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.

Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship

Atrium Health’s 1-year Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship program equips psychiatrists to practice at the intersection of psychiatry and the law. We emphasize translating forensic psychiatric expertise into community psychiatric care by offering clinical consultation, education and training in general psychiatric settings and providing consultations to legal professionals. Fellows work with an underserved forensic psychiatric inpatient population at Broughton Hospital, conducting competence to stand trial evaluations and restoration services. They also perform these evaluations and competency restoration treatment in an outpatient community-based program at Atrium Health Behavioral Health Charlotte, using both in-person and telepsychiatry evaluations. Our experienced faculty, consisting of board-certified forensic psychiatrists, engage in teaching, presenting and writing, offering exposure to a wide range of civil and criminal cases, including issues like sanity, diminished capacity, psychiatric malpractice, guardianship, fitness for duty and risk assessments. We provide comprehensive didactics and hands-on experiences to prepare fellows for national board examinations and successful careers in forensic psychiatry.

USC – Institute of Psychiatry, Law and Behavioral Science

Founded by Seymour Pollack in 1975, the forensic psychiatry fellowship at USC/LA General was one of the first programs of its kind.
Our ACGME-accredited, full-time, one-year fellowship program is comprised of lectures, seminars, first-hand experience, and expert supervision from psychiatrists board-certified in forensic psychiatry, as well as forensic psychologists. Fellows are directly involved with hospitals, county jails, juvenile justice agencies, dependency courts, the Los Angeles County Mental Health Court – and other agencies in which mental health and the law are intertwined. Additionally, forensic psychiatry fellows have numerous opportunities to serve as expert witnesses, analyze cases, prepare reports, and deliver testimony, all while benefiting from close supervision and guidance from experienced faculty members. Fellows work closely with faculty on multiple scholarly projects, including presentations and submissions for national professional meetings and publications.
Comprehensive didactic courses include lessons in a variety of areas including:

• Biological, psychological, and sociological determinants of crime and delinquency
• Civil law
• Criminal law
• Family law
• Federal criminal law
• Juvenile & Dependency law
• Mental health law
• Correctional psychiatry
• Biases applicable to forensic assessments
• Landmark mental health cases (including all AAPL-specified cases)

Additional benefits include health/dental insurance, malpractice insurance, meal reimbursement, parking, initial bonus, educational stipend, 24 days of vacation, and 8 paid sick days.

University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine

The purpose of the fellowship is to train psychiatrists who will devote their careers to practice, research and teaching in public sector forensic psychiatry. By completing this intensive one-year experience, the fellow will have acquired first-hand knowledge of the major issues and experiences in law and psychiatry and have ample opportunities for research. The fellowship will prepare the fellow for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology’s added qualification examination in Forensic Psychiatry.

The fellowship is sponsored by the Northwest Missouri Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center, the Western Missouri Mental Health Center, the Missouri Department of Mental Health, the Department of Psychiatry in the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Medicine and the UMKC School of Law.

Candidates for the fellowship in forensic psychiatry must have completed at least a four-year program of General Psychiatry Residency Training, demonstrate a substantial interest in a career in forensic psychiatry, and be able to obtain a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in Missouri. Candidates must also have excellent written and oral communication skills. Three letters of reference are required, one of which should be from the candidate’s immediate supervisor (e.g., Director of Residency Training or Clinical Director), and the others should be from other psychiatrist who know the candidate and candidate’s work well.

The fellowship is a fifth-year post-graduate program that is part of the Residency Training Program in the UMKC School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry. The Residency Training Program is approved by the American Medical Association Council on Education and the Accreditation Council on Graduate medical Education. The fellow will be provided $50,000 per annum and benefits, The fellow may earn additional income outside the expected 40-hour work week. The directors of the fellowship are David L. Vlach, M.D., Northwest Missouri Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center, and Steven A. Mandracchia, Ph.D., Western Missouri Mental Health Center.

Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital/Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School

The Massachusetts General Hospital/Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship draws on multiple clinical sites, a large multidisciplinary teaching faculty and a vast array of academic opportunities within the Harvard system. The different rotations include: Bridgewater State Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital Law & Psychiatry Service, Brigham and Women’s Consult/Liaison Service and additional forensic cases at BWH, Problematic Sexual Behaviors Rotation, Massachusetts Mental Health Center, and the Juvenile Court Clinic Rotation at Boston Juvenile Court. Our mission is to provide a high-quality educational experience in the diverse practice of forensic psychiatry and to prepare our fellows to be skilled and ethical practitioners of forensic psychiatry. The fellowship is designed to develop proficiency in all aspects of forensic psychiatric practice, including: Evaluation, Report Writing, Courtroom Testimony, and Treatment in correctional facilities. The fellowship pays $99,967over the course of the year and begins in July, plus the potential addition of trainee stipend. Malpractice insurance, health insurance, AAPL membership, and travel and lodging for the AAPL annual meeting are provided. The faculty includes a number of clinicians with both clinical and law degrees. Program faculty have extensive expertise in child and adolescent as well as adult forensic work. Eligibility for medical licensure in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as well as completion of an approved residency program in general psychiatry through the PGY IV year are required.

Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC) of the University of Pittsburgh offers a one year long fellowship designed to prepare trainees for a career in forensic psychiatry.

The didactic material is provided in the yearlong seminar covering a core curriculum designed to include all the relevant topics, both criminal and civil, in forensic psychiatry, including discussions of the landmark cases. The University of Pittsburgh Law School offers a course in mental health law for the fellows and collaborates in a landmark case seminar. UPMC Forensic Psychiatry Services provides a monthly clinical case conference. Fellows also participate in a quarterly journal club.

The major strength of the program is the depth and range of the clinical experience. Rotations include Torrance State Hospital Forensic Unit and the Allegheny County Behavior Clinic, which is an agency of the criminal court of Allegheny County and the second oldest diagnostic court clinic in the United States. The inclusion of the Allegheny County Behavior Clinic and Torrance State Hospital Forensic Unit assures the fellows of the opportunity to assess the defendants in many major criminal cases involving mental health issues in Allegheny County. Additionally, fellows rotate through both adult and juvenile sexual offenders programs, provide evaluation and treatment at a medium security prison, and conduct assessments for the criminal court of Westmoreland County. Fellows also observe juvenile and family court assessments. Civil cases are referred from various sources such as the University of Pittsburgh School of Law Civil Practice Clinic which yields a wide range of experience. Risk assessments are provided for Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic inpatient and outpatient services. Clinicians who have practical experience and are recognized authorities in their fields including Robert Wettstein, MD, and Edward Mulvey, PhD. Fellows are expected to participate in teaching programs for psychiatry residents and medical students. Research with opportunities for original projects or participation in ongoing studies, particularly in risk assessment for violence, is sponsored by an active and nationally renowned staff.

WPIC is located in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh, a beautifully restored city, located in scenic western Pennsylvania. The city affords all the amenities of city living including three major professional sports teams, a lively cultural district and the friendliness and convenience of a small town with manageable traveling distances.

Fringe benefits include fees for the annual meeting at AAPL and enrollment in the Forensic Psychiatry Review Course.

Rutgers University, Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship

The Rutgers University-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Department of Psychiatry offers a one-year, full-time fellowship in forensic psychiatry.

Residents rotate through New Jersey’s prisons, state forensic hospital, and private practices of faculty members. The didactic curriculum joins that of the consortium of forensic psychiatry programs in New York City, thereby providing the fellow both excellent didactic training and connections to one’s professional peers. Participation in research is a required aspect of training and is readily accomplished with the support of the Forensic Psychiatry Training Director. The fellow under close supervision by the Training Director and other faculty, will develop the skills requisite for the competent practice of forensic psychiatry: diagnostic acumen; logical thought; critical analysis; lucid writing; understanding of the legal framework in which psychiatrists work; and competence in forensic assessments such as competence to stand trial, insanity, general and sexual dangerousness, asylum, and parenting capacity, among others.

Wright State University, Department of Psychiatry, Division of Forensic Psychiatry

Psychiatrists who join our fellowship program become learners and instructors in a psychiatry department that has a national reputation for excellence in post-graduate education. The Wright State fellowship emphasizes the importance of using up-to-date scientific knowledge and validated assessment tools when formulating forensic opinions. We also help fellows develop all the customary skills of forensic psychiatrists — conducting evaluations, appreciating the role of psychiatrists in the legal system, knowing relevant case law, and communicating effectively in reports and testimony.

