Tobias Wasser, MD, associate professor of psychiatry, has been awarded the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law’s (AAPL) “Howard V. Zonana Best Teacher in a Forensic Fellowship Award.”
The award was presented October 27 at the AAPL meeting in New Orleans. It recognizes excellence in teaching forensic psychiatry and is awarded annually.
Wasser was nominated for the award by multiple past forensic psychiatry fellows that he taught, including one who wrote, “Dr. Wasser is an extraordinary teacher and mentor. He stands out as a faculty member who is deeply dedicated to helping trainees excel at all levels of training. His teaching style is exciting and innovative and is consistent with his general approach of inspiring and pushing learners to grow and expand their skills. He is warm and welcoming and he has an ability to put fellows at ease, even when discussing difficult topics.”
Wasser is a graduate of the Yale Psychiatry Residency Program. He completed fellowships in forensic psychiatry and public psychiatry at Yale and joined the faculty in 2016. He has served as a supervisor and teacher in the Yale forensic psychiatry fellowship since joining the faculty in 2016 and in 2021 received the Yale Law and Psychiatry Faculty Teaching Award. He has served in important leadership roles for the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), most recently as chief medical officer for Whiting Forensic Hospital.
The award has been granted to recipients by AAPL since 2002. AAPL recently named the award in honor of Howard Zonana, MD, professor of psychiatry at Yale School of Medicine and professor (adjunct) of law at the Yale Law School. Dr. Zonana created the Law and Psychiatry Division at Yale more than four decades ago and has left an indelible mark on the field through his educational efforts and leadership in forensic psychiatry.