Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program
The mission of the Forensic Psychiatry training program is to educate the next generation of leaders in legal aspects of mental health. UNC Forensic Psychiatry Fellows train in a supervised and supportive environment. Our board certified faculty members are approachable and readily available for mentorship, consultation, and research collaboration. We feel expertise in report writing and testimony is essential to the practice of forensic psychiatry. We provide close supervision, faculty and fellow mock testimony, and opportunities to testify in civil and criminal courts.
The Department of Psychiatry of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine offers a 1-year ACGME-accredited fellowship in Forensic Psychiatry to develop proficiency in all aspects of forensic psychiatric practice. There are two PGY-5 positions available each year on a competitive basis. The program begins to accept applications starting the summer prior to the academic year for which the candidate is applying.
Joseph Williams, M.D.
Assistant Program Director, DPS site supervisor
Overview of Training Program
The University of North Carolina Hospitals Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program is a 12-month educational program with the goal of preparing psychiatrists for a career in forensic psychiatry through a combination of supervised clinical experiences and didactic programs. The program has an emphasis on producing forensic psychiatrists for the public sector and provides educational opportunities in a wide range of criminal and civil settings. Fellows have extensive opportunities to engage in supervised evaluations of individuals in the criminal justice system in both pre-trial and post-conviction settings. In addition, forensic psychiatry fellows obtain experience in courtroom testimony, family law, child forensic issues, and civil litigation. Forensic psychiatry fellows rotate on the inpatient pre-trial evaluation unit for the State of North Carolina, mental health clinics in nearby prisons, outpatient forensic evaluation clinic, and outpatient forensic family law evaluation team, with the latter two located on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Campus.
The core forensic fellowship faculty currently consists of nine board-certified forensic psychiatrists, five forensic psychologists, and one attorney. The Central Regional Hospital Forensic Services Unit, located in Butner, NC, is the primary site for the forensic didactic curriculum. Forensic fellowship faculty members and invited speakers provide the didactic portion of the training. Didactic fellowship training activities are conducted in conjunction with the Central Regional Hospital Forensic Post-Doctoral Fellowship and Psychology Internship programs. In addition, forensic fellows are expected to participate in a research or scholarly project. Training and supervision in research methodology is provided by faculty member.