IAFS History

  The Second International Meeting on Forensic Pathology and Medicine took place under Prof. Helpern’s Presidency at the New York University Medical Center in September 1960 and, notwithstanding the title, also included scientific sessions on Toxicology, Forensic Biology and Criminalistics.

  Prof. Camps offered to preside over the next meeting, the Third International Meeting in Forensic Immunology, Medicine, Pathology and Toxicology, which was held at the University of London in April of 1963. In conjunction with this meeting, the First International Meeting in Questioned Documents was also organized. The formal recognition in the meeting name of forensic sciences other than medicine and pathology reflected the increasing participation and contributions of these sciences, not only at the meetings but also in the administration of justice around the world. In addition, a new organization, The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (TIAFT) was formed under the leadership of Prof. George C. Clarke of the UK. The London meeting was a marathon which went on for seven and a half days. Nevertheless, a pattern of triennial international meetings of forensic scientists in English appeared to have evolved.

  In August 1966, Prof. Harold Gormsen of Denmark presided over The Fourth International Meeting in Forensic Medicine at the Technical University of Denmark in Copenhagen. The Second Triennial Congress of The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists and The Second International Meeting in Questioned Documents were also held in conjunction with it. During this meeting, the registrants approved the formation of The International Association of Forensic Sciences and Prof. H. Ward Smith of Toronto, Canada was elected President.

THE FORMATIVE YEARS OF IAFS

   Prof. Smith arranged to have the support of the Canadian Society of Forensic Sciences (CSFS) as co-sponsor of the meeting to be held in Toronto in 1969. This involvement of a national forensic science society was an innovation that has been adopted by some of the subsequent Presidents. Unfortunately, Dr. Smith died in 1967 and did not have the opportunity to preside over the meeting. Since there was no provision in such an informal organization for the selection of a successor President, the CSFS proposed Douglas M. Lucas, who had succeeded Dr. Smith as Director of the Centre of Forensic Sciences in Toronto, as President and this nomination was approved by all of the Past Presidents.

  The Fifth International Meeting of the Forensic Sciences was held at the University of Toronto in June of 1969. The Third International Congress of the International Association of Forensic Toxicologists and The Third International Meeting in Questioned Documents were again held conjointly with this meeting. At it, a Constitution for IAFS was formally adopted. It had been drafted by Dr. Charles G. Farmilo of Ottawa and finalized at a meeting chaired by Doug Lucas and attended by Drs. Camps, Helpern, Larson, Voigt (representing Prof. Gormsen) and Shapiro of South Africa. The draft Constitution was presented to the delegates at the business meeting and approved. At this meeting it was also decided that Prof. Thomas, as the originator of the concept of these meetings, should formally be recognized as a Past President.

  The Toronto meeting demonstrated that these gatherings had the potential to become victims of their own success. Attendance had increased to over five hundred registrants from all over the globe. The budget (over $50,000) and the demands for commitment of time were such that the meetings could no longer be a “one-man show”. This was confirmed by the fact that no one came forward to volunteer to host the Sixth Meeting. The Past Presidents considered several potential “volunteers” and focused on Prof. Thomas K. Marshall of Belfast, Northern Ireland as the person best able to organize another successful meeting. After considerable arm-twisting by the very persuasive Prof. Camps, and the promise of a portion of any surplus funds from the Toronto organizers ($5,000 was eventually transferred), Dr. Marshall agreed to accept the responsibility.

  The Sixth International Meeting of Forensic Sciences was planned to be held in Belfast in September, 1972. Unfortunately, this coincided with a surge of terrorism in Northern Ireland and, although Dr. Marshall and his organizing committee were initially confident that a successful meeting could be held in safety in Belfast, the violence persisted and there was considerable hesitation on the part of many potential delegates to attend. Reluctantly, Dr. Marshall and his colleagues decided that the wisest course would be to change the venue. Remarkably, they were able to do so with considerable dispatch and efficiency. They arranged to hold the meeting at the University of Edinburgh, a location with a strong forensic science heritage. It proved to be a huge success.

