Forensic Biology’s Manager, Quality Safety Training and Risk - Recipient of Award for Research and Innovation
Anna Heavey, Manager, Quality Safety Training and Risk in the Forensic Biology Department
Congratulations to Anna Heavey, Manager, Quality Safety Training and Risk in the Forensic Biology Department, who has been awarded $10,000 by the Australia and New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency – National Institute of Forensic Science (ANZPAA NIFS) Research and Innovation Funding program.
The program awards funding to research projects being conducted by member agencies of the Australia New Zealand Forensic Executive Committee that would contribute to a body of knowledge aimed at better understanding the accuracy and limitation of existing forensic science techniques or enhancing practices in forensic science.
About Anna’s research project
Quality issues in forensic science: how management, disclosure and regulation in an international jurisdiction may inform enhanced practice for Australia and New Zealand
‘Quality issues’ are issues that occur within the forensic process which may impact the validity of a result or interpretation or may indicate a problem within the process that could eventuate in an invalid result. Data on quality issues is recorded as standard practice in forensic facilities operating accredited quality management systems. However, the lack of common terminology and issue classification systems between facilities make communication of this data extremely challenging, particularly when this inconsistency can lead to potential misunderstanding or misuse of the information. This lack of transparency is an area of current and urgent concern for the field following the findings of, and recommendations made by, the 2022 Commission of Inquiry into Forensic DNA Testing in Queensland and recent changes to international regulatory and accreditation requirements.
The award will allow Anna to travel to Texas, USA, in October where she will meet with forensic practitioners working in facilities at the municipal, county and state level along with interviews with members of the regulatory body, the Texas Forensic Science Commission. This will be a unique opportunity to investigate how a regulated environment influences quality management in forensic science.
Anna’s findings will inform national research priority programs being conducted by ANZPAA NIFS in developing strategic initiatives to enhance practice in forensic science across Australia and New Zealand. The learnings will be used directly by PathWest Forensic Biology to strengthen service provision and continuous improvement programs. This project forms part of a wider PhD research project Anna is undertaking part-time through Curtin University, investigating the development of an evidence-based foundation for the standardised categorisation and disclosure of quality issues in forensic science. The PhD research has already generated multiple publications and support from the forensic community in Australia and internationally. Whilst in Texas, Anna has been invited to present on her research to international quality professionals at the Annual Conference of the Association of Forensic Quality Assurance Managers (AFQAM).