One of the forensic disciplines listed on the OSAC organization chart is that toxicology. In the United States, there are specific states that require professionals in this field to have licenses in an attempt to work as toxicologists. The most important consideration is ensuring that each person has board certification. This requirement is essential is it makes it possible for them to operate and render their services. The outstanding requirements for certification include a bachelor’s degree in the field of forensic toxicology and full-time professional experience of not less than three years (Gundert-Remy, Barth, BĂĽrkle, Degen, & Landsiedel, 2015).
Professionals should currently be in practice at the time of application. Several advances have been made in this field within the past five years to improve the science associated with it. The first one is that the nature of research in the area has become multidisciplinary in different parts of the world (“OSAC organizational structure,” n.d.). This means that different projects are currently being undertaken by professionals who collaborate with engineers, biologists, statisticians, and geneticists. The importance of this advancement is that positive improvements will be made continuously.
The second development is the introduction of modern technologies to deliver timely findings. This approach supports the profiling of epigenomes and metabolomes. The third one is that of computational advances. These advances have resulted in the proliferation of chemical structure-derived models for monitoring or predicting toxicological systems. There are specific improvements that can still be made to deliver superior outcomes or results (“ANSI National Accreditation Board,” n.d.). The first one revolves around collaboration with learning institutions and research institutions to promote innovation. The second improvement is the development of software programs to support toxicologists’ initiatives and activities.
References
ANSI National Accreditation Board. (n.d.). Web.
Gundert-Remy, U., Barth, H., Bürkle, A., Degen, G. H., & Landsiedel, R. (2015). Toxicology: A discipline in need of academic anchoring—The point of view of the German Society of Toxicology. Archives of Toxicology, 89(10), 1881-1893. Web.
OSAC organizational structure. (n.d.). Web.