  Prior to the Edinburgh Meeting, several persons had expressed interest in hosting the next meeting but withdrew when they learned of the financing required. Again, the Past Presidents had to find an organizer for it and eventually persuaded Prof. Hanspeter Hartmann of the Institute of Forensic Medicine in the University of Zurich to undertake the challenge.

  At the Seventh Meeting of the International Association of Forensic Sciences (the name had now been settled on) in Zurich in 1975, Dr. Marshall, on behalf of the organizing committee of the Edinburgh Meeting, presented a President’s Chain of Office depicting the logo designed for the Edinburgh Meeting; this became the IAFS logo. He also presented Past President’s pins bearing the same logo. The President’s Chain of Office now passes from one President to the next.

  The Eighth Meeting (in May 1978) moved back to North America, to “the Heartland  of America” in Wichita, Kansas. It was presided over by Dr. William Eckert, an internationally known forensic pathologist as a result of his efforts as the Editor of INFORM. An interesting (and for forensic science meetings perhaps unique) feature of the Wichita meeting was that it was held in a “dry” (i.e. no pubs) city. Creative solutions to this challenge were improvised and all the registrants thoroughly enjoyed themselves. During the Wichita meeting, Dr. Eckert convened for the first time a formal meeting of the IAFS Council of Past Presidents to select the next President and consider the venue for the resultant meeting. Previous Council deliberations had simply been informal affairs in traditional “smoke-filled rooms.” Prof. J. Chris Giertsen of Norway was elected and the Ninth Meeting was held in the Student Centre at the University of Bergen in June 1981. Persistent rain dampened the spirits of many of the delegates during these proceedings.

THE EIGHTIES AND BEYOND

  At the Bergen meeting, the Council was presented with the surprising yet pleasant challenge of being able to choose between four bids to host the Tenth Meeting, including two competing bids from the United Kingdom. This was a “first” for IAFS and the bidding was quite active. One group, with the support of The Forensic Science Society, was planning the meeting for Oxford University while the other, with the support of TIAFT, was planning for the resort city of Brighton. After careful consideration, the Council selected the Forensic Science Society bid. Under the leadership of Prof. Stuart S. Kind this Meeting took place in the Examination Schools of Oxford University in September of 1984. Most of the delegates were housed in the various College residences some of which, as the brochures described with tongue only slightly in cheek, “had been modernized as recently as the late 1700s”.

  TIAFT decided to go ahead with its own separate meeting at Brighton immediately prior to the IAFS meeting. By this Tenth IAFS Meeting, the required budget had increased to over $400,000. A very well-organized presentation by delegates from the Canadian Society of Forensic Sciences resulted in the selection of Dr. Rex Ferris as President and Vancouver as the site for the Eleventh Meeting which was held in August 1987. Vancouver put on its best face weather-wise (as only Vancouver can do) and many of the delegates inquired of the local organizing committee members how much they would have to pay to secure employment in such glorious surroundings. During the Vancouver meeting, which was held in the Hotel Vancouver and the nearby Hyatt Regency Hotel, the IAFS Council was presented with not only a choice for the next meeting but also with a new phenomenon of bids being presented for a meeting six or more years hence. Clearly, Prof Thomas’ idea from thirty years earlier had proven to be successful.

  The Council, however, recognized that, if IAFS was to become truly international, the pattern of meeting only in Europe and North America would have to be changed. There was concern about the cost of travel for delegates and the resultant potential non-viability of a meeting “on the other side of the world”. However, an effective bid from the South Australia Branch of the Australia and New Zealand Forensic Science Society to meet in Adelaide, Australia was persuasive.

