University of Massachusetts Medical School, Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship-PGY V
*Note: UMASS Forensic Fellowship Program pays the registration fee for UMASS Fellows to attend the AAPL Forensic Psychiatry Review Course.
Program description
The University of Massachusetts Medical School Fellowship in Law and Psychiatry offers an exciting one year program designed to provide comprehensive training in forensic psychiatry. The program capitalizes on a multi-disciplinary faculty with extensive forensic and academic experience. Our faculty includes forensic psychiatrists, forensic psychologists, and attorneys who have received local and national recognition for their contributions to law and psychiatry. The program offers a wide range of opportunities to perform criminal and civil evaluations. Rotation sites include the Court Evaluation Units of Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital and Bridgewater State Hospital, and major court clinic sites in Massachusetts such as the Cambridge and Boston Court Clinics. Fellows conduct criminal forensic evaluations such as competence to stand trial, criminal responsibility, aid in sentencing, and need for treatment of inmates. Participation in clinical treatment of persons involved with the criminal justice system varies across sites. Part-time rotations include work at juvenile and adult court clinic sites, as well as the opportunity to work with senior faculty in conducting private, civil and criminal evaluations related to areas such as community risk assessments, guardianship, fitness for duty, disability, sex offender assessment, and malpractice. During the training year, fellows gain experience with legal, correctional, and mental health systems and the political forces that can directly impact forensic psychiatric practice.
Educational components of the program include intensive supervision of all cases, report preparation and court testimony. In addition, fellows attend a comprehensive weekly seminar series covering areas related to civil and criminal forensic assessment methods, research issues, mental health law and landmark legal cases. Fellows also attend multiple statewide forensic mental health training conferences sponsored by the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and they receive an educational stipend to support attendance at the AAPL meeting and for other educational purposes.
During the training year, fellows work on an empirical research project or on a review of a topic relevant to law and psychiatry. Opportunities exist for both involvement in faculty research projects and for faculty supervision of academic projects selected by the fellow.
Brown University
The Brown Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship is designed to provide a well-rounded training experience for fellows from an academic and clinical perspective. Fellows have a broad array of clinical experiences in criminal and civil matters involving juveniles and adults. A key strength of the program is a diverse faculty with extensive teaching, clinical, and research backgrounds. There are eleven forensic psychiatrist faculty members, five of whom are also board certified in child and adolescent psychiatry, and four of whom are also attorneys. Additionally, fellows interface with affiliated forensic psychologists, attorneys and judges. Rotation sites include a forensic psychiatry evaluation clinic, juvenile detention facility, adult correctional institute, and a state hospital forensic mental health unit.
Additional educational experiences include auditing a one semester Mental Health Law course at the Roger Williams School of Law and gaining experience and competency in the administration of psychometric tests commonly used in forensic psychiatry (e.g., for the assessment of cognition, malingering, personality). Fringe benefits include a $5000 stipend for travel to the AAPL Forensic Psychiatry Review Course/Annual Meeting. Rhode Island, the “Ocean State,” is situated in a culturally rich area, between New York and Boston, and offers easy access to a variety of summer and winter activities.
University of Missouri-Columbia, Fulton State Hospital and Missouri Department of Mental Health
The purpose of the Fellowship in Forensic Psychiatry is to educate the fellow in the history, development, practical experience, and research in forensic psychiatry within the public sector. It has evolved from the combined interests and for the joint benefit of the Fulton State Hospital, Missouri Department of Mental Health, and the Department of Psychiatry Neurology, University of Missouri-Columbia, School of Medicine. By completing this intesive one year experience, the fellow will have acquired first-hand knowledge of the major issues and experiences in forensic psychiatry. The fellow will also be expected to complete an individual project relevant to his or her career in forensic psychiatry.
Must have license to practice medicine in the state of Missouri.
The program will offer accredited training beginning in July 2008.
Louisiana State University – New Orleans
The Forensic Psychiatry Residency Program of the LSUHSC Division of Law and Psychiatry offers a wide range of didactic and clinical forensic experiences over a 12-month period. A part-time residency over a 2-year period is sometimes available. Residents receive training in the following locations: LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, Division of Law and Psychiatry Clinic; Medical Center of Louisiana at Charity Hospital in New Orleans; The State Office of Mental Health; Loyola Law School in New Orleans; The Juvenile Corrections Program at LSU Health Sciences Center, New Orleans; Child Custody Clinics; Southeast Louisiana State Hospital in Mandeville; Forensic Aftercare Clinic in New Orleans; and the St. Charles Parish Correctional Center.
