Thank you for your interest in the Pine Rest Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program! Our program is accredited for two fellows per year. We look forward to exploring all interested and qualified applicants who will be a great fit with our programs.

We ask applicants to complete four years of an accredited psychiatry residency program prior to the start date of the fellowship program.

Program applicants are required to show evidence of academic excellence, clinical interest in the field of forensic psychiatry, a high level of professionalism, high ethical standards, excellent interpersonal and communication skills, potential for successful completion of the fellowship program, and potential for the practice of medicine within the U.S. healthcare system.

The application process follows the timeline outlined by the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law (AAPL), of which more information can be found at aapl.org/fellowship.

Applications for the 2025-26 academic year will be accepted beginning May 1, 2024. Initial interviews will occur between September 1, 2024 and October 31, 2024. Applicants may be contacted with position offers after interviews, but no sooner than 12:00 PM EST on September 16, 2024. No applicant may be asked to accept or decline a position offer before 11:59 PM on September 16, 2024. A full description of the application process can be found here: ADFPF Application Guidelines.
*Internal applicants are exempt from these guidelines and should contact program coordinators directly.

Please send applications directly to our Fellowships Coordinator, Elizabeth Adair: elizabeth.adair@pinerest.org.

Application materials include:

• Common Application Form, which can be downloaded here: www.pinerest.org/media/ADFPF-Common-Application-Form.pdf  
• Three original letters of recommendation; one of the letters must be from your current training director, the remaining two should be from current