Accreditations

The Institute maintains the following accreditations:

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
American Board of Forensic Toxicology
ANSI National Accreditation Board Forensic Testing & Calibration Program
(ISO/IEC 17025)
ANSI National Accreditation Board Forensic Inspection Program
(ISO/IEC 17020)
ANSI National Accreditation Board Management and Operation of Property and Evidence Control Units Program
(AR 3181)
DNV (ISO 9001:2015)
National Association of Medical Examiners
Texas Forensic Science Commission
Texas Medical Association for Continuing Medical Education

Accreditation is essential to demonstrate the integrity of an organization. The Institute of Forensic Sciences reinforces its commitment to unbiased forensic science services, analyses, examinations, and court testimony, by use of best practices, fundamentally sound research, and proper training of professionals.

Accreditation assures the public and the community that the Institute of Forensic Sciences meets the highest professional standards and ensures credibility within the scientific community and the legal system. Accreditation reflects that HCIFS has fulfilled the essential standards addressing resources, discipline-specific tasks, quality assurance procedures, and facility requirements.

Accrediting organizations, comprised of subject matter experts and forensic science scholars, inspect and grant accreditation after completing a rigorous and comprehensive inspection and regularly monitor the Institute’s performance for ongoing compliance. Accreditation acknowledges the merit of HCIFS staff and the work produced.

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) certifies an agency as a training institute in a medical subspecialty through accreditation. The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences is ACGME accredited and this allows HCIFS to maintain a forensic pathology fellowship program. The forensic pathology fellowship program trains up to two (2) physicians per year in the forensic pathology subspecialty. The fellowship program prepares physician trainees for the practice of medicolegal death investigation, and the forensic pathology subspecialty certification exam offered by the American Board of Pathology.

American Board of Forensic Toxicology (ABFT)

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences has maintained American Board of Forensic Toxicology (ABFT) accreditation since 2004. ABFT establishes requirements for alcohol and drug testing in biological specimens collected during driving under the influence, drug-facilitated crime, and postmortem investigations. ABFT accreditation is now administered by the ANAB and requires accreditation under an ANAB forensic program.

ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) Forensic Testing & Calibration Program (ISO/IEC 17025 Standards and Supplemental Forensic Requirements)

The Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences crime laboratory currently holds accreditation to the ISO/IEC 17025 standard under the ANAB Forensic Testing & Calibration program. The crime lab is accredited in the field of forensic testing in the following disciplines: Forensic Toxicology, Drug Chemistry, Firearms Identification, Forensic Genetics, and Trace Evidence. The accreditation requirements include rigorous standards for integrity and quality in the work performance of analysts and technicians, the documented and validated procedures, the materials and equipment used in analyses and examination, and the commitment to meeting customer expectations in forensic testing services. The HCIFS crime laboratory disciplines have maintained continuous accreditation since 1999.

ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) Forensic Inspection Program (ISO/IEC 17020 Standards and Supplemental Forensic Requirements)

The Forensic Anthropology Division demonstrates technical competence with accreditation to the ISO/IEC 17020 standard under the ANAB Forensic Inspection Program (ISO/IEC 17020 Standards). The forensic anthropologists at the Institute of Forensic Sciences are committed to performing forensic examinations with exceptional quality assurance and professional integrity.

ANSI National Accreditation Board Management and Operation of Property and Evidence Control Units Program (AR 3181)

In October 2024, the Evidence Intake Division achieved accreditation to the ANAB Management and Operation of Property and Evidence Control Units Program. This accreditation program provides a structure to maintain procedures and trained personnel who are competent in reducing risk, ensuring accountability, and maintaining the integrity of property and evidence items under the chain of custody of HCIFS.

DNV

The Quality Management System central to HCIFS services has been certified to ISO 9001:2015 since May 2019. A globally recognized quality management standard, ISO 9001:2015 is comprised of more than 350 requirements for planning, controlling, and improving an agency’s management system. The certification is based on fundamental quality assurance practices to promote a strong customer focus, effective high-level agency management, successful communication with stakeholders, risk management, and continuous improvement of services.

National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME)

The Institute of Forensic Sciences has maintained continuous accreditation by the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) since June 2006. The NAME requirements were established by physicians to reflect standards for a quality medicolegal death investigation system.

Texas Forensic Science Commission (TFSC)

The Texas Forensic Science Commission accreditation is essential for crime laboratory analysts to provide courtroom testimony and present evidence in courts of law within the state of Texas. HCIFS maintains Texas Forensic Science Commission accreditation and complies with the licensing and continuing education requirements for forensic analysts.

Texas Medical Association for Continuing Medical Education (TMA-CME)

TMA-CME accreditation is instrumental to the HCIFS role as an educational institute within the medical and medicolegal community. Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences has held TMA-CME accreditation since 2012, which and allows HCIFS to sponsor in-house, relevant, timely, and subspecialty-specific educational conferences and seminars that qualify for continuing medical education credits required by the Texas Medical Board for physicians to maintain their licensure by attending. HCIFS is currently the only medical examiner office in Texas to hold this accreditation.