It is with great delight that we announce the bestowal of the prestigious Alan Curry Award to Dr. Bryan Finkle, and it is with both sadness and best wishes that we announce his retirement from the PCC Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) as of January 1, 2018. Dr. Finkle has also retired as Chief Consulting Toxicologist to the National Football League, a role he held for nearly 30 years.
The Award
The Alan Curry Award, the most prestigious award of The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (TIAFT), was awarded to Dr. Bryan Finkle at TIAFT’s 2017 Annual Meeting. The award honors TIAFT members who have a long history of distinguished contributions to the field of forensic toxicology and to the TIAFT organization, and is well deserved by Dr. Finkle. We extend sincere congratulations to Dr. Finkle on this achievement.
Dr. Finkle’s Retirement
Dr. Finkle will leave the PCC SAB after serving honorably in this role since 2008. He also leaves his longtime post with the NFL, where his expertise in the field of anti-doping research and policy was described as “widely recognized and unparalled” by NFL representative Kevin Manara. “The league will always be grateful for his extensive contributions, which have conferred tremendous benefits to professional football and sport worldwide. We congratulate him as he formalizes a well-deserved retirement,” states Mr. Manara.
During his tenure as an SAB member, Dr. Finkle helped shape priorities for anti-doping research and steer scientific discovery in the domain through programmatic input and reviewing grant requests from anti-doping researchers around the world. Dr. Finkle also helped oversee the PCC’s Fellowship program, which supports and develops young PhDs pursuing a career in anti-doping science. Over $18M USD was awarded to evolve the programs and technologies deterring and detecting PED usage in sport during Dr. Finkle’s time on the board.
Dr. Finkle’s unique expertise was a considerable asset to the SAB, and will be missed. “Bryan Finkle’s background in forensic science gained him the highest respect both in the laboratory and in the courtroom. He was recruited to lead the Center for Human Toxicology at the University of Utah and later worked for a number of successful biotech companies. That breadth of experience and expertise cannot be easily replaced,” said Dr. Larry Bowers, SAB Chair.
Dr. Finkle’s retirement is the culmination of a prosperous career which spanned the scientific landscape. He will retain his roles as Chairman of the Board of Directors at the Sports Medicine Research and Testing Laboratory (SMRTL) in Utah and occasional consultant to the NFL Health Foundation and the NFL-NFLPA Research and Education Foundations.
