The hybrid 2021 AOAC INTERNATIONAL Annual Meeting & Exposition took place August 27 – September 2, 2021 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, as well as virtually online. Virtual registration and the virtual meeting platform are open through September 30, 2021.

Katerina Mastovska, Ph.D., from AHPA member company Eurofins Scientific, was the recipient of the 2021 Harvey W. Wiley Award, the AOAC INTERNATIONAL’s highest honor for lifetime scientific achievement.

Dr. Mastovska’s group was also awarded Method of the Year for the Official Method of Action, AOAC 2018.11 Quantitation of Cannabinoids in Cannabis Dried Plant Materials, Concentrates, and Oils Using Liquid Chromatography–Diode Array Detection Technique with Optional Mass Spectrometric Detection, which was updated in 2020 to include provisions to assist stakeholders with regulatory compliance in analysis of hemp materials.

The Award for Expert Review Panel (ERP) of the Year was given to the AOAC Cannabis Analytical Science Program (CASP) ERP for Cannabinoids, chaired by Dr. Melissa Phillips of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); AHPA CSO Dr. Holly E. Johnson is a longtime member of this ERP.

Congratulations to all this year’s AOAC Awardees, including Darryl Sullivan, Chief Science Officer & Director of Regulatory Affairs at Eurofins Scientific, whose significant contributions to AOAC were recognized as he was honored for 40 years of membership and service.

AHPA CSO Dr. Johnson presented in the Cannabis Analytical Sciences Program symposium, providing an update on the activity of the working group she chairs. Ongoing work includes a new Standard Method Performance Requirement (SMPR) on Quantitation of Cannabinoids in Beverages, which is out for public comment until September 17.