Program Director
Associate Professor of Psychiatry; Program Director, Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship, Forensic Psychiatry Fellows
We have completed recruitment for the 2025-2026 fellowship year and anticipate accepting applications for 2026-2027 in the spring of 2025.
The Yale fellowship began in 1979 and quickly gained a national reputation for excellence and innovation in forensic psychiatry education. Under the leadership of Howard Zonana, MD, the program has grown to an enrollment of 5 fellows per year, making it one of the largest forensic training programs in the country. The fellowship is a one-year, full-time, ACGME accredited program that accepts graduates of general psychiatry residencies and child psychiatry fellowships.
The program trains psychiatrists to develop expertise in the complex intersection of psychiatry, law, ethics, and public policy. It offers a broad-based training experience, with particular strengths in the areas of criminal law, public sector forensic psychiatry, child forensic psychiatry, and research/scholarship. Graduates of the fellowship become leaders in forensic psychiatry, influencing the direction of clinical practice, research, education, and mental health policy at the national and international levels.
Program Director
Associate Professor of Psychiatry; Program Director, Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship, Forensic Psychiatry Fellows
Associate Program Director
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Associate Professor Adjunct of Law; Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health; Faculty, Law and Psychiatry Division; Supervising Faculty, Psychosomatic Medicine Division
The fellowship program uses clinical, didactic, and scholarly experiences to educate trainees about three major topic areas:
The goal of the program is not to transform psychiatrists into legal experts, but rather to develop the knowledge and skills necessary to facilitate effective communication between psychiatric and legal audiences.
Each year, fellows and faculty members in the Yale Law & Psychiatry Division complete over 100 forensic evaluations in various areas of criminal and civil law, including:
All fellows are assigned to the Law and Psychiatry rotation on a part-time basis for 12 months. Over the course of the year, each fellow typically completes 10-15 forensic evaluations, most of which require reports and/or testimony.
The New Haven Office of Court Evaluations (NHOCE) has responsibility for performing all competence to stand trial evaluations in the south-central part of Connecticut, amounting to approximately 200 evaluations per year. All fellows are assigned to this rotation on a part-time basis for 12 months. Fellows perform evaluations individually and as part of a forensic team consisting of a physician, psychologist, and social worker. Testimony is routinely required; fellows can expect to testify about competency to stand trial evaluations between 10 and 20 times over the course of the year.
The VA Connecticut Healthcare System (VACHS) in West Haven is a 200-bed tertiary care hospital affiliated with the Yale School of Medicine. VACHS offers a full range of inpatient and outpatient psychiatric services, and in recent years has developed a number of innovative treatment programs for justice-involved veterans. Two fellows each spend two days per week attached to the VA Connecticut. There they learn how to undertake:
Whiting Forensic Hospital consists of maximum-security and enhanced-security treatment units in Middletown, Connecticut. It is the state’s only forensic psychiatric hospital. Patients are sent to Whiting from:
Each fellow provides year-long individual psychotherapy to two patients at Whiting and is assigned an on-site psychotherapy supervisor.
Fellows spend one-half day attending classes, serving as a psychiatric consultants, and/or evaluating clients in one or more Yale or Quinnipiac Law School clinics.
In addition to Yale Law School clinics, fellows attend classes and serve as psychiatric consultants in Quinnipiac Law School's Civil Justice Clinic, which focuses on sentencing policy, juvenile justice, prison conditions, prisoner reentry issues, professional ethics, and the problems of access to justice. The clinic is supervised by Prof. Sarah Russell, who also leads the Connecticut Juvenile Sentencing Project and the Prisoner Reentry Project.
Each fellow is assigned as a psychiatric consultant in a legal office for one-half day per week over the course of the year. Fellows help attorneys think through psychiatric aspects of their cases, review other experts’ reports, and observe trials. The placements include:
State Attorney's Office – New Haven Judicial District
Patrick Griffin, JD, State’s Attorney
The New Haven State’s Attorney’s office is located in the New Haven courthouse, approximately 1 mile from Connecticut Mental Health Center. Attorney Dearington is the primary supervisor, but fellows may also work with the other 28 attorneys who staff the office. Fellows assigned to this placement typically consult in cases involving the insanity defense, competency to stand trial, dangerousness, or pre-sentencing mitigation.
