sexual Assault Kit Task Force, and the ASCLD Accreditation Initiative. He currently serves as the Co-chair of the ASCLD Advocacy Committee and leads the ASCLD Accreditation Initiative. He was a certified assessor with the American Society of Crime Lab Directors-Laboratory Accreditation Board (ASCLD/LAB), and has performed DNA laboratory assessments all over the United States as a certified FBI DNA assessor. He is also an audit panel reviewer for the FBI’s National DNA Index System (NDIS). He was selected and served a five year term on the NIST Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) Quality Infrastructure Committee (QIC). He currently serves as an affiliate OSAC member on the FSSB Terminology Task Group. He was selected by the US Department of Justice to participate as a member on the Forensic Laboratory Needs-Technology Working Group (FLN-TWG) where he currently serves. He is a member of the editorial board for the prestigious journal Forensic Science International-Synergy. He is a member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS), Northwest Association of Forensic Scientists (NWAFS), American Society of Crime Lab Directors (ASCLD), and Association of Forensic Quality Assurance Managers (AFQAM).
Christina Straub
I am the statewide sexual assault kit tracking administrator for Idaho State Police Forensic Services. I work with medical staff, law enforcement, and the prosecutor’s office to maintain the sexual assault kit tracking system. I provide training and technical assistance to all users and the public. I preform audits on tracking, storing, and retention of sexual assault kits. I track and log sexual assault kit statistics that are used to compile the annual sexual assault legislative report. I am a member of ISAKI (Idaho Sexual Assault Kit Initiative) that drafts legislation and community resources.
Nicole Stahlmann
Nicole Stahlmann serves as a Forensic Nursing Specialist, providing training and technical assistance. A registered nurse with 10 years of clinical experience, Nicole has dedicated her career to forensic nursing. She received her Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE-A) certificate in 2015 and received her Advance Forensic Nurse Board Certification (AFN-BC) in 2016 from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Prior to her work with the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN), Nicole served as the Clinical Program Manager for the District of Columbia Forensic Nurse Examiners. Nicole continues to practice clinically, providing care for patients who have experienced violence. Nicole was an emergency department nurse at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and an adjunct instructor at Georgetown University, School of Nursing, teaching both undergraduate and Master students. Beginning in 2018, Nicole worked with the United States Department of State to consult on sexual assault policies and procedures. She has trained their healthcare providers in patient centered, trauma-informed medical care of the sexual assault patient in the overseas environment. Nicole has been active in the forensic nursing community having served as the Secretary for the Maryland – District of Columbia IAFN Chapter, was an active member of the DC Sexual Assault Response Team, and she also served as Secretary, President-Elect, and President on the Foundation Board of the IAFN.
Handout and Resources from the webinar:
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