SOFT 2025
We look forward to welcoming you to the West Coast for SOFT 2025 in Portland, OR! For the latest updates, be sure to check the Annual Meeting Tab on the SOFT website regularly and keep an eye on your SOFT emails.
The website will continued to be updated throughout the year to ensure you have the most up to date SOFT 2025 information. We can't wait to welcome you to Portland and look forward to an enriching and memorable meeting together!
Important Dates & Deadlines
Please note that Dates & Deadlines will continue to be updated as SOFT 2025 approaches.
- Meeting Dates: October 26 – October 31, 2025
- Call for Workshops: February 17
- JAT Special Issue Titles/Abstracts: March 3
- JAT Special Issue Papers Due: March 17
- Call for Abstracts: March 19
- Workshop Proposals Due: April 11
- Abstract Submissions Due: June 5
- Registration & Room Block Open: June 25
- Late Registration Beings: September 12
- Onsite Registration Begins: October 16
Exhibiting
RESERVE YOUR BOOTH! - We still have space in the exhibit hall!
- Dates: October 27-31, 2025
- Location: Oregon Convention Center - Exhibit Hall D
- Hotels: Hyatt Regency Portland & Hotel Eastlund
- Contacts: CC Watson, Operations Manager and Sarah Riley, Exhibitor Liaison
SOFT is thrilled to invite you to join us as an exhibitor and sponsor for the SOFT 2025 Annual Meeting, taking place in Portland, Oregon, from October 27 - 31, 2025 at the Oregon Convention Center.
Important Exhibiting Dates:
- Booth Reservations Open: February 28
- Payment Due by April 1
- Refund Request Deadline: April 1
- Booth Assignments Begin: May 2025
- Hotel Room Block & Registration Open: June 25
- Exhibitor Kit Distributed: July 2025
- Booth Staff Registration Due By October 17
Registration
Registration for SOFT 2025 Opens on June 25!
Registration Rates and Inclusions
SOFT 2025: Registration rates
SOFT 2025: Registration Rates and Inclusions
Scientific program
The SOFT 2025 Program Coordinators invite you to Submit an Abstract for SOFT 2025! As a premier platform for forensic toxicologists, the SOFT Scientific Program offers an opportunity to present cutting-edge research and engage with experts in the field through Platform and Poster Presentations.
Important dates & Deadlines:
- May 5: Call for Abstract Reviewers
- May 16: Abstract Reviewer Application Due - SOFT 2025 Abstract Review Tips
- June 5: Abstract Submissions Due
- August 6: Final Decision to Authors
- August 27: Program Schedule to Authors
- October 2: Poster PDF's Due
- October 9: Presentations Due
- October 29 - 31: SOFT 2025
Platform Presentation guidelines
Platform Presentation guidelines have been updated to enhance the quality of discourse and maximize engagement. Platform presenters will be allocated 12 minutes, with 10 minutes dedicated to the presentation and an additional 2 minutes for questions.
We encourage speakers to streamline introductory content and prioritize the presentation of results for a more impactful delivery. Please be aware that if chosen for a Platform presentation, you may be scheduled anytime during the three scientific session days (Wednesday – Friday), please plan travel accordingly.
NEW - “Special Topic” Session for 2025!
This year the Scientific Program Coordinators have chosen Kratom as a Special Topic and encourage those with interesting case studies, research, or analytical information related to Kratom to submit an abstract for the Special Topic Session! Presenters in this section may request, but are not guaranteed, additional time for presentations, subject to content, reviewer feedback and the discretion of the Scientific Program Coordinators.
Program Schedule
Wednesday, October 29
- Poster Preparation | 7:00 – 11:00 AM
- Platform Presentations | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
- Poster Session #1 | 12:00 – 2:00 PM
Thursday, October 30
- Poster Preparation | 7:00 – 11:00 AM
- Platform Presentations | 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM
- Poster Session #2 | 12:00 – 2:00 PM
Friday, October 31
- Platform Presentations | 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
SOFT 2025 Workshop Program
- Program Coordinators: Mary Lynn Heffington & Dani Mata
- Program Dates: Monday, October 27 & Tuesday, October 28
- Program Location: Oregon Convention Center, Portland, OR
- Program Materials Sent to Registrants: October 2025
- Registration: Meeting Registration Opens June 25
Rates:
Early Bird
- Member: $150
- Student: $150
- Non-Member: $200
Late
- Member: $175
- Student: $175
- Non-Member: $225
Onsite
- Member: $200
- Student: $200
- Non-Member: $250
Monday, October 27 | 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
WS01: From Crisis to Calm: Mental Health in Forensic Science Workplaces
- Chair: Kristen Burke, MS, MBA
- Chair: Sabra Jones, PhD
- Audience Knowledge: Basic - suitable for individuals new to the field, requires little prior knowledge to the subject matter
WS02: The Rise of Smoke Shops and Commercial Sales of NPS
- Chair: Kayla N Ellefsen, PhD
- Chair: Helen Chang, MS
- Audience Knowledge: Basic - suitable for individuals new to the field, requires little prior knowledge to the subject matter
WS03: A Closer Look at Pediatric Toxicology: Unraveling the Mysteries of Pediatric Testing
- Chair: Theresa Hippolyte, M.S., D-ABFT-FT
- Chair: Lindsay Glicksberg, Ph.D.