  In October of 1990, Prof. William J. Tilstone, Director of the South Australia Forensic Science Division, who had the benefit of having served as Vice-President for the Oxford Meeting while he was still employed in the UK, presided over a superb meeting in the Adelaide Convention Centre. The enormous success of this Meeting conclusively demonstrated that the Council’s concerns about viability were totally unfounded. There were over nine hundred registrants and the budget had grown to more than $650,000.

  At this Meeting, to recognize the occasion of the first gathering of IAFS outside Europe and North America, the organizing committee established the Adelaide Medal to be awarded to a distinguished international forensic scientist. The first recipient was Douglas M. Lucas of Canada. The Council considered three bids for the 13th Meeting and selected the bid from Prof. Wolfgang Bonte of the University of Dusseldorf.

  The Thirteenth International Meeting was presided over by Dr. Bonte in August of 1993 at the University. This Meeting had the benefit of participation by many forensic scientists who had previously been somewhat isolated in Eastern Europe. Because of the lack of a sufficiently large auditorium in the venue, a unique feature of the Meeting was the use of an enormous marquee tent to accommodate the plenary sessions and some of the social events. While this was an interesting conversation piece at the latter, the lack of control over mother nature’s natural lighting proved a disaster for the scientific/technical slide presentations. The Adelaide Medal was awarded to Dr. Ray L. Williams, Director of the Metropolitan Police Laboratory in London. Meeting bids were becoming increasingly sophisticated including video presentations showing the proposed venues and “lobbying” of the delegates both before and during the meeting. Four bids were received and considered with Prof Takehiko Takatori of the University of Tokyo being selected as the successful bidder.

  The Fourteenth IAFS Meeting went back across the Pacific in August 1996 to the Keio Plaza Hotel in Tokyo. The success of this carefully structured meeting was demonstrated by the presence of over 1300 delegates from 58 countries. Brian Culliford, an outstanding British forensic serologist, was the recipient of the Adelaide medal. Again, at this meeting, three bids were received including, for the first time, one from the Middle East. However, careful groundwork which had been laid by a group from Los Angeles over several past meetings resulted in the election by the Council of Barry A.J. Fisher, Director of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office Laboratory to preside over the meeting to be held at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) in August of 1999.

  President Fisher, with the strong support of staff from the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, organized a highly successful meeting on the beautiful UCLA campus and the delegates again enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere of an academic venue. An unusual and delightful highlight was the formal banquet held outdoors under the stars on the campus grounds. Commercial exhibitors, who by now were an important source of revenue for the meeting, were, however, somewhat disappointed by the remote location of the exhibit hall relative to the scientific sessions.

  A revised constitution for IAFS was presented to the meeting by the Council and accepted for ratification at the next meeting. Dr. Ian Evett, a well-known forensic statistician with the UK Forensic Science Service received the Adelaide Medal. In another “first”, The American Academy of Forensic Sciences established a new medal – The Douglas M. Lucas Medal – to recognize outstanding international accomplishments which was presented to Professor Sir Alec Jeffreys the developer of forensic applications of DNA.

  The Council also had the difficult challenge of selecting between three particularly strong bids from England, Israel and France to host the Sixteenth Meeting. After considerable discussion, Dr. Eric Baccino – Head of the Research Laboratory of Legal Medicine and Clinical Toxicology in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Montpellier was chosen to preside over the Meeting to be held in Montpellier.

The New Millenium

  In September 2002, over 1200 delegates from 63 countries, including many from Eastern Europe, gathered in the Convention Center of the charming medieval city of Montpellier in southern France. The meetings had continued to grow, as had the costs. President Baccino’s budget for this meeting was over $850,000. A highlight of the meeting was an elegant medieval style banquet in an ancient monastery which had been converted into a winery. The revised IAFS constitution was ratified by the delegates and Alastair Ross, Head of the National Institute of Forensic Science in Australia, was the recipient of the Adelaide Medal. The late Dr. Alan Curry former head of the UK Forensic Science Service was named recipient of the Lucas Medal.

