Reena Kapoor, MD, associate professor of psychiatry and program director of the forensic psychiatry fellowship at Yale School of Medicine, has been named director of forensic services in the State of Connecticut’s Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS).
Kapoor will begin in her new role effective August 1.
"It is a privilege to lead the Division of Forensic Services in its mission to provide high-quality evaluation and treatment services for individuals with serious mental illness and substance use disorders who become involved in the criminal-legal system,” Kapoor said. “Connecticut is already a national leader in forensic mental healthcare, and I hope to build upon this strong foundation, expanding access for some of our state's most vulnerable and stigmatized residents."
DMHAS Commissioner Nancy Navarretta said: “Dr. Kapoor’s extensive knowledge and experience in all aspects of forensic mental health care and evaluations will serve DMHAS well in this new role. I am excited to have her take on this new responsibility and look forward to the continued growth of our forensic service system under her leadership.”
Kapoor completed medical school at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, psychiatry residency at the Harvard Longwood program, and a fellowship in forensic psychiatry at Yale. Her clinical work and scholarship focus on the intersection of mental illness, violence, and the criminal-legal system. She has expertise in the psychiatric evaluation and treatment of violent and justice-involved individuals in a variety of treatment settings.
Kapoor is a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award of the Connecticut Psychiatric Society (CPS) and the Red Apple Award of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, where she has served on more than a dozen committees, including as founding co-chair of the Community Forensics Committee. She has served as President of CPS and chair of the APA Committee on Judicial Action, as well as President of the International Association for Forensic Psychotherapy and the Association of Directors of Forensic Psychiatry Fellowships.