- Audience Knowledge: Basic - suitable for individuals new to the field, requires little prior knowledge to the subject matter
WS04: Method Development: Foundations for the New Toxicologist, Part I
- Chair: Elisa N Shoff, MS, D-ABFT-FT
- Chair: Wayne Lewallen, BS
- Audience Knowledge: Basic - suitable for individuals new to the field, requires little prior knowledge to the subject matter
Monday, October 27 | 1:30 - 5:30 PM
WS05: Forensic Toxicology Validation: Navigating the Latest ANSI/ASB 036 Revisions: Part II
- Chair: Rebecca Wagner, PhD
- Chair: Robert Lockwood, PhD
- Audience Knowledge: Intermediate - Involves more advanced concepts requiring some technical working knowledge or prior exposure to the subject matter
WS06: The “Postmortem Blood Drug Screen”: Analytical and Managerial Approaches
- Chair: Carl E Wolf, PhD
- Chair: Justin L Poklis, BS
- Audience Knowledge: Intermediate - Involves more advanced concepts requiring some technical working knowledge or prior exposure to the subject matter
WS07: Choosing Wisely: How Alternative Biological Matrices Shape and Support Forensic Interpretation
- Chair: Eduardo de Campos, PhD
- Chair: Ana Pego, PhD
- Audience Knowledge: Intermediate - Involves more advanced concepts requiring some technical working knowledge or prior exposure to the subject matter
WS08: Beyond the Pill Bottle: Prescription Drugs' Hidden Impacts on Driving, Work, and Life
- Chair: Kristen Burke, MS, MBA
- Chair: Sabra Jones, PhD
- Audience Knowledge: Basic - suitable for individuals new to the field, requires little prior knowledge to the subject matter
Tuesday, October 28 | 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
WS09: Stimulants and the Road Ahead
- Chair: Anisha Paul, MS
- Chair: Vanessa Meneses, MS
- Audience Knowledge: Basic - suitable for individuals new to the field, requires little prior knowledge to the subject matter
WS10: Recent Advances in MS-based Forensic Toxicology: Achieving Efficiency, Selectivity, and Sensitivity
- Chair: Tim Fassette
- Chair: Laura Friederich
- Audience Knowledge: Intermediate - Involves more advanced concepts requiring some technical working knowledge or prior exposure to the subject matter
WS11: Data Analysis: Collection, Preparation and Visualization
- Chair: Brigitte Desharnais, PhD
- Chair: Sue Pearring, MS
- Audience Knowledge: Basic - suitable for individuals new to the field, requires little prior knowledge to the subject matter
WS12: Roadside Oral Fluid Testing Device Evaluation and Approval
- Chair: Curt E. Harper, Ph.D.
- Chair: Mandi Mohr, MS
- Audience Knowledge: Intermediate - Involves more advanced concepts requiring some technical working knowledge or prior exposure to the subject matter
Tuesday, October 28 | 1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
WS13: “Can I Say That?” Mastering Expert Testimony in Forensic Toxicology
- Chair: Robert Johnson, PhD
- Chair: Kei Osawa, MFS
- Audience Knowledge: Basic - suitable for individuals new to the field, requires little prior knowledge to the subject matter
WS14: Death in Portland, Let Knowledge Service the City. Postmortem Toxicology—How to Complete a Thorough Investigation
- Chair: Craig N Chatterton, PhD
- Chair: Luke N Rodda, PhD
- Audience Knowledge: Basic - suitable for individuals new to the field, requires little prior knowledge to the subject matter
WS15: Uniting Forensic Toxicology and Medical Toxicology to Implement the Drug Overdose Toxico-Surveillance (DOTS) Reporting Program
- Chair: Alex J Krotulski, PhD
- Chair: Paul Wax, MD
- Audience Knowledge: Intermediate - Involves more advanced concepts requiring some technical working knowledge or prior exposure to the subject matter
WS16: Leveraging Large Language Models to Investigate the Novel Psychoactive Drug Ecosystem: Applications in Structural Prediction, Behavioral Analysis, and Cyber Surveillance
- Chair: Lynn M Wagner, PhD
- Chair: Erin R Wilfong, PhD
- Audience Knowledge: Intermediate - Involves more advanced concepts requiring some technical working knowledge or prior exposure to the subject matter