  Four impressive bids for the next meeting were presented to the Council. Again, the members of Council agonized over the choice but eventually selected S.C. Leung, Director of the Hong Kong Government Analyst’s Forensic Laboratory, to preside over the seventeenth meeting in Hong Kong in August of 2005.

  The magnificent Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on beautiful Victoria Harbor was the site of the 17th IAFS Meeting, August 21st to 26th, 2005, attended by over 1500 delegates. A large group of the delegates was from mainland China which presented an excellent opportunity for them for the first time to have a professional interchange with other practitioners from around the world – and vice versa. One of the sessions at the Meeting was “Forensic Science in China” and several of the workshops were specifically designed for the Chinese delegates. The positive impact of holding these meetings in different parts of the world was quite evident. President Leung’s theme for the meeting was “Justice Through Science.”

  Prof. Sir Alec Jeffreys of the University of Leicester in England, was the recipient of the Adelaide Medal while Joseph Almog, Director of the National Forensic Science Service in Israel received the Lucas Medal. Three bids for the 2008 meeting were received and Ronald Singer, Director of the Forensic Science Laboratory in the Fort Worth, Texas Medical Examiner’s Office was selected to preside over the 18th Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana in 2008. Ironically, this decision was made on August 25th, four days before Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the USA and devastated New Orleans.

  One of the hundreds of severely damaged buildings in New Orleans was the planned venue for the 18th IAFS Meeting – the Hyatt Regency Hotel adjacent to the Superdome. President Singer, with the highly professional organizational support of staff from the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, overcame many challenges in the planning for the meeting (over and above the usual ones) including locating a suitable alternative venue. Their efforts were rewarded with the great success of the Meeting which took place July 21st to 26th, 2008 in the New Orleans Marriott Hotel on the edge of the historic French Quarter and just a short walk from the Mississippi River. About 850 delegates participated.

  Prof. William Bass, renowned forensic anthropologist at the University of Tennessee and developer of the “Body Farm”, was the recipient of the Adelaide Medal and the late Prof. Clyde Snow, world famous forensic anthropologist, was named recipient of the Lucas Medal. Three nominations for the Presidency were received and Prof. Duarte Nuno Vieira, Head of the Nationwide Institute of Forensic Medicine of Portugal, was elected to preside over the 19th Meeting on the Portuguese Island of Madeira.

  Under the dynamic leadership of Prof. Vieira and his staff, the 19th IAFS Meeting was held in Funchal, the capitol of Madeira, September 12th to 17th, 2011. Two other organizations, The World Police Medical Officers and The Mediterranean Academy of Forensic Sciences held their triennial meetings in conjunction with IAFS. The venue was the Pestana Casino Park Hotel and Congress Centre, a beautiful modern facility on the harbor. This was the first time IAFS had held its meeting at a resort type venue, near a casino (by sheer coincidence of course, delegates had to walk past the casino to get from the hotel to the Congress Centre), and at a location quite so remote (Madeira, although part of Portugal, is located off the northwest coast of Africa about a one and a half hour flight from Lisbon.) Whatever the reason, this was the largest and perhaps most successful IAFS Meeting to date with approximately 1700 delegates from 109 countries registered. Every continent except Antarctica was represented .

  A display of the flags of all the countries represented was prominent in the venue, on the literature and scrolling across the projector screens prompting informal contests of “Name that Country.” The budget had grown to near $900,000. Prof. Angel Carracedo of the Institute of Legal Medicine in the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain was the recipient of the Adelaide Medal in recognition of his many contributions to advances in the field of forensic genetics over the past twenty years. Prof. Pierre Margot of Lausanne University received the Lucas Medal. Four nominations for the Presidency of the 20th Meeting were presented and considered. The Council was particularly pleased that three of the nominees were women, one of whom, Dr. Heesun Chung, Director of the Korean National Institute of Scientific Investigation, was selected to preside over the 20^th IAFS Meeting.

