Academics

NCC Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Training -Program


The National Capital Consortium (NCC) Forensic Psychiatry fellowship training program is an ACMGE-accredited one-year training program housed at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) Center for Forensic Behavioral Sciences. The one-year fellowship is the sole military training program for this subspecialty. Graduates of our program are eligible for board certification by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) in Forensic Psychiatry. Our program is co-located and shares teaching faculty with the NCC Forensic Psychology fellowship training program and civilian-partner institutions. 

FYI: In this section there will also be links on each program page that take the applicant back to the Sponsoring Institution page for: 

- MTF Local Area Info page: Will be a standardized page for each Sponsoring Institution MTF. Programs will not have to create content.
- Verification of Training Info page: Registrar information.

Program Mission/Vision/Aims 

Mission

The mission of the NCC Forensic Psychiatry fellowship is to provide in-depth training to active duty officers that will foster development of advanced skills as forensic psychiatrists. Advanced skills include objectivity and self-confidence in delivering expert testimony, ability to perform comprehensive assessment and analysis of criminal defendants, and substantial knowledge of the interplay between the legal system and the psychiatric realm. Upon successful completion of the fellowship, fellows will be prepared to be forensic subject matter experts for their local region as well as for courts-martial throughout the world.

Vision

NCC Forensic Psychiatry is recognized as the Department of Defense’s nexus between law, policy, and forensic mental health expertise.

Aims

NCC Forensic Psychiatry’s aims are to support the education of military forensic psychiatrists as force multipliers, to provide consultation to senior leaders and staff throughout the military, and graduate exceptionally qualified practitioners uniquely qualified and best-in-jurisdiction.

Curriculum & Schedules 

Didactics

 Our program conducts weekly didactics sessions on the breath of civil, criminal, and military-specific forensic mental health every Friday from 0830-1130. We routinely have guest speakers from civilian and other federal institutions on topics such as consultation to law enforcement, threat assessment, and developments in federal law.

Rotation Schedule per year 

Six months are spent at the WNRMMC Center for Forensic Behavioral Sciences, in Bethesda, Maryland, with regular temporary duty globally conducting criminal and civil evaluations, providing expert testimony, or receiving specialized training at military installations.

Six months are spent at the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital (CTPHC), a maximum-security forensic hospital in Jessup, Maryland, run by the Maryland Department of Mental Health, alongside fellows from the University of Maryland Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship.

Elective Rotations

There are no formal elective rotations during the fellowship.

Call Schedule

Our fellows take call at either Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WNRMMC) or the Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center (ATAMMC), formerly Fort Belvoir Community Hospital (FBCH), supervising general psychiatry residents. During routine workdays this is home call, with in-person rounding on weekends and holidays. On average, the fellow should expect to take call a total of 3-4 weeks of the academic year.

Military Unique Curriculum

Forensic psychiatry applies rules and regulations based on specific jurisdiction. In addition to those elements required by ACGME in preparation for ABPN board eligibility, our fellows have formal instruction and experience in the military criminal justice system, learn and apply relevant rules of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, and learn about military-specific appellate court holdings. Our fellows attend a 5-week criminal law course at the U.S. Army’s Judge Advocate General Center & School in Charlottesville, Virginia, learning fundamental of military law alongside military attorneys as a program requirement. 

Required Courses

 See line immediately above for military unique curriculum

Simulation Curriculum

During January-February each year, fellows participate with the Defense or Trial Counsel Assistance Programs, serving as an expert witness during mock courtroom exercises overseen by senior military litigators. This training provides the opportunity to practice skills required of forensic expert witnesses in a simulated environment.

Leadership Curriculum

Fellows routinely oversee general psychiatry residents, medical students, and are assigned progressively greater responsibility for liaison with courts and attorneys through the year. 

Scholarly and Professional Development Opportunities 

Research

Our fellows are routinely expected to present lectures on forensic psychiatry topics to military attorneys at various levels, while delivering formal opinions to senior leaders & courts. While the nature of a one-year program presents limitations, fellows should expect to be assigned legal case analyses for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Quality Improvement

Fellows identify, design, and implement quality improvement projects, especially interprofessional team-based projects routinely. Examples have included improving consultation vetting, standardizing external training presented to clients, and developing educational supports to enhance learner engagement with complex materials. Partnered with faculty, fellows routinely assist in developing high-level military policy related to the practice or regulation of psychiatry.

