Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship
The Forensic Training program became an ACGME accredited program in 1998, and has four fellowship positions available each year. Our faculty includes 10 forensic psychiatrists, an attorney, a neuropsychologist, several forensic psychologists, and child/adolescent psychiatrist trained in forensics.
The University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine offers a one-year,
full-time fellowship training program in forensic psychiatry. This program at the University of Colorado Denver School of
Medicine is partnered with the Colorado Office of Behavioral Health, which is
responsible for all state forensic activities including the
administration of the Forensic Institute in Pueblo, CO. In addition the
program works closely with the Colorado Department of Corrections and
Denver Health Medical Center. Fellowship faculty include academic and
clinical faculty in the Department of Psychiatry, in the Behavioral
Health Program at Denver Health Medical Center, forensic experts in the
Colorado Office of Behavioral Health, Department of Corrections, private
forensic practitioners, and faculty from the Denver University School
of Law. Dr. Martinez is involved in ethics in forensic psychiatry,
teaches at the DU Law School, and is involved in setting standards for
forensic report writing and testimony. Other forensic faculty bring expertise in diverse areas of civil and criminal forensic psychiatry.
The program is designed to familiarize fellows with all aspects of
forensic psychiatry, and to prepare them for forensic practice,
teaching, research and system consultation, and/or academic careers.
Topics covered through didactic seminars and supervised practical
experience include procedures for forensic evaluations, report writing,
relevant research and phenomenological literature, landmark mental
health cases, treatment of patients in correctional and forensic
settings, system consultation around forensic issues, collaboration with
other professionals (law enforcement, correctional, etc.), the
evaluation of foreign victims of torture, fitness for duty examinations
with the Denver Police Department, IME's, and ethical issues
involved in forensic practice.
Fellows are provided the opportunity to observe experienced forensic
professionals performing evaluations, preparing reports, and testifying
in civil and criminal cases. They have direct, supervised
experience in performing forensic evaluations in those areas, preparing
reports, and testifying in court. Mock trial experiences are conducted
in coordination with DU Sturm School of Law. Fellows are encouraged to
conduct research in forensic areas. The program strives to organize the
fellowship experience around each Fellows area of interest. We have
trained numerous Fellows with backgrounds in child/adolescent
psychiatry. Teaching opportunities are available with PGY-2 and PYG-3 general residents and medical students.
Fellowships are funded at a PGY-5 level. 2020-2021 Annual Stipend for PGY-5 $70,000.00 plus benefits.
Fringe benefits include a fully paid trip to the annual meeting of the
American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (including enrollment in the
Forensic Psychiatry Review Course) and a trip with Dr. Jeffrey Metzner,
the associate director of the program, to a prison or jail involved in
mental health litigation.
We accept application materials as early as February of the year before the start of the forensic fellowship. Interviews typically happen between April and July the year before the start of the fellowship. We comply with instructions found on the American Academy of Law and Psychiatry fellowship website at https://www.aapl.org/fellowship.
A Selection Committee for each training program evaluates all eligible applicants. Applicants are evaluated on the basis of their preparedness and experience; academic credentials; ability and aptitude; communication and interpersonal skills; and on personal qualities such as integrity, learning motivation, and work ethic, and the ability to function within parameters expected of a practitioner in the specialty.
Programs will review and select applicants in a manner consistent with provisions of equal opportunity employment and must not discriminate with regard to sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, disability or any other applicable legally protected status.
Completion of an ACGME accredited psychiatry residency program that qualifies an applicant to sit for the ABPN Psychiatry Board and completion of all USMLE Steps or COMLEX Parts are the basic requirements for application. Additionally, residents are required to hold an active Colorado physician license and DEA license. Upon formal acceptance to the program, application for licensure must be initiated so that residents are licensed before they begin the program.
To ensure that the process for selecting residents is consistent with guidelines established by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the University of Colorado Denver Graduate Medical Education Committee (GME), and to be compliant with University policies, appropriate Federal and State statutes and regulations, this program has the following eligibility requirements.
1. Applicants must provide documentation of the following:
- Graduation from a medical school in the United States or Canada accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME); or
- Graduation from any college of College of Osteopathic Medicine accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA); or
- Graduation from medical school outside of the United States or Canada and possessing a currently valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) prior to appointment; or, have an active and unrestricted license to practice medicine in Colorado; or
- Graduation from medical schools outside the United States and completion of a Fifth Pathway Program provided by an LCME - accredited medical school.
2. Individuals applying for psychiatry fellowship programs must document completion of an appropriate psychiatry residency program, including an ACGME-accredited residency, or meet requirements as outlined in ACGME program requirements.
3. Individuals applying for psychiatry fellowship programs must have successfully completed the USMLE Step 3 examination or COMLEX Part 3, as evidenced by obtaining a passing grade for that examination, prior to applying for a fellowship. Passing scores must be obtained for all USMLE or COMLEX scores in no more than two attempts.
4. Applicants must be eligible for an active and unrestricted physician medical license as granted by the Colorado Board of Medical Examiners (CBME) and a DEA license.
5. Applicants must successfully pass a criminal background investigation (criteria specified in UC and GMEC background investigation policies) and any affiliated training facility investigation as necessary.
6. The University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine recognizes that residents enrolled in its programs are trainees, not employees. As such, applicants must be able to meet conditions of the institutional house officer (resident) training agreement. Specifically, residents in our program must be U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, refugees, asylees, or possess the appropriate documentation to allow residents to legally train at the UC School of Medicine.