State Attorney's Office – Ansonia/Milford Judicial District
Kevin Lawlor, JD, State’s Attorney
The Milford State’s Attorney’s office is located in the Ansonia/Milford Superior Court building, approximately 10 miles from Connecticut Mental Health Center. Fellows work with a group of 8 attorneys, including the supervisor, Kevin Lawlor. Consultation cases typically involve the insanity defense, competency to stand trial, dangerousness, or pre-sentencing mitigation.
Federal Public Defender's Office – New Haven
Kelly Barrett, JD, Assistant Federal Public Defender
The Federal Public Defender's Office is located approximately 1 mile from Connecticut Mental Health Center. The experience is similar to the state’s attorney placements, but fellows at this site will also learn the unique aspects of federal courts, including their sentencing guidelines. Attorney Barrett is the primary site supervisor, though fellows also work with other attorneys in the office.
Superior Court – Juvenile Matters at New Haven
Vincent Duva, JD, Supervising Juvenile Prosecutor
The New Haven Superior Court for Juvenile Matters is located approximately 1 mile from Connecticut Mental Health Center. The child-track fellow is assigned to this placement, serving as a psychiatric consultant for three prosecuting attorneys on issues relating to families with special needs, neglect, pre-adjudication issues, competency, dangerousness, and other delinquency situations. The primary faculty member is Cathleen Edwards, Supervising Juvenile Prosecutor.
State Attorney's Office – Fairfield Judicial District
Joseph Corradino, JD, State's Attorney
The Fairfield State’s Attorney’s office is located in the Bridgeport Superior Court building, approximately 20 miles from Connecticut Mental Health Center. Fellows work with a group of attorneys, consulting on cases involving the insanity defense, competency to stand trial, dangerousness, or pre-sentencing mitigation.
The fellowship includes a robust didactic curriculum, offering approximately 8 hours per week of formal didactic education. Seminars are spaced throughout the week and are held at Connecticut Mental Health Center and Connecticut Valley Hospital. The courses include:
Law and Psychiatry Case Conference (Fridays, 8:30-10 am, all year)
Court Clinic Case Conference (Tuesdays, 3-4 pm, all year)
Landmark Cases Seminar (Mondays, 4:30-6 pm, 32 weeks from August to May)
Foundations of Forensic Psychiatric Practice (Fridays, 1-2:30 pm, all year)
Forensic Patients and Systems of Care (Thursdays, 11 am – 12:30 pm, July to March)
Fostering Justice (alternate Wednesdays, 4-5:30 pm, September to May)
PGY-2 Course: Legal Regulation of Psychiatric Practice and Forensic Psychiatry (Tuesdays, 10 am to 12 pm, March to June)
Journal Club (every other Wednesday, 4-5:30 pm, October to May)
The Mock Trial (two Fridays in December)
Trainees are encouraged to engage in scholarly activities during the fellowship. Faculty members are always willing to meet with fellows to discuss ideas about research projects, articles, or book chapters. In addition, the program offers the following structured scholarly activities:
Fellows are assigned several individual supervisors to help work through forensic cases over the course of the year. At any given time, each fellow has the following supervisors:
Additional supervisors are always available and can be assigned as necessary.
Faculty members routinely accompany fellows on evaluations, particularly at the beginning of the year. As the trainees become more experienced, they work more independently, although the faculty supervisors continue to monitor their work. All fellows’ reports are reviewed and revised by faculty supervisors before completion.
In the last half of the training year, forensic trainees who have demonstrated mastery in the evaluation and formulations of cases are provided the opportunity to supervise some work of beginning trainees (who participate in competency to stand trial or other cases) and to make contributions to the training seminars. In the latter context, the fellows are asked to review and present discussions of didactic material to the group.
We have completed recruitment for the 2025-2026 fellowship year and anticipate accepting applications for 2026-2027 in the spring of 2025.
To apply, please submit the Forensic Psychiatry Common Application and supporting documents via email or mail to the following address:
Email: lawandpsychiatry@yale.edu
Mailing address:
Law & Psychiatry Division
Connecticut Mental Health Center
34 Park Street
Room 152
New Haven, CT 06519