Interesting that despite your rigorous defence of Steffanoni you do not know her background unlike I suspect most of the posters here. No she is not medical. She did an undergraduate degree in biology then was employed doing molecular biology at a post graduate level in medical research (but this is not being a medic). She then went from molecular biology to working in forensic science with as Steffanoni says in an interview no training in forensic science.
I do not know what she did, the logical thing was for her to stay in Italy and process specimens taken from victims. She may have worked in a lab locally. She is not a forensic pathologist or anthropologist so other than processing DNA samples form victims' tissues and relatives she had little expertise to offer. The situation here is very different, the source of a sample is clear, you are just matching (big) DNA samples to confirm identity either by partial matching to relatives or from known DNA of victims.
From Gill's CV - what has he achieved?
List of Major achievements:
1) I provided the first demonstration in 1985 that DNA could be extracted from degraded stain material, and that DNA ‘fingerprints’ could be obtained from such material. The results were published in Nature:
Gill, P., Jeffreys, A.J. and Werrett, D.J. (1985) Forensic application of DNA 'fingerprints'. Nature, 318, 577-579.
2) In conjunction with (1) I developed a revolutionary technique to separate sperm DNA from extraneous (female) material. Without this innovation it would have been impossible to analyse material from rape victims. These techniques are still used today.
3) I was closely involved with the first DNA case in the world. I carried out DNA analysis to confirm results provided by Alec Jeffreys. I subsequently led the team that carried out analysis on more than 1000 samples in the first example of the
4) I identified the systems (short tandem repeat analysis) that are used today in all national DNA databases throughout the world.
5) I developed the statistical methods used by the national DNA database in order to compare samples (e.g. by development of allelic ladders and associated matching algorithms).
6) I was the first to recognise the importance of STRs and to develop STR multiplexes for forensic purposes in 1993.
7) I designed the SGM plus system, and led the team that developed the first national DNA database in the world. This system comprised 6 STRs and had a discriminating power of 1 in 50 million.
8) I led the team that provided the subsequent update of the SGM system – namely the SGM plus system that provided a discriminating power of 1 in 1 billion. The systems that I developed have now been adopted world-wide.
9) I led the team that identified the remains of the Romanov family. This was the first demonstration that historical mysteries could be resolved using mitochondrial DNA and low-template autosomal DNA analysis.
10) In conjunction with (7) I demonstrated the first verified example of mitochondrial heteroplasmy that was not associated with genetic disease. This was a highly contentious discovery at the time.
11) I provided a demonstration that the highly contentious claim of Anna Anderson to be the Duchess Anastasia was false and identified her true relationship to Karl Maucher.
12) Recently, new evidence was discovered in Ekaterinburg. Two bodies were demonstrated to be the remains of Prince Alexei and a Russian princess. I was closely involved with the verification of the results. The results were published in PLOS.
13) I have developed extensive statistical theory and algorithms that are used to interpret mixtures. This theory has been adopted by several major commercial companies. Applied Biosystems have recently developed a commercial package called Genemapper-IDX that contains a mixture analysis software based on my original thinking.
14) I developed a biochemical test sufficient to analyse the DNA profile of a single cell. I concurrently developed the statistical theory and the algorithms that were required to facilitate the method.
15) I have given evidence in many major court cases, and in courts of appeal. Recently , I gave evidence at the Omagh bombing trial. In December, 2008 I gave evidence at a Frye hearing for the New York Police Department. This was to support the reporting of the first case involving low-template DNA in the US.
16) I am a regular contributor to Nature and the Nature series. I recently published an article Gill, P, When DNA goes on trial, Nature, 460, July 2009, 34-35.
17) I am currently playing a major advisory role related to the transition to update the multiplexes utilised in National DNA databases under the auspices of the ENFSI group.