Download and complete the Psychiatry Fellowships Application Or you can go to the American Academy of Psychiatry and Law fellowship website and utilize the common application forms and instructions as provided at https://www.aapl.org/fellowship. Please submit the completed application via email to the program coordinator. The form must be typed, not hand written.
All applications must include the following:
- Original graduate transcript(s), when applicable
- Original medical school transcript(s)
- Original Dean's Letter (MSPE)
- Copy of medical school diploma
- Copy of psychiatry residency completion certificate, when applicable/available
- Documentation of post-graduate residency completed elsewhere
- Copies of state medical license(s), DEA license, ABPN certification, when applicable
- Documentation of ECFMG certification, when applicable
- Documentation of status, for international applicants
- Curriculum Vitae
- Personal Statement
- A sample of a forensic report completed during residency and/or any publications relevant to psychiatry or forensic psychiatry
- Three professional letters of recommendation including one from your residency training director.
- Documentation of successful passing scores on USMLE parts 1, 2 and 3 (within no more than two attempts) or COMLEX
Applicants are responsible for requesting all supporting documentation above.
All fellowship positions are funded and paid at a PGY-5 level.
Interviews:
Virtual and/or onsite interviews with program faculty and current fellows are scheduled after applicants have been selected to interview. Because there are differences in fellowship programs, and the individual applicant’s personal goals for training, it is essential that each applicant interview in person on site or virtually. A full day of interviews, tours and/or seminar attendance, and informal contact with current fellows is scheduled. (We have moved to a hybrid system for interviewing, which has been beneficial from a financial aspect for applicants, but please keep in mind this will severely limit our ability to show applicants our campus or rotation sites. tours and seminars might not be available.)
Due to the large number of applications we receive, we are unable to interview everyone. The Selection Committee will review your application file, and we will notify you if you have been selected to interview.
Deadlines:
The dates by which we must receive your completed application and for scheduling your interview vary slightly from year to year.
For the 2023-2024 academic year:
- Applications can be received as early as May 1, 2022.
- Interview dates will be held August 1, 2022 through October 3, 2022.
*Please note that internal candidates can be interviewed and accepted earlier if they do not wish to interview at other programs, per the Forensic Fellowship Directors agreement.
Forensic Fellowship Leadership Team:
| Name | Title | Site |
Richard Martinez, MD, MH | Forensic Psychiatry Services and Fellowship Director, Professor | Colorado Mental Health Institute Pueblo/Ft. Logan / University of Colorado at Anschutz Medical Center |
Jeffrey Metzner, MD | Associate Program Director, Clinical Professor | University of Colorado |
Jennifer Bundrick, MD | Associate Program Director, Senior Instructor | Department of Corrections |
Forensic Fellowship Faculty:
| Faculty | Title | Site |
| Sarah Butler, MD | Chief of Psychiatry DOC, Senior Instructor | Department of Corrections |
| Jill Spice, MD | Senior Instructor | Department of Corrections |
| Matthew DeLiere, MD | Assistant Professor | Denver Health Hospital/ RISE |
| Thomas Gray, PhD | Training Director Forensic Psychiatry OBHS | Colorado Mental Health Institute Pueblo/Ft. Logan |
Rose Manguso, PhD, ABPP | Clinical Instructor | Colorado Mental Health Institute Pueblo/Ft. Logan |
| Julie Meeker, MD | Chief of Psychiatry, CMHI-P, Senior Instructor | Colorado Mental Health Institute Pueblo/Ft. Logan |
| Richard Pounds, MD | Clinical Director CMHI-P, Senior Instructor | Colorado Mental Health Institute Pueblo/Ft. Logan |
| Al Singleton, MD | Medical Director, CMHI-P, Senior Instructor | Colorado Mental Health Institute Pueblo/Ft. Logan |
| Loandra Torres, PhD | Clinical Director, OBH Court Services | Colorado Mental Health Institute Pueblo/Ft. Logan |
| Hal Wortzel, MD | Associate Professor | VA |
Casey Wolf, MD | Children's Hospital Colorado | |
Casey Frank, JD | Private Practice Attorney | |
| Patrick Fox, MD | Private Practice | |
| Darren Lish, MD | Senior Instructor | University of Colorado at Anschutz Medical Center |
| Ahmad Adi, MD | Senior Instructor | University of Colorado at Anschutz medical Center |
Fellows for the 2021-2022 academic year:
| Fellow | Residency Program | Interests |
| Morgan Deal, MD | University of Texas at Houston at McGovern Medical School | |
| Teresa Mayer, MD | University of Arizona; Lucile Salter Packer Children's Hospital at Stanford (fellowship) | |
| Joseph Sochet, DO | Medical Center of Aurora | |
| Juan Sosa, MD | University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center | |
| Evan Thompson, DO | University of Kansas Medical Center |
Contact Us
Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship
1890 N Revere Ct, F546
AHSB, Suite 4100, Rm 4102
Aurora, CO 80045
Phone: (303) 724-6021
Fax: (720) 724-4963
Angela Webb
Fellowship Residency Coordinator
Phone: (303) 724-8788
Email: Angela Webb
Richard Martinez, MD
Program Director
Office of Behavioral Health
Phone: (303) 217-3846
Email: Richard Martinez