Resident Experiences
Performing criminal and civil evaluations such as assessment of competency to stand trial, not guilty by reason of insanity, violence risk, child custody, posttraumatic stress disorder, sexual harassment, intentional/negligent infliction of emotional distress, fitness for duty, disability, interdiction, and other core forensic issues in adults and juveniles.
Also, writing comprehensive forensic reports; collaboration and consultation with Loyola Law School faculty and students at the Loyola Law School Clinic, attending some law school classes and learning to use the law library; giving testimony in Court, depositions, and/or mock trial experiences; correctional evaluations and treatment; Landmark Case conference taught by an attorney; didactics in Forensic theory and practice; forensic consultation to the LSU General Psychiatry Consultation team at Medical Center of Louisiana and consultation to state and local mental health facilities; training in child custody evaluations; training in legal rights education techniques to restore Competency to Stand Trial; training in Juvenile Forensic Psychiatry in juvenile detention centers and via telemedicine through the Juvenile Corrections Program; and education in experimental design and statistical principles as applied to social sciences research. Residents are required to write a paper and present a Forensic topic at the LSUHSC Department of Psychiatry Grand Rounds; experience and education in the practice of administrative and clinical Forensic Psychiatry at both state and local levels; and teach medical students and General Psychiatry residents.
The Division has an enthusiastic and diverse group of supervisors and faculty. Clinical and full-time faculty includes Forensic, Child, Adult, and Geriatric psychiatrists, neurologists, psychologists, Forensic psychologists, Judges, attorneys, and government officials. The Division provides funds for the residents’ participation in the Forensic Board Review Course and the annual meeting of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.
Medical College of Georgia, Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program
A strong academic orientation, an emphasis on public policy, and exposure to a large breadth of clinical experiences allow the fellowship to be tailored to the interests of each fellow. Developing the skills of critical analysis and writing for the courts is emphasized. An elective month and considerable protected time for expert witness work and academic projects makes this program unique.
The over 250 hours of didactics, include frequent collaboration with forensic psychology and occasionally with other nearby forensic psychiatry fellowships. An academic project is chosen early in the year with over two weeks of research time protected for it’s initial development. Presentation at AAPL is strongly encouraged. Given that the clinical responsibilities are less than 4 days per week, the fellows have ample opportunity to choose from a number of scholarly activities to pursue. Additionally, those interested in advocacy and public policy will be afforded opportunities to participate on national, state and local levels including projects with the Georgia Division of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.
The program has multiple clinical sites including two forensic psychiatric hospitals in Georgia, Augusta State Medical Prison, MCG Consult-Liaison and Forensic Private Practices which emphasize expert witness work. This allows a breadth of clinical experience ranging from maximum security forensic patients to minimal security patients in a step down program involved in work study programs. A wide range of civil and criminal forensic evaluations are performed. The fellow is afforded the opportunity of a one month elective in the latter half of the year, to further develop their skills in an area of particular interest.
Faculty members include psychiatrists with subspecialty certification in forensic psychiatry, forensic psychologists, lawyers (from the medical school and hospital), judges, law enforcement officers, and other professionals with special interests and expertise in branches of forensic mental health.
Fringe benefits include fully paid trips to the annual AAPL meeting and the forensic review course.
Medical College of Wisconsin
The Medical College of Wisconsin offers a one-year full-time fellowship in forensic psychiatry. Fellows will spend most of their time in Madison at Mendota Mental Health Institute and part-time rotations also occur in Waupun at Dodge Correctional Institute and the Central Wisconsin Center, also in Madison. The fellowship offers a high faculty to fellow ratio with six forensic psychiatrists as part of our core faculty and forensic psychologists who supervise evaluations and lecture.
The rotation at Mendota includes emphasis on the inpatient evaluation and treatment of individuals who have been found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect and who are being treated for competency restoration. Fellows will perform forensic evaluations at Mendota including guardianship, competency to proceed, and involuntary medication (Sell) requests.
