English Speaking Working Group

Topics: Board | Meetings | Relationship Testing Workshop | Publications

Upcoming Scientific meeting

ESWG has a tradition to organize scientific meetings in the years between the ISFG meetings. Due to the pandemic, our planned scientific meeting for 2020 in Norway was unfortunately cancelled and we have not yet decided on the next “live” scientific meeting. We have, however, decided to have a virtual scientific meeting and member meeting later this year (most probably in September or October). More information will follow shortly!

Summary of the ESWG 2019 member meeting

In connection to the ISFG conference in Prague, Czech Republic (September, 2019) the ESWG member meeting was held. Approximately 40 members were present at the meeting. In brief, the board was re-elected for another two years (Andreas Tillmar as the chairman, Denise Syndercombe Court as the secretary and Bo Thisted Simonsen as the treasurer). Daniel Kling presented a summary of this year's (2019) ESWG proficiency testing workshop. Daniel and colleagues will also organize the workshop 2020 (more information will come in the spring). Marguerethe Rødhammer Stenersen, Oslo, Norway presented a proposal for the 2020 ESWG scientific meeting. The board and the members present at the meeting agreed that the 2020 meeting should be hosted by Margurethe and colleagues.

Relationship Testing Workshop

For a long period of time, proficiency testing has yearly been organized within the ESWG with a special focus on relationship testing (wet testing and paper challenges). The results of the 2020 proficiency test have been made available as an online video presentation that can be viewed here: https://familias.name/ESWG/presentation_eswg_2020.mp4 The 2021 proficiency testing exercise will also this year be organized by the Department of Forensic Sciences, Norway in collaboration with the National Board of Forensic Medicine, Sweden. If you haven’t participated before and would like to do so this year, please contact Daniel Kling (daniel.kling@rmv.se).

Membership of the ESWG

Membership of the English Speaking Working Group (ESWG) is open to all English speaking members of the ISFG and may be obtained by application to the secretary of the group. There will be no membership fee in addition to that payable to the ISFG. Please go to your personal profile and tick membership of the ESWG.

Aims of the English Speaking Working Group are

• the exchange of experience, quality control and stimulation of cooperation between the members;
• making available scientific knowledge and findings in the field of interest;
• organisation of scientific meetings ­– but such meetings will be held only after consultation with the ISFG.

Here, you find the constitution of the ESWG.

History of the ESWG

The ESWG was founded after the ISFH meeting 23-27 September 1979 in London. Here you find some more details about the history of the ESWG.

Board

A board administers the ESWG that is responsible for organising any meeting of the group. The board consists of the chairman, the secretary and the treasurer who are elected by vote for a period of two years. The board represents the working group.

Chairman

Secretary

Treasurer

Publications of the Group

1. Syndercombe Court D, Lincoln P. A review of the 1991: 1994 Paternity Testing Workshops of the English-Speaking Working Group. In: Carracedo A, Brinkmann, Bär W (eds) Advances in Forensic Haemogenetics 6. Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg New York, pp. 683-5.
2. Bjerre A, Syndercombe Court D, Lincoln P, Morling N. A report of the 1995 and 1996 Paternity Testing Workshops of the English Speaking Working Group of the International Society for Forensic Haemogenetics. Forensic Sci Int 1997; 90: 41-55.
3. Hallenberg C, Morling N. A report of the 1997, 1998 and 1999 Paternity Testing Workshops of the English Speaking Working Group of the International Society for Forensic Genetics. Forensic Sci Int 2001; 116: 23-33.
4. Hallenberg C, Morling N. A report of the 2000 and 2001 Paternity Testing Workshops of the English Speaking Working Group of the International Society for Forensic Genetics. Forensic Sci Int 2002; 129: 43-50.
5. Thomsen AR, Hallenberg C, Simonsen BT, Langkjær RB, Morling N. A report of the 2002-2008 Paternity Testing Workshops of the English Speaking Working Group of the International Society for Forensic Genetics. FSI: Genetics 2009,3: 214-21.
6. Poulsen L, Friis SL, Hallenberg C, Simonsen BT, Morling N. A report of the 2009–2011 Paternity and Relationship Testing Workshops of the English Speaking Working Group of the International Society for Forensic Genetics. Forensic Science International: Genetics 2014; 9: e1-2.