Amy Cochems

Amy Cochems is an advanced Chemist in the Forensic Toxicology Program at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH). The Toxicology Section of the WSLH provides alcohol and drug testing to law enforcement officers for impaired driving cases and medical examiners and coroners for death investigations. Amy functions as a lead worker and technical expert within the drug testing area of the laboratory. Her duties include the screening, quantitation, and confirmation of alcohol and other drugs. Amy also reviews laboratory work, trains chemists, provides technical support for the instrumentation, and is involved in method development. She provides expert court testimony and interpretation of laboratory reports for coroners, medical examiners, attorneys and law enforcement officers. Amy also provides expert consultation for drug impaired driving cases both locally and nationally. In addition to her laboratory duties, Amy attended the DRE school held in Wisconsin in 2004 and provides training and support for the DRE program. In 2005 Amy received an award from Citizens Against Drug Impaired Drivers (CANDID) for her outstanding dedication to the DRE program.

Amy has given numerous presentations on the topic of drugs and human performance at state and national conferences and in-service trainings and has contributed several newsletter articles to national publications. Amy has completed extensive research on the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics and impairment related to inhalant abuse and also the drug dextromethorphan. She has presented on these topics at several local and national conferences and law enforcement trainings. Amy has also published a manuscript on dextromethorphan in a peer reviewed scientific journal.

Amy is a member of the following professional organizations: Society of Forensic Toxicologists (SOFT), the International Joint AAFS/SOFT Driving Under the Influence of Drugs Committee, the Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) Oversight Committee of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin SFST Advisory Committee.

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