Patrick Harding retired as supervisor of the Toxicology Section of the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) on December 30, 2012 after working 35 years at the WSLH. For more than 30 years Patrick functioned as a technical expert for WSLH alcohol testing programs and as an analyst for alcohol and other substances in biological specimens. Besides administrative duties related to the general operation of the Toxicology Section, his duties included coordinating the laboratory’s blood alcohol testing program, overseeing the administration of Wisconsin’s blood alcohol proficiency testing program and providing scientific support for Wisconsin’s breath alcohol testing program. Expert testimony in blood and breath alcohol cases (over 750), analysis of blood specimens, employee training and outreach activities were included in these duties.
Patrick has a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and has completed numerous courses covering alcohol-related topics. He is a former chair of the National Safety Council Committee on Alcohol and Other Drugs, on the Board of Directors of the International Association for Chemical Testing, is a member of the Canadian Society of Forensic Science, a member of the Society of Forensic Toxicologists and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. He has co-authored papers on breath alcohol testing for the Journal of Forensic Sciences and co-authored a breath alcohol testing chapter in Medicolegal Aspects of Alcohol, as well as a special topic monograph for American Prosecutors Research Institute entitled “Alcohol Toxicology for Prosecutors.”
Patrick has been recognized for his professional contributions to forensic toxicology and highway safety, having received IACT’s Kurt M. Dubowski award (2005), The NSC Robert F. Borkenstein Award (2007) and the AAFS Toxicology Section Ray Abernethy Award (2013)
Patrick has been an instructor at the Robert F. Borkenstein Course on Alcohol, Drugs and Highway Safety: Testing, Research and Litigation since 2002 and was named Assistant Course Director in 2012.