Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship

History of the Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship

Baltimore City's Medical Office was founded in 1918. Dr. Jonas Rappeport, the third chief Medical Officer for Baltimore City and the first President of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (AAPL), founded the University of Maryland Fellowship in Forensic Psychiatry in 1968. Dr. Rappeport, now Chief Medical Officer Emeritus, continues to be an influential figure and an active supporter of the program.

About the Program

Fellowship graduates Annette Hanson, M.D. and Jeffrey Janofsky, M.D. are co-directors for the program. Both Drs. Hanson and Janofsky are active in supervision and teaching at the Circuit Court Medical Service. Dr. Hanson also provides supervision at Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center where fellows are responsible for in-depth pretrial evaluations and the treatment of incompetent criminal defendants.

The American Psychiatric Association officially recognized forensic psychiatry as a subspecialty, and the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology offers examinations for added qualifications in this field. The American Academy for Psychiatry and the Law (AAPL) can provide more information regarding forensic psychiatry and the prerequisites for examination (see link below). The university's fellowship is accredited by the ACGME and offers fellows intense exposure to all aspects of forensic practice through participation in evaluations at the Circuit Court Medical Service and the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center. In addition, fellows attend courses at the University of Maryland School of Law and teach residents from the University and Johns Hopkins during their required forensic rotations.