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Home > Contact > Toxicologists
Josh Gunn, Ph.D.Manager of Scientific EducationE-mail: jgunn@aitlabs.comRead more about Dr. Gunn’s background
Toxicologist Josh Gunn, Ph.D. began working at AIT in 2007. Lab experience includes method development and operation of analytical instrumentation including gas chromatography, high-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry, and ultra performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. Originally from Australia, he holds bachelor’s degrees in analytical chemistry and forensic science from Deakin University in Geelong and a doctorate in analytical chemistry from West Virginia University, and he worked with the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine in Melbourne to test alternative toxicological specimens for drugs in cases where the cause of death was not confirmed. Gunn’s research was successful and soon found an audience in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology, where he has since published research on the detection of drugs of abuse in meconium.
Gunn’s professional memberships include the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (Toxicology).
George S. Behonick, Ph.D., DABFTToxicologistE-mail: gbehonick@aitlabs.com
George S. Behonick, Ph.D. joined AIT in November 2009 and brings more than eleven years of experience. He comes to the company after most recently serving as the director of forensic toxicology at UMass Memorial Medical Center Department of Hospital Laboratories and assistant professor of pathology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, Mass., since January 2005.
Prior to that, Behonick was a forensic toxicologist for six years with the Virginia Department of Forensic Science Western Laboratory in Roanoke, Va. This period of time included extensive experience in complex postmortem drug-related cases, notably involving the opiate and opioid classes, extensive scientific expert witness testimony in driving under the influence (DUI/DUID) of alcohol and/or drug(s) criminal court cases.
Behonick earned his bachelor’s degree from The Citadel in Charleston, S.C.; his master’s degree from Hahnemann University in Philadelphia, Pa.; and his doctorate from St. John’s University in Queens, N.Y. In 1998, Behonick completed a postdoctoral research associateship through the National Research Council/National Academy of Sciences at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, Aberdeen-Edgewood Area, Md. He also holds diplomate status with the American Board of Forensic Toxicology (ABFT).
Lynn Willis, Ph.D.PharmacologistE-mail: lwillis@aitlabs.com
Lynn R. Willis, Ph.D., joined AIT Laboratories in January 2010, three years after retiring from the faculty of the Indiana University (IU) School of Medicine, where he was a professor of pharmacology in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology for thirty-three years. While on the IU faculty, Willis directed a medical pharmacology course for second-year medical students for twenty-nine years, receiving numerous teaching awards for his efforts. He also directed and taught graduate courses in pharmacology and conducted basic pharmacological and physiological research in areas that include blood pressure control, renal tubular function, and shock wave lithotripsy. He has nearly 100 scientific publications to his credit and currently offers CME lectures to health professionals on herbal pharmacology and alternative medicine.
Willis completed his bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Oregon State University in 1966, earned a Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of Iowa in 1970, and completed two and a half years of postdoctoral training in physiology at the Mayo Clinic prior to taking the faculty position with IU. He is a member of the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and the American Society of Nephrology, among other professional societies. He currently serves on the Controlled Substances Advisory Committee for the Indiana Board of Pharmacy.
Faith Musko, M.S.ToxicologistE-mail: fmusko@aitlabs.com
Toxicologist Faith Musko began working at AIT in 2008 as an analyst in forensic confirmations. After only eight months, she was promoted to certifying chemist and held that role until she was offered the opportunity to join AIT’s toxicology team in January 2011. Prior to AIT, Musko worked at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa. and the Oklahoma City Medical Examiner’s Office (OCME) in Oklahoma City, Okla. While working for the OCME, she conducted method development and validation to produce a more robust opiate extraction and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method. She also conducted statistical analysis on cases involving cocaine to help determine state trends.
Musko earned her bachelor’s degree in forensic science from Waynesburg University in Waynesburg, Pa., and her master’s in forensic science from the University of Central Oklahoma in Edmond, Okla. She currently holds memberships with the Society of Forensic Toxicologists, American Chemical Society, American Academy of Forensic Scientists, and the Midwest Association of Toxicology and Therapeutic Drug Monitoring. Musko is also the Younger Chemists Committee Chair of the Indiana Section of the American Chemical Society. She was awarded the American Chemical Society Leadership Development Award in 2011 and the Distinguished Graduate Award in 2008. In her free time, Musko teaches courses in forensic science and criminalistics, criminal justice, and biology at the Indiana Institute of Technology.
Kevin Shanks, M.S.ToxicologistE-mail: kshanks@aitlabs.com
Toxicologist Kevin Shanks began working at AIT in 2003 in research and development (R&D) where he began developing and validating analytical methodologies for small molecule drugs using HPLC, LC/MS/MS, and LC/ToF. After stints in R&D and lab management, he made his way into toxicology. Shanks’ areas of expertise include liquid chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. His current areas of research include the detection of designer drugs, such as synthetic cannabinoids (JWH-018, JWH-073, K2/Spice) and synthetic stimulants (MDPV, mephedrone, methylone, bath salts) in biological and nonbiological specimens, as well as their metabolism and disposition. Shanks manages the trace analysis program at AIT, which consists of esoteric drug analysis and analysis of non-routine specimens, such as syringes, tablets, powders, liquids, and illicit drug substances and paraphernalia.
Shanks earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Franklin College in Franklin, Indiana, and his master’s degree in forensic toxicology from the University of Florida’s Veterinary School of Medicine in Gainesville, Florida. He currently holds regular membership with the Society of Forensic Toxicologists, where he has presented numerous methodologies regarding his original research.