Forensic Psychiatry

The ACGME-accredited, full-time, one-year fellowship program comprises lectures, seminars, placements, and supervision. Forensic psychiatry fellows have opportunities for extensive involvement as forensic psychiatric consultants to state hospitals, county jails, juvenile justice agencies, dependency courts, the Los Angeles County Office of the Coroner, and other agencies that interrelate with mental health and the law. In addition, psychiatry fellows have numerous opportunities to serve as expert witnesses in psychiatry and law for superior courts, mental health courts, and other local and state government agencies.

Each forensic psychiatry fellow has a minimum of six supervisors at any given time. The supervisors include psychiatrists board-certified in general, Forensic, and/or Child and Adolescent Psychiatry as well as licensed clinical psychologists with Forensic subspecialty training. All supervisors are on the faculty of the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Supervisors are rotated so that forensic psychiatry fellows will benefit from the supervisors’ varied skills and expertise in psychiatry and law.

The Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program benefits from access to diverse locations for optimizing clinical, educational and research activities. Most clinical psychiatric services are based at the Los Angeles General Medical Center, which houses the Psychiatric Emergency Service, Consultation-Liaison Service and Medical-Psychiatric Inpatient Unit. An adjacent clinic tower houses the Adult Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic. The adult and adolescent inpatient psychiatric services are provided at the Hawkins Mental Health Building, where patients are evaluated for civil commitment hearings. Partnership with the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services provides unique opportunities for understanding the delivery of mental healthcare to underserved patients in the Los Angeles County jail system. Forensic psychiatry fellows serve as consultants to the county Mental Health Court on a daily basis. Forensic psychiatry fellows also serve as consultants to the L.A. County Office of the Medical Examiner-Coroner.

Courses specifically designed for forensic psychiatry fellows include:

• Biological, psychological, and sociological determinants of crime and delinquency
• Civil law
• Criminal law
• Family law
• Federal criminal law
• Juvenile & Dependency law
• Mental health law
• Correctional psychiatry
• Biases applicable to forensic assessments
• Landmark mental health cases (including all AAPL-specified cases)

Course lecturers are drawn from Institute faculty and other USC forensic psychiatrists and psychologists, as well as judges, public and private attorneys, and professionals from other forensic-related disciplines.

Fellows are employees of the County of Los Angeles (a.k.a. L.A. County). Fellows’ salaries are determined in negotiations between the resident/fellow’s legal bargaining unit, the Council of Interns and Residents, and the County’s Department of Health Services.

Salary as of October 1, 2022

PGY5 Yearly: $84,441.19 | Monthly: $7,036.76

Benefits

For more information about salary, benefits, and the contract between the County and CIR, visit CIR’s website.

Few areas in the world rival Southern California (or “SoCal,” as it is affectionately known) for the diversity of lifestyles afforded. The climate is legendarily pleasant, with low humidity and cool evenings in the summertime and wintertime highs typically in the 60s and 70s (F). Biting insects are rare. In the winter, even though urban Los Angeles has few instances of snow in its recorded history, a two-hour trip provides access to winter sports in the San Bernadino Mountains. The beauties of the desert, including the Joshua tree, which grows nowhere else on earth, are also approximately two hours away. Other National Parks, including Sequoia, Death Valley, and Yosemite, are a bit farther afield but all within a reasonable day’s drive.

The western edge of the Los Angeles Basin is a renowned string of beaches that stretches from Santa Monica to just past Torrance Beach in the South and includes Venice and the Beach Cities (Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach). While Southern California is not the birthplace of surfing, it is where surfing entered mainstream consciousness—and where the Beach Boys and others celebrated the year-round beach lifestyle.

All forms of cultural enrichment and entertainment events are available in the greater L.A. area, including world-class theaters, the LA Philharmonic, and more museums than any other city in the US (including New York City!) including the Getty, The Broad, and LACMA. [Source: discoverlosangeles.com] Los Angeles offers all manner of dining options in just about every cuisine and price point. The lights of Dodger Stadium are visible from several points around the medical center campus. L.A. is home to two NFL teams (the Chargers and the Rams), two NBA teams (the Lakers and the Clippers), two MLS teams (the Galaxy and LAFC), one NWSL team (Angel City FC), and an NHL team (the Kings). USC itself excels in a wide variety of sports [link to usctrojans.com], having won 134 national championships. Its athletes have won 144 Olympic gold medals, 92 silver medals, and 71 bronze medals.

Application materials can be sent at any time, but formal review of applications will begin on June 1st. Only completed applications will be formally reviewed by the selection committee. The selection committee determines who is invited for an interview. Interviews are a required part of the application process, and interviews will begin on September 1st. According to the rules agreed upon by the AAPL committee of Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship program directors (ADFPF), no offers shall be made prior to 9 am (Pacific Time) on September 21st. [These rules are subject to revision by the ADFPF.]

The following materials are required:

• Residency application form (download as Word doc)
• Fellow applicant information form (download as Word doc)
• Curriculum vitae
• Citizenship/visa status. The applicant must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or eligible for a J-1 visa.
• Medical school dean’s report (download as Word doc). The applicant should submit this form to their dean to complete. They may use this form or (preferably) may substitute a “dean’s letter” instead. The completed letter/form must be sent to us directly by the dean’s office and not sent via the applicant. Please ask that a transcript also be included.
• Training program director’s report (download as Word doc). The applicant should submit this form to the training director of their residency program, who must complete and return to us directly.
• United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE)transcript, sent directly to us or via the FSMB.
• Personal statement
• Three letters of recommendation from psychiatrists familiar with the applicant and their work. These letters must be submitted directly by the recommenders and not forwarded by the applicant.
• Photocopy of the applicant’s current California medical license (required for training), or, if not yet possessed, a statement by them affirming their eligibility for a CA medical license. All fellows must have their California medical license prior to the forensic psychiatry fellowship start date. For details regarding licensure in California, please refer to the Medical Board of California website.
• Proof of Covid vaccination
• Photocopy of the applicant’s ‘current DEA certificate’ or signed attestation of eligibility for DEA certificate.
• Photocopy of the applicant’s basic cardiac life-support (BLS) training certificate.
• Recent work product by the applicant (e.g., admission summary, discharge summary or forensic case report)
• Passport-sized photograph

The decision to invite an applicant for an interview will not be made until all the above materials have been received and reviewed. Applicants selected for interviews will have the opportunity to meet (virtually) with members of our faculty and current forensic psychiatry fellows. If the applicant has any questions about the program or application process, please contact us.

Email or mail the required application materials and documents to:

Mary Goodbeer
Program Coordinator
USC Institute of Psychiatry & Law
P.O. Box 86125
Los Angeles, CA 90086-0125
(323) 409-4942
goodbeer@usc.edu

Matthew W. Motley, M.D., Ph.D.
Program Director, Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Training Program
Division of Psychiatry and Law
Department of Psychiatry and the Behavioral Sciences
Keck School of Medicine at USC
(323) 409-4942
mmotley@usc.edu