The Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship
History of the Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship
Baltimore City's Medical Office was founded in 1918. Dr. Jonas Rappeport, the third chief Medical Officer for Baltimore City and the first President of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (AAPL), founded the University of Maryland Fellowship in Forensic Psychiatry in 1968.
About the Program
Fellowship graduates Annette Hanson, M.D. and Jeffrey Janofsky, M.D. are co-directors for the program. Both Drs. Hanson and Janofsky are active in supervision and teaching at the Circuit Court Medical Service. Dr. Hanson also provides supervision at Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center where fellows are responsible for in-depth pretrial evaluations and the treatment of incompetent criminal defendants.
The American Psychiatric Association officially recognized forensic psychiatry as a subspecialty, and the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology offers examinations for added qualifications in this field. The American Academy for Psychiatry and the Law (AAPL) can provide more information regarding forensic psychiatry and the prerequisites for examination (see link below). The university's fellowship is accredited by the ACGME and offers fellows intense exposure to all aspects of forensic practice through participation in evaluations at the Circuit Court Medical Service and the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center. In addition, fellows attend courses at the University of Maryland School of Law and teach residents from the University and Johns Hopkins during their required forensic rotations.
Program Objectives
· To develop an understanding of criminal and civil law, legal systems and logic. To be able to use a law library, and be able to read court decisions, ferreting out the essential aspects of those decisions.
· To develop an appreciation for the overlay of legal issues into psychiatric cases, whether civil or criminal.
· To gain understanding of specific topics unique to forensic psychiatry such as malpractice, psychic damages, insanity defense, competency, informed consent, and civil commitment.
· To develop expertise in forensic evaluation and interviewing, and participation in legal proceedings.
· To have experience in the field of correctional psychiatry and sentencing issues.
· To understand the legislative process and its relevance to the practice of psychiatry.
· To develop forensic report writing skills.
· To pursue a scholarly or research project related to forensic topics.
· To develop expertise in lecturing, teaching and consulting.
Additional fellowship information available through this site:
· Faculty information and publications.
· Go to the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law home page.
For further information or an
application form, e-mail: Annette Hanson, M.D.