Dr. Garside attended the University of London, England, where she obtained her B.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Chemistry. Dr. Garside then secured a post-doctoral research position at the University of Florida where she pursued Forensic Toxicology. During her tenure, Dr. Garside examined the extraction of drugs from alternate biological matrices such as hair and nails. Dr. Garside then accepted a position at Quest Diagnostics in San Diego, CA, as a Laboratory Supervisor for a regulated workplace drug-testing program, dealing specifically with urine. Following this, she became Director of Confirmations at PharmChem in Fort Worth, TX, where she oversaw the forensic urine drug testing program, and served as an expert witness in Federal Probation cases. Dr. Garside is currently employed at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office, Chapel Hill, NC as the Deputy Chief Toxicologist where she also serves as Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the University of North Carolina.

Dr. Garside is the author of book chapters and journal articles pertaining to drugs of abuse in both hair and nails, and conventional biological specimens. She has also been an invited presenter at American Academy of Forensic Sciences Annual Meetings and has served as Meeting Host of the California Association of Toxicologists.

Dr. Garside is a Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry, The American Academy of Forensic Sciences, The Society of Forensic Toxicologists, and the California Association of Toxicologists. Dr. Garside is also certified as a Laboratory Inspector for the College of American Pathologists, the Federal Workplace Drug Testing Program, and the Department of Defense. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Forensic Toxicology.