The Connective Thread: A Multidisciplinary Conversation on the Role of the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner

  • Session

The Connective Thread: A Multidisciplinary Conversation on the Role of the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner

  • October 28, 2026 //
  • 10:35 am -
  • 11:50 am //
  • Rhode Island Convention Center

Sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) are a critical yet often misunderstood cornerstone of the sexual assault response team. Their role extends far beyond the medical forensic examination — touching every stage of a survivor’s journey and influencing the outcomes of criminal investigations and prosecutions. But what does that role look like through the eyes of those who work alongside them?

Led by an experienced SANE, this panel brings together a unique and powerful group of voices: a sexual assault survivor, a forensic analyst, a detective, and a prosecutor — each offering their firsthand perspective on what it means to work with a SANE. Under the facilitation of a practitioner who has lived this work from the exam room to the courtroom, panelists will explore how trust, communication, and collaboration across disciplines shape not only the quality of evidence collected, but the experience of the survivor at the center of it all.

Attendees will gain a deeper appreciation for the multidisciplinary relationships that drive successful sexual assault investigations and prosecutions, and leave with a greater understanding of how SANEs serve as the connective thread between healing and justice. Whether you are a forensic professional, investigator, legal professional, or advocate, this conversation — guided by the very professional at the heart of it — is one you will not want to miss.

Sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs) are a critical yet often misunderstood cornerstone of the sexual assault response team. Their role extends far beyond the medical forensic examination — touching every stage of a survivor’s journey and influencing the outcomes of criminal investigations and prosecutions. But what does that role look like through the eyes of those who work alongside them?

Led by an experienced SANE, this panel brings together a unique and powerful group of voices: a sexual assault survivor, a forensic analyst, a detective, and a prosecutor — each offering their firsthand perspective on what it means to work with a SANE. Under the facilitation of a practitioner who has lived this work from the exam room to the courtroom, panelists will explore how trust, communication, and collaboration across disciplines shape not only the quality of evidence collected, but the experience of the survivor at the center of it all.

Attendees will gain a deeper appreciation for the multidisciplinary relationships that drive successful sexual assault investigations and prosecutions, and leave with a greater understanding of how SANEs serve as the connective thread between healing and justice. Whether you are a forensic professional, investigator, legal professional, or advocate, this conversation — guided by the very professional at the heart of it — is one you will not want to miss.

  • Early Registration
  • $250.00
  • Standard Registration (after July 15)
  • $295.00
  • Student Registration$195.00
  • $195.00

Workshop currently at capacity. A waitlist is available to join on our registration page.

Brought to you by

Worldwide Association of Women Forensic Experts

Chair

Jennifer Degner

Certified Adult/Adolescent Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (CA-SANE) and SANE-A Certified Forensic Nurse

Jennifer Degner, BSN, RN, CA-SANE, SANE-A is a Certified Adult/Adolescent Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (CA-SANE) and SANE-A certified forensic nurse with nearly two decades of experience providing trauma-informed, forensic medical care to survivors of sexual assault, physical abuse, intimate partner violence, non-fatal strangulation, and elder abuse. Having cared for patients across the age spectrum, Jennifer brings a uniquely comprehensive perspective to forensic nursing practice. Currently serving as a SANE/SAFE Project Instructor, Jennifer develops and delivers statewide forensic nursing education across Colorado and provides telehealth consultation to support forensic examinations throughout the state.

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Megan O'Donnell

Supervising Forensic Scientist and the Technical Leader, New Hampshire State Police Forensic Laboratory Biology Unit

Megan O’Donnell joined the New Hampshire State Police Forensic Laboratory Biology unit in 2016 where she currently serves as the supervising Forensic Scientist and the Technical Leader. She is an active member of New Hampshire’s Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Board, where she participates in the training of new SANE nurses and the state’s sexual assault kit design. Since 2022, she has led a fantastic group of scientists on a journey to optimize DNA analysis in the state of New Hampshire and the United States having successfully sponsored the first 8-dye STR and Y-STR chemistry to be given NDIS approval for use in CODIS as well as becoming the first forensic laboratory in the world with an 8-dye chemistry analysis and interpretation workflow with FaSTR DNA and STRMix software.

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Ryan Powell

Prosecutor

Ryan Powell has been a prosecutor for nearly 20 years. He started his career at the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, where he prosecuted the case that allowed him to meet and work with Ashley Spence and Jennifer Degner. Ryan now works as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Arizona, where he also serves as Senior Litigation Counsel.

Ryan’s career has focused on prosecuting those who commit violent and sexual crimes against women and children. Ryan is regularly recognized for his work with crime victims, and he recently received the Brett Day Legacy Award for the Protection of Vulnerable Victims. Ryan prosecuted the case that is featured in the 2026 Netflix docuseries “Trust Me: The False Prophet.”

Ryan is participating in ISHI 2026 in a personal capacity and not on behalf of the Department of Justice or the United States Attorney’s Office.

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Ashley Spence

Founder, DNA Justice Project

Ashley Spence is the founder of the DNA Justice Project, a 501(c)(4) nonprofit that champions forensic DNA advocacy and reform. A survivor of a violent 2003 home invasion and sexual assault at age 19 while a student at Arizona State University, Ashley endured years of uncertainty until a 2010 CODIS DNA match identified and convicted her attacker, who received nearly 138 years in prison.

Ashley is an author and victim advocate whose memoir, Silent Witness: How DNA Uncovered the Truth and Empowered My Healing, weaves her personal journey with an urgent call for DNA policy changes. As a mother residing in the Austin, Texas area, her work bridges survivor voices, science, and policy to build safer communities

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