Fellows will also see psychiatric patients at Dodge Correctional Institute for one day per week and participate in their longitudinal care. They also complete a six-month half day per week rotation at the Central Wisconsin Center seeing patients with intellectual disabilities, neurodevelopmental and genetic disorders who require long term care. Fellows will also participate in criminal responsibility evaluations throughout the fellowship, principally in jail or outpatient settings. They will also participate in civil evaluations including fitness for duty.
Our fellowship also offers joint didactics with psychology. Fellows participate in forensic case conferences, landmark lecture series, traditional didactics, mock trials and panels with legal professionals. We also offer unique opportunities in learning and conducting psychological testing, violence risk assessments, and evaluation of sexually violent persons, through our collaboration with our psychology department and the DOC.
Fellows are given leave time and funding to attend the annual AAPL meeting as well as the Forensic Psychiatry Review Course. Additional continuing medical education time is available, along with three weeks of vacation.
Mental Health Mental Retardation Authority of Harris County, Texas
In order to make it affordable to do a forensic fellowship, we are offering a unique program which will allow the fellow to complete the fellowship over a period of from 1 to 2 years. Those choosing an extended program will work for MHMRA in a regular staff capacity (1/2 to 3/4 time) at a staff psychiatrist salary.
It is a post residency position. The fellow must be eligible for a Texas medical license. The program is structured to prepare the fellow for the forensic psychiatric boards, as well as to provide the fellow with the essential skills and knowledge needed for a successful practice of forensic psychiatry. There is a heavy emphasis on the preparation of high quality written reports and on the presentation of effective courtroom testimony.
The educational experience is divided between the Forensic Psychiatry Unit (certified by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care) at the Harris County Jail, the Juvenile Forensic Program, the family court, the probate court and private attorney case loads. The criminal experience gained at the Harris County Jail is more comprehensive than at most programs. Screening, treating and forensic evaluations occur on site. At the Probate Court the emphasis is on civil commitment, guardianship, competency, and the refusal of treatment.
MHMRA oversees the Juvenile Forensic Detention Center. The Family Court offers an opportunity for involvement in custody issues. Arrangements will be made for the fellow to work with attorneys on personal injury and malpractice cases.
The program is directed by a psychiatrist/attorney who is Board Certified in forensic psychiatry. MHMRA has an experienced staff of Medical-School-affiliated psychiatrists with extensive backgrounds in forensic issues. There is also an opportunity to audit courses at the University of Houston Law School which offers an LL.M. in Health Law. Resources from the U.T.H.S.C. at Houston and the Baylor College of Medicine will be called upon where appropriate. The entire forensic faculty will supervise the fellow in preparing a research project.
Walter Reed Center for Forensic Behavioral Sciences
This fellowship is designed specifically to train military psychiatrists to proficiently manage military forensic issues. The program is tri-service and invites applicants from the US Army, Navy and Air Force. The program, although military-unique, also prepares the fellow(s) for subspecialty certification in Forensic Psychiatry.
The fellowship draws on the considerable civilian, military and federal resources available in the metropolitan Washington, DC area. The fellows gain experience through rotation at (1) Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center in Jessup, MD; (2) Saint Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, DC; (3) The Behavioral Sciences Unit of the FBI in Quantico, VA; (4) The Quantico Brig; (5) Georgetown Law School; (6) The Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, MD; (7) The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, DC; and (8) through interactions with local military and civilian clinicians and attorneys.
Significant time in the curriculum is devoted to didactics, both general forensic psychiatry and military legal issues. Psychiatrists and military attorneys/judges teach the seminars. Research is required and the results are presented at departmental Grand Rounds.
Fellowship is only open to active duty psychiatrists.
Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center, Isaac Ray Center
The Issac Ray Center fellowship provides clinical and didactic training in criminal and civil forensic psychiatry as well as opportunities to participate in research. The fellows are taught and receive supervision from an interdisciplinary faculty of board-certified forensic psychiatrists, forensic psychologists and attorneys.
Clinical rotations include experience in correctional psychiatry at the Cook County Jail. Fellows perform court-ordered evaluations for fitness and sanity and provide testimony through the Forensic Clinical Services of the Circuit Court of Cook County. At the Isaac Ray Center, fellows are trained in the evaluation and treatment of mentally disordered offenders and sexual behavior disorders, and have opportunities to perform evaluations for guardianship, fitness for duty, and dangerousness. Substantial experience in civil forensic psychiatry is provided in the area of civil litigation, including personal injury, medical malpractice and product liability cases.