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Overdose Biosurveillance Task Force

The Overdose Biosurveillance Task Force (OBTF) is an advisory group that provides subject matter expertise and input into resources for public health laboratory overdose biosurveillance programs, which contribute invaluable human laboratory results to complement existing non-fatal overdose surveillance infrastructure.

Questions?

Contact us: [email protected]

Our Purpose

About the Committee

Committee Charge

The Overdose Biosurveillance Task Force (OBTF) is an advisory group charged by the APHL Board of Directors in response to the evolving overdose epidemic to provide subject matter expertise and input into the creation, dissemination, and promotion of resources for public health laboratories developing and conducting overdose biosurveillance programs that contribute invaluable human laboratory results to complement existing non-fatal overdose surveillance infrastructure. 

Priorities

  • Promoting overdose biosurveillance as a public health surveillance strategy for non-fatal overdoses. 
  • Providing technical assistance and developing resources for overdose biosurveillance programs. 
  • Examining and determining opportunities for public health laboratory responses to the evolving overdose epidemic on an ongoing basis. 
  • Fostering interdisciplinary collaborative relationships between laboratory science, epidemiology, addiction and emergency medicine, medical toxicology, forensic science, harm reduction and community-based public health to advance public health impact of overdose biosurveillance programs. 
  • Enhancing value, contribution and utility of biosurveillance data to contribute to existing surveillance systems, public health action, stakeholder engagement, advocacy, and policy. 
Our Work

Projects and Work Products

Current Projects

The Task Force is currently working on: 

  • Expanding the OBTF Recommended Panel to incorporate emerging substances. 
  • Creating resources for qualitative analysis of nonfatal overdose specimens. 
  • Coordinating with subject matter experts in epidemiology and informatics to inform biosurveillance data collection, analysis, reporting and sharing. 
  • Creating a resource showing strengths of confirmatory testing at a public health laboratory in comparison to field-based drug testing techniques commonly used for public health purposes. 

Recently Completed Work Products

 

The Task Force was instrumental in producing the following materials: 

Dashboard

Technical Resources

Guide / Guidance
2023
Assessing Polysubstance Overdoses: An Expanded Biosurveillance Strategy for Public Health Practice
Guidance for public health agencies building nonfatal polysubstance overdose biosurveillance programs, including considerations for collaboration, testing and data.
Environmental Health, Drugs and Overdose
Guide / Guidance
2020
Model Opioids Biosurveillance Strategy for Public Health Practice
Guidance for public health agencies to develop and implement an opioids biosurveillance program; includes roles of stakeholders, surveillance program design, legal and policy considerations and testing methods.
Environmental Health
Our Team

Meet the Committee

Amy Miles
Task Force Co-chair |Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene

Jason Peterson, MS
Task Force Co-chair | Minnesota Public Health Laboratory

Andrew Hunter, MA
Missouri Department of Health

Kurunthachalam Kannan, PhD
Wadsworth Center, New York State Department of Health

Alex Krotulski, PhD
NPS Discovery, Center for Forensic Science Research and Education

Leland McClure, PhD, MSci, F-ABFT
Drug Testing Consultations, LLC; Quest Diagnostics (retired) 

Michael Moss, MD, FAACT
Utah Poison Control Center, University of Utah Hospital 

Sne Parikh
DC Department of Forensic Sciences 

Ryan Pieters
Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene

Amanda Smith, MPH
Division of Overdose Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Daniel Sudakin, MD, MPH
Aspire PDX; American College of Medical Toxicology

Jill Warrington, MD, PhD
Vermont Department of Public Health Laboratory 

Kelsey Granger, MHS
Task Force Liaison 

Julianne Nassif, MS
Program Director