Welcome to the VA Greater Los Angeles, UCLA, San Fernando Valley Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program
Director: Neena Sachinvala, M.D
Assistant Director: David Stone, M.D.
Coordinator: Alex Kopelowicz, M.D.
Sponsoring Institution: UCLA/San Fernando Valley Psychiatry Training Program
VA Greater Los Angeles HealthCare System SVAMC
Correspondence Address:
UCLA/San Fernando Valley Psychiatry Forensic Fellowship Program
Department of Psychiatry; 116A
Sepulveda VA Ambulatory Care Center
Building l0 Room 109
16111 Plummer Street
North Hills, CA 91343
Contact: Jeannie Weber: (818) 895-9349 Fax: (818) 895-9347
weber.jeannie@va.gov
CC:
Neena Sachinvala: (818) 891-7711 ext. 7099
neena.sachinvala@va.gov
David Stone, MD: (310) 222-3394
dcstone@ucla.edu
Position: PGY V
Program Description:
The UCLA Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program is a one-year ACGME accredited program sponsored by the UCLA-San Fernando Valley Psychiatry Training Program. It combines the resources of the VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, UCLA/Olive View Medical Center; Los Angeles Twin Towers Correctional Jail, LA County Family Court, Juvenile Court, Mental Health Court and Metropolitan State Hospital. The academic year is divided into two six months rotations being at Olive View - UCLA Medical Center and Twin Towers Correctional Facility concurrently for six months: and Metropolitan State Hospital for the remaining six months with concurrent court assignments.
The Fellowship is designed to provide fellows a richly diverse and complementary experience enabling the acquisition of expertise in evaluating the interface between psychiatry and medical- legal issues. The program has created learning opportunities in all aspects of forensic performance such as the legal regulation of the practice of psychiatry, the treatment of the patients who are incarcerated in correctional facilities, malpractice litigation, and expert witness testimony. There is also a research requirement such as a scholarly paper of publishable quality. The training program directs itself to improving psychiatrists' abilities to provide professional assistance to the judicial system and improving care to the mentally ill population within that system.
The UCLA/ Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program has a diversified faculty with both national and regional accomplishments in the field. Fellows receive intense individual supervision including a mentoring experience with several private forensic psychiatrists. The scholarly project, which can be undertaken in any civil, ethical, or criminal area, is completed under the supervision of the academic faculty.
The fellowship also provides opportunities for testifying in court, observing the testimony of experienced forensic psychiatrists, and developing skills in evaluating competency to stand trial, criminal responsibility, assessment of dangerousness, and correctional psychiatry. In addition, faculty provide supervision of civil cases including psychiatric injuries, employment litigation for psychic trauma, sexual harassment, discrimination, disabilities, testamentary capacity, competency to contract, malpractice, child custody abuse and neglect, and juvenile offender evaluations as well as other civil-legal issues where psychiatric opinions are sought.
Comprehensive didactic lectures and supervision are provided during all rotations. Didactic sessions cover all relevant civil, criminal and ethical issues, as well as subjects related to the legal regulation of psychiatry. Opportunities are also made available for attending law courses at Loyola Law School and teaching medical students and residents in the adult psychiatry training program.
The program provides each fellow with maximum opportunities to develop knowledge, clinical skills, and sensitivity to cultural diversity and professional principles. By the completion of the one-year fellowship fellows are expected to be proficient in all of the Forensic Psychiatry Specific Competencies as stated by the ABMS-ACGME.
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