  The 20th Triennial Meeting of IAFS was held from October 13th to 17^th, 2014 in the enormous COEX Convention Center in Seoul, South Korea. The adjoining COEX Intercontinental Hotel provided comfortable accommodations for the majority of the attendees. Dr. Heesun Chung, now Dean of the Graduate School of Analytical Science and Technology in the Chungnam National University, presided over the meeting with supreme efficiency and her own personal characteristics of elegance and class. Members of the Asian Forensic Science Network (AFSN), the Asia-Pacific Medico-Legal Agencies (APMLA), and the World Police Medical Officers (WPMO) took the opportunity to hold their meetings during the Conference which was styled for their purposes as the World Forensic Festival under the leadership of the current Director General of the NFS Dr. Seo Joong-Seok.

  Over 1600 participants from 81 countries enjoyed seven keynote invited lectures, 296 oral presentations, 341 poster presentations and numerous workshops which made for a very complete scientific program. A Gala Dinner on the “Floating Island” in the Han River and a delightful President’s Dinner in the Illuminar Hall of the Convention Center highlighted the social activities. The budget for this Meeting was close to the equivalent of US $ 1.6 million. Dr. Tony Raymond, Manager of the Strategic Forensic Sciences Branch and Chief Scientist of the Forensic Services Group of the New South Wales Police Force in Australia was the recipient of the Adelaide Medal in recognition of his outstanding contributions to forensic science in Australia and internationally. The American Academy of Forensic Sciences’ Douglas M. Lucas Medal for outstanding international efforts was awarded to Prof. Duarte Nuno Vieira of Portugal for his work in the area of maintenance of human rights. Both medalists presented important plenary lectures to the conference. Bids for the 21st Meeting were received from Brazil, Canada, Denmark and Turkey. Dr. Michael Pollanen, Chief Forensic Pathologist for the Province of Ontario was elected as President to preside over the meeting in Toronto, Canada.

  Prof. Pollanen and his very efficient staff ran a highly successful meeting in the Sheraton Centre Hotel in downtown Toronto August 21 to 25, 2017. One of several unique features at this meeting was the presentation of the 39 Pre-Conference Workshops off-site in the beautiful new Forensic Services and Coroner’s Complex (FSCC) in suburban Toronto. Although this required transporting the participants about fifteen kilometers each way, this did not deter them as the Workshops “sold out.” This location permitted “hands on” activities for some of the workshops in actual laboratory facilities. During the Conference itself, the 1440 Registrants from 86 countries had access to 13 Plenary Sessions, 3 Panel Discussions, 270 Oral Presentations and 633 Poster Presentations.

  Another unique feature occurred during the Gala Dinner in the hotel at which the unusual entertainment – aerial acrobats performing on ropes and rings suspended from the ceiling – brought gasps from the diners. On the final night, the President hosted a dinner that was undoubtedly the highest ever at an IAFS Meeting  –  in a restaurant near the top of the CN Tower – 350 meters above the ground. The Adelaide Medal was awarded to Prof. Cristina Cattaneo of the University of Milan in recognition of her exceptional efforts in the identification of hundreds of refugees who have lost their lives attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea from Africa and the Middle East. Prof. Cattaneo was unable to attend the meeting but – in another first for IAFS – she sent her lecture on a video disc. The AAFS Lucas Medal was awarded to Dr. Douglas Ubelaker of the Smithsonian Institute in the USA to honor his many years of activity developing the field of Forensic Anthropology. Nominations for the Presidency were submitted for candidates from five countries and Prof. Claude Roux of the University of Technology Sydney in Sydney, Australia was elected to preside over the 22^nd International Meeting in 2020.

  Returning to Australia after thirty years produced an excitement reminiscent of the earlier Adelaide meeting however the development worldwide of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the organizers’ well-laid plans. After a couple of deferrals, by July 2020 it became obvious that cancelling the 22^nd meeting and reserving Sydney for the 23^rd meeting in 2023 was the only viable option. Council agreed with their recommendation.

