Dr. Amy L. Patton is the Laboratory Director of the North Louisiana Criminalistics Laboratory, where she provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for multiple forensic disciplines serving jurisdictions across northern Louisiana. She has more than a decade of experience in forensic and clinical toxicology, with a professional background spanning state, private, and federal toxicology programs. Prior to her current role, she served as Technical Director of the Special Forensic Toxicology Drug Testing Laboratory supporting the Department of Defense drug testing programs.
She earned her Ph.D. in Forensic Sciences from Oklahoma State University, Center for Health Sciences, with research focused on emerging drugs and their analytical and interpretive challenges in toxicology. Dr. Patton holds a Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of the Ozarks. She has been a Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician since 2007.
Dr. Patton has authored and co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and conference posters in the areas of forensic toxicology, cannabinoids, novel psychoactive substances, and analytical method development, and she regularly presents her work at national and international forensic science meetings. She is a certified ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) Forensic ISO/IEC 17025 Technical Assessor and has participated in multiple forensic laboratory accreditation inspections and assessments. She is an active member of several professional organizations, including the Society of Forensic Toxicologists (SOFT), where she serves on the Novel Psychoactive Substances Committee, as well as The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (TIAFT), the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors (ASCLD), and the National Safety Council’s Alcohol, Drugs, and Impairment Division. Her professional interests include emerging drug trends, forensic toxicology method development, and the advancement of best practices in analytical toxicology.