Professional Development

Fellows are encouraged and able to attend professional society conferences in the fields of psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, and educational leadership. They routinely interface with senior officers or officials from military and other government agencies while supporting interagency training.

Participating Sites

Participating Sites

All NCC Forensic Psychiatry fellows train at WRNMMC Center for Forensic Behavioral Sciences and the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center (CTPHC) in Jessup Maryland. Additional training sites depending on the fellow’s interests and case availability include St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington, D.C., the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Quantico, Virginia, and other government agencies in the Washington, D.C. area.
 

Applicant Information, Rotation & Interview Opportunities 

Rotation Opportunities

Military psychiatry residents in their PGY-4 year interested in forensic psychiatry are encouraged to coordinate a 2-week or 4-week rotation with NCC Forensic Psychiatry program to assess their match with our program.

Interview Guidance

Fellowship interviews for the NCC Forensic Psychiatry program are conducted by multi-person panels of our faculty, staff, or current fellows. Applicants should be prepared to discuss their background, training, and specific interest in military forensic psychiatry. 

Specialty Board Examination Information

Program graduates take the subspecialty certification examination by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) in Forensic Psychiatry. This exam is offered bi-annually.  To become fully board certified, applicants are eligible to take board certification exam 2-3 months following graduation (exact examination dates may vary slightly between administrations). To be eligible to take sub-specialty board exams, graduates must complete all pre-requisites required by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) by July 31st of the year of the examination. Specific training requirements are detailed on the ABPN website at: 
  https://abpn.org/become-certified/taking-a-subspecialty-exam/forensic-psychiatry/

Fellows entering training directly after general psychiatry residency training are afforded time to study and take the ABPN general psychiatry board certification examination.

FYI: There will be action buttons on each program page that take applicants back to: 

- DHA GME Application information page: provides standardized application info so programs & MTF don’t have to create content.
- MTF (Institutional) Medical Student page: links to medical student page to read program info & easily navigate to rotation request.
- DHA GME Pay and Benefits page: Meets ACGME Institutional Requirement
- MTF Local Area Info page: Will be a standardized page for each Sponsoring Institution MTF. Programs will not have to create content. 

Teaching Opportunities 

Fellow as Teacher Opportunities

NCC Forensic Psychiatry fellows are expected to provide guest lectures to military attorneys on the breath of psychiatric and forensic mental health topics. Fellows supervise general psychiatry residents, interns, and medical students at WRNMMC and ATAAMC while on call. By the second half of the year, fellows are expected to routinely educate junior military attorneys and general psychiatrists on the intersection of mental health and military law & policy.

Additional Teaching Opportunities

Other teaching opportunities for our fellows include training mid-career criminal litigators at the Judge Advocate General’s advanced course and leading discussion panels on forensic evaluations for audiences including military judges. During expert testimony, fellows provide education to the general public, juries, and judges on diverse psychiatric issues.

Faculty and Mentorship

Faculty Subspecialty Training

Each of faculty have advanced training and experience in forensic psychiatry in high-security and military-specific settings. Additional specialty training and experience by faculty include forensic psychometry, risk assessment, threat assessment, special duty evaluations, civil disability analysis, feigning, analysis of false confessions, testimony before appellate courts, and support to various administrative review boards throughout the federal government.

Mentorship

Fellows have significant face-to-face time with all members of our core faculty providing career development, work-life balance, and military-specific mentorship.

Well-Being

Well-Being

Fellow well-being is a priority to enable safe & competent care when working in clinical settings. Our program dedicates specific time to fellows to ensure access to our on-site gym and we informally host off-site retreats for team building and to provide a whole-person perspective on the individual needs of each trainee. 

NCC Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program

Phone

Main:

(301) 319-5366 

Fax:

(301) 319-6825

Hours

0700-1700

Don't forget to keep your family's information up-to-date in DEERS.