Program description
The Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship at the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine is a full-time one-year training program that accepts two fellows per year. Our program is an Accreditation Council of Graduation Medical Education accredited fellowship. Fellows will receive thorough training in civil, criminal, correctional/carceral, and other legal aspects related to the practice of forensic and general psychiatry. This training will be through seminars learning the theory, law, and background for practicing psychiatry while learning and demonstrating the practical clinical and consultative skills inherent to expert forensic psychiatric practice. Additionally, fellows will learn skills related to advocacy and public policy. By the end of training, fellows will be well equipped to practice forensic psychiatry at the highest level and prepared to successfully pass the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology’s Forensic Psychiatry certification exam.
Our program's mission is to train exceptional forensic psychiatrists that provide high-quality care to a diverse patient population, particularly those who are underserved or incarcerated, and that embody high standards of ethics, leadership, scholarship, and professionalism. We intend for our fellows to become physician leaders who excel in the interface between psychiatry and the law with an eye towards advancing the cause of forensic psychiatry, and psychiatry as a whole, in Texas and the larger United States.
Seminars will cover a variety of civil and criminal forensic psychiatry topics, a landmark case series, mock trial, and health equity series. Residents will rotate at multiple sites, including the Harris County Jail, the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, the Menninger Clinic, and the Baylor Psychiatry Clinic. Fellows will also have the opportunity to volunteer with the local chapter of Physicians for Human Rights. The faculty include 5 ABPN board-certified forensic psychiatrists, multiple of whom have extensive experience working with residents. Fringe benefits include paid support for the annual meeting of AAPL, the AAPL Forensic Psychiatry Review Course, and additional educational funds.