Education

• Ph.D., Pathology, Virginia Commonwealth University (2005)
• M.F.S., Forensic Science, George Washington University (1996)
• B.A., Wittenberg University (1991)

Research Interests

Peace has been funded by the National Institute of Justice since 2014 to study the efficacy of electronic cigarettes, particularly as they pertain to substance use and abuse. Her total award for 5 years has been $2.3M. Her research has highlighted emerging issues of electronic cigarettes as a tool for vaping drugs other than nicotine and has characterized the merging of the cannabis and e-cigarette industries. Her current project is a clinical study to assess the impact of vaping on roadside impairment evaluations for suspected DUI and drug testing.

Peace's interests include emerging toxicology issues that impact public health and public safety, such as the proliferation of novel cannabinoids and the manipulation and use of electronic cigarettes to consume drugs other than nicotine. She also provides language and scientific support for developing new laws, policies, and strategies to protect consumers, improve highway safety, and inform substance use treatment. Other interests include standards development in the practice of forensic toxicology and new designer drug trends. 

Select Publications

• Holt AK, Poklis JL, Peace MR. Δ8-THC, THC-O Acetates and CBD-di-O Acetate: Emerging Synthetic Cannabinoids Found in Commercially Sold Plant Material and Gummy Edibles. Journal of Analytical Toxicology, 2022, bkac036
• Holt, AK, Poklis JL, Peace MR. A Retrospective Analysis of the Chemical Constituents in Regulated and Unregulated E-cigarette Liquids. Frontiers in Chemistry, October 2021.
• Gesseck AM, Poklis JL, Nanco CR, Hendricks-Munoz KD, Wolf CE, Peace MR. The Analysis of Tramadol in Matched Infant Oral Fluid, Urine, and Mother’s Breast Milk. Journal of Analytical Toxicology 17;45(8):840-846, September 2021.
• Karin K, Poklis JL, Peace MR. Evaluation of Rapid Extraction Techniques for Pharmacologically Active Ingredients in Chinese Herbal Anticonvulsant Medicines by Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry. Analytical Methods, Issue 7, 2021. Advanced article.
• Mulder HA, Patterson J, Poklis JL, Peace MR. The Effect of Electronic Cigarette User Modifications and E-liquid Adulteration on the Particle Size Profile of an Aerosolized Product. Nature: Scientific Reports ePub (2019).9:10221.
• Google Scholar
• Blog

Affiliations

• Member, Society of Forensic Toxicologists
• Fellow, American Academy of Forensic Sciences
• National Safety Council, Drugs, Alcohol, and Impaired Driving Division

Courses

• FRSC 645: Applications in Forensic Toxicology
• FRSC 644: Analytical Considerations in Forensic Toxicology
• FRSC 490: Professional Practices in Forensic Science

Awards

• Society of Forensic Toxicologists, Teaching and Mentoring Award (2021)
• Medical College of Virginia Alumni Association, Hodges-Kay Service Award (2018)
• International Vision Fellow of the Institute of Environmental Science Research, New Zealand (2018)

Links

• Marijuana in still illegal to sell in VA, but that’s not stopping retailers (including a Virginia Senator), Virginia Mercury, 2/2/2022.
• CNN Weed 5 with Sanjay Gupta, CNN, 3/3/2021.
• Testing for Caffeine Could Help Foil Fake Urine Scam Scientific American, Scientific American, 1/9/2019.
• Ads Pitching CBD as a Cure-all are Everywhere, New York Times 8/13/2019.
• Can Vaping Cause You to Fail a Sobriety Test?, VCU News, 9/8/2022.