  Following a six year hiatus, Prof. Roux (who as a result of the cancellation of the 22^nd meeting was now the longest-serving IAFS President) and his team orchestrated a highly successful 23^rd meeting 20-24 November 2023 in Sydney. It was conducted in conjunction with the 26^th Symposium of the Australian & New Zealand Forensic Science Society and drew over 1700 delegates from 70 countries to the new Sydney International Convention Centre. The scientific program featured four plenary sessions, ten parallel breakout sessions spanning 22 disciplines, 570 oral presentations, 510 electronic posters (a first for IAFS), and 25 pre-conference workshops at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Additionally, there were eight industry-led workshops (including Australian Federal Police transdisciplinary workshops), “Where to From Here” mini summits, and numerous special events, including a forum dedicated to the Sydney Declaration, co-hosted by UTS and the Australian Academy of Forensic Sciences. The thought-provoking plenary program successfully addressed Forensic Science in a Post Pandemic World, Forensic Intelligence, Global Strategies on Gender-Based Violence & Missing Persons, plus a “Where to From Here” panel session. Each day, this plenary program set the stage for the remainder of the scientific program and the “Where to From Here” mini summits.

  In recognition of outstanding contributions, the meeting honored professionals and members of the broad international forensic science community:

• American Academy of Forensic Sciences “Douglas M. Lucas Medal”; Prof. Christophe Champod, University of Lausanne, Switzerland;
• 2020 Adelaide Medal: Prof. John Buckleton, ESR, New Zealand;
• 2023 Adelaide Medal: Prof. James Robertson, University of Canberra, Australia;
• 2020 IAFS Humanitarian Award: Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine represented by Prof. Stephen Cordner, Australia;
• 2023 IAFS Humanitarian Award: Prof. Duarte Nuno Vieira, University of Coimbra, Portugal.

  The social program added a vibrant touch, fostering connections and reigniting camaraderie. It included the welcome reception where the #iafs2023 (in)famous clip-on koalas stepped aside for their living counterparts, the memorable “Out of this World” ANZFSS social night, and the gala dinner at Luna Park on the shores of Sydney Harbor. The positive vibe and excitement were noticeable throughout after the COVID hiatus. Five excellent bids were proposed for IAFS 2026. Yanko Kolev MD, PhD, Head of the Department of Forensic Medicine, Gabrovo, Bulgaria was elected President to preside over the 24th meeting to be held in Sofia.

CONCLUSION

  As noted in the opening paragraph, IAFS is a very unusual organization. For over half a century, it has been successful in its primary purpose of ensuring an international meeting of forensic scientists in the English language every three years (with the exception of the Covid-19 related pandemic years noted above.) The management of its affairs is quite undemocratic; the Council of Past Presidents selects the President and thus the venue, and the President automatically becomes a member of the Council for life on completion of his/her meeting. Each meeting is the total responsibility of the President. It must be self-financing since IAFS per se has no funds. Several of the early Presidents had to take out personal loans to get their meetings off the ground. The most that an incoming President can expect is some “seed money” from the previous meeting to cover initial “startup” expenses. This amount has grown from the $5,000 transferred between the Fifth and Sixth Meetings to over $75,000 after the Adelaide Meeting. Budgets have also increased and are now close to US$ 1.6 million which must be raised from grants, donations, exhibitor fees, workshops, and delegate registration fees. The President is required to submit an audited financial accounting to the Council prior to the next Meeting and transfer any resultant surplus to the succeeding President.

  Suggestions over the years to formalize the membership and funding have been considered but rejected. The complexities of different international monetary systems and resultant problems of currency exchange, and the difficulties of establishing and administering international qualifications for membership have persuaded the Council, and delegates at the meetings to continue to keep IAFS simple. The advantage is that the focus at the meetings is on scientific and social intercourse, not on business. Professional information is exchanged on an international basis and valuable friendships are forged and renewed. What more could be asked?

Revised February 2024 Douglas M. Lucas