Fellows may choose a full-time, one-year schedule or a half-time, two-year schedule. At a local public hospital, fellows perform evaluations of adjudicatory competence, criminal responsibility, competence to refuse treatment, need for involuntary hospitalization, and conditional release to the community. Experience with civil issues (e.g., psychological damages in tort litigation) comes from private cases referred to faculty members. Fellows observe and participate in treatment programs in a traditional prison setting, and gain experience in evaluating sex offenders.

Fellows attend didactic activities at Wright State and attend tutorials with University of Cincinnati fellows. We provide funds to attend the annual AAPL meeting and the forensic psychiatry review course. Fellows participate in the Internet course on Law and Mental Disability taught by Professor Michael L. Perlin of New York Law School. Structured reading, grand rounds, a monthly forensic seminar, and faculty- or fellow-initiated research round out the training experience.

Faculty members include two attorneys with widely recognized expertise in law and psychology issues, and a psychiatrist with faculty appointments at the school of medicine and the law school. Ten other psychiatrists with added qualifications in forensic psychiatry are on the faculty.

Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center

The fellowship is designed to train psychiatrists in law and psychiatry who will devote their careers to practice, teaching, and research in forensic psychiatry. Although the program presents a firm theoretical background, its major strength lies in teaching the pragmatic skills of performing evaluations, detecting malingering, and critical thinking about complex reasoning in writing forensic reports. Fellows also receive instruction in teaching methods. Videotapes of mock testimony of fellows are used in teaching courtroom skills.

Since the service requirement is less than four days per week, fellows have the opportunity to participate in research and a wide array of civil cases, such as PTSD, disability, guardianship, workers compensation, and psychiatric malpractice. Our library contains 100 educational forensic videotapes. Extensive supervision by Stephen Noffsinger, M.D., Phillip Resnick, M.D. and Susan Hatters-Friedman, M.D. is a major strength of the program.

The faculty includes six fellowship-trained forensic psychiatrists with Added Qualifications in Forensic Psychiatry. Fellows take courses at CWRU Law School and participate in a seminar on Landmark Mental Health Law Cases. Clinical experience in a criminal court psychiatric clinic, juvenile court psychiatric clinic, county jail and inpatient forensic unit are tailored to the interests of each fellow.

Fringe benefits include fully paid trips to the annual meeting of AAPL, the AAPL Forensic Psychiatry Review Course, and Midwest AAPL; and a $200 book allowance.

Website:  https://www.uhhospitals.org/medical-education/psychiatry-medical-education/forensic-psychiatry-fellowship/

 

University of Michigan, Center for Forensic Psychiatry

The University of Michigan/Center for Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship is a one year training program fully accredited by the ACGME offered by the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical School. The program combines a robust didactic curriculum with a variety for forensic experiences and is situated in a vibrant academic community surrounded by numerous learning, social, and cultural opportunities.

The Center for Forensic Psychiatry (CFP) serves as the primary site for many fellowship activities. It is a 272-bed inpatient forensic facility that also maintains a separate evaluation unit, which conducts over 3500 forensic evaluations annually. Additional experience is provided by University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry Forensic Evaluation Service. Fellows gain experience in the following areas: 1) competency to stand trial evaluations, 2) criminal responsibility evaluations, 3) competency restoration, 4) inpatient management of special forensic populations, 5) risk assessment evaluations, 6) civil forensic cases, and 7) court testimony. All fellow activities are closely supervised by a diverse, experienced faculty. Opportunities for court testimony are encouraged and closely supervised with special emphasis on report preparation and the role of the forensic expert. Additionally, fellow evaluation experiences at CFP enable them to obtain certification as Consulting Forensic Examiners under Michigan law.

The didactic curriculum offers seminars on landmark cases and civil and criminal forensic topics. It also features frequent outside speakers. Fellows audit classes at the University of Michigan Law School and meet with select faculty of the law school for individual instruction in an open forum type discussion. Fellows also participate in activities related to public policy and the legal regulation of psychiatry. A scholarly project is expected from all residents.

Benefits include support for professional meetings, use of extensive library facilities at CFP and the University of Michigan Medical School, and life in a diverse and cosmopolitan community. We are still accepting applications for the 2021-2022 academic year. We are accepting applications for the 2022-2023 academic year, and e-mail submission of applications is preferred. Interviews for the 2022-2023 academic year will be starting in April 2021. Due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, we will be completing interviews by video teleconference.