The faculty of Law and Psychiatry comprise one of the nation’s premier forensic divisions. Deeply rooted in training, education, consultation and research, they are widely recognized as the top clinicians in their field. Perhaps the most enduring and prestigious role that Law and Psychiatry has played in the profession has been in defining the work and setting the standards for forensic psychiatry.
In addition to the Department of Psychiatry and School of Nursing faculty, Yale Law School faculty, along with clinical, research, supervisory and administrative staff, contribute to the work of the Division.
Dr. Kapoor is Director of the Law & Psychiatry Division, where her clinical work and scholarship focus on the intersection of mental illness, violence, and the criminal justice system. She has expertise in the psychiatric evaluation and treatment of violent and justice-involved individuals in a variety of treatment settings (e.g., prisons, jails, forensic hospitals, and the community). In addition, she serves as a Program Director for the Yale forensic psychiatry fellowship, teaching and supervising fellows in one of the country's largest training programs for forensic psychiatrists. Dr. Kapoor has lectured internationally and holds leadership positions in several professional organizations. She is chair of the American Psychiatric Association's Committee on Judicial Action, Vice President of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, and a past president of the Connecticut Psychiatric...
Dr. Catherine Burke is an Assistant Professor in the Law & Psychiatry Division at the Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Burke’s expertise is in forensic assessment conducting evaluations for the legal system, including competency to stand trial, mitigation, risk assessment, and immigration, among others. A second area of Dr. Burke's expertise is the treatment of addiction in criminal legal populations. She provides clinical care for adults in the legal system who present with addiction and associated co-morbidities at the Forensic Drug Diversion Clinic. Dr. Burke’s research interests are focused on the education of fellows and the intersection of addiction and the criminal legal system.
Professor of Psychiatry; Co-Director, Law and Psychiatry Division, Psychiatry; Medical Director, Commissioner's Office, Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services
Charles C Dike is Professor of Psychiatry and Co-Director, Law and Psychiatry Division, Yale University School of Medicine. He is also Chief Medical Officer, Office of the Commissioner, Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and President of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. Dr. Dike completed medical school at Obafemi Awolowo University (Formerly University of Ife), Ile-Ife, Nigeria, and psychiatric residency at All Birmingham Hospitals Psychiatric Training Scheme, University of Birmingham, England. After additional psychiatric residency training at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Dr. Dike completed a fellowship training in Law and Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medical. Dr. Dike obtained a Diploma in Clinical Psychiatry (DCP) from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ireland and was awarded a membership of the Royal...
Professor of Psychiatry; Director, Yale Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory; Clinical Director, Forensic Drug Diversion Clinic; Director, Yale Program for Sex Differences in Alcohol Use Disorder, Psychiatry
Dr. Sherry McKee is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Yale Medical School, Director of the Yale Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory, and Clinical Director of the Forensic Drug Diversion Clinic. Dr. McKee directs a translational program of research focused on treatment development for addictive disorders, with an emphasis on women and more recently criminal justice populations. Her work spans clinical trials, behavioral pharmacology, survey research, and epidemiological research to uncover mechanisms underlying poor outcomes and to translate these finding into improved interventions. Dr. McKee has directed large NIH-funded efforts (P50-ORWH/NIDA; P01-ORWH/NIAAA) focused on developing effective medications for addictive behaviors which are responsive to sex differences. Dr. McKee currently leads the Yale-SCORE on Sex Differences in Alcohol Use Disorder (U54AA027989, ORWH/NIAAA)....
Dr. Michael Norko received his bachelor’s degree from Johns Hopkins University (1979), his MD from SUNY – Upstate Medical Center (1983) and trained in psychiatry at St. Vincent’s Hospital and Medical Center in New York (1983-97), during which he also completed a certificate program in mental health administration at the New School for Social Research (1987). He completed a fellowship in forensic psychiatry at Yale University in 1988 and has since then been a member of the faculty of the Law and Psychiatry Division at Yale/ Connecticut Mental Health Center, including 7 years as Deputy Training Director. Dr. Norko is a Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, and Past President of the Connecticut Psychiatric Society. Dr. Norko worked at the Whiting Forensic Hospital (CT’s maximum security psychiatric hospital) for a total of 17 years; first as a unit chief and attending...
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry; Medical Director, Community Forensics Services; Medical Director, Yale Juvenile Justice Mental Health Program, , Department of Psychiatry
I am board-certified in general, child and adolescent, and forensic psychiatry. My clinical background is in working with persons with serious mental illness who are criminally involved. I have expertise in risk assessment and have a longstanding interest in providing person centered care.
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
When Howard Zonana, MD, first became interested in forensic psychiatry, there was little connection between law and psychiatry in the City of New Haven, the State of Connecticut, or the Yale campus. In the mid-1970's, Dr. Zonana joined up with Marc Rubenstein and Lansing Crane, who were trying to create a forensic psychiatry program. They created the Yale Law and Psychiatry Division. The Division is part of the Yale School of Medicine Psychiatry Department and Connecticut Mental Health Center. It is made up of four sections – forensic services, the New Haven Court Clinic, the Jail Diversion Program and research and scholarship. The staff includes licensed psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses and social workers as well as a training program in Forensic Psychiatry with funding for four fellows chosen annually through a competitive selection process. The work focuses on evaluations for the...