Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship
The OHSU Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship provides robust educational experiences in criminal and civil forensic psychiatry as well as correctional psychiatry. The program features rotations at Oregon State Hospital, the Washington County Jail, the Multnomah County Detention Center, two different mental health courts, two different private practitioners’ offices, and telepsychiatry services for the Oregon Department of Corrections. Fellows perform forensic evaluations, provide correctional mental health care, and consult with mental health courts. Diversity, equity, and inclusion topics are an integral part of the fellowship experience as is development of a deeper understanding of the relationship between government policy and social influences on people in the public psychiatry system, including those within the criminal justice system and the civil commitment system.
The fellows’ didactic seminar series includes training in criminal and civil forensic psychiatry as well as seminars devoted to an introduction to law and the legal process, landmark cases in mental health law, and special issues in forensic psychiatry. The teaching faculty includes 22 forensic psychiatrists, 3 other psychiatrists, 10 JDs (including two judges), 7 psychologists, and one MD/JD.
Fellows are participants in the Psychiatry Department's resident teaching program. Research opportunities are available and encouraged either through participation in ongoing Department work or development of an independent project with faculty supervision. An academic activity is expected as part of the fellowship, which may be research or a different activity. Fellows have opportunities for publication mentorship with experienced faculty.
Stephanie Maya Lopez, MD
Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program Director
Joe Chien, DO
Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Associate Program Director
The mission of the forensic psychiatry program is to train psychiatrists to have proficiency in the subspecialty of psychiatry and the law. To that end fellows should develop skill in integrating legal issues with the field of psychiatry. The clinical application of this training will be oriented towards public service in a variety of community settings and will be attentive to the specific and unique aspects of psychiatry and the law and the needs of those receiving the services. A carefully selected range of clinical experience and didactic education should allow fellows to become well-versed in basic criminal and civil law.
Guided by the mission statement the fellows will become familiar with the fundamentals of law, legal statutes, and administrative regulations as they relate to psychiatry and the law. They will attain competencies in core clinical skills particularly psychiatric assessment in a forensic setting as well as an understanding of basic civil and criminal procedure. They will learn to advocate on behalf of underserved clients. They will learn to make informed decisions in forensic settings and will gain experience in the review of legal documents and the preparation of written reports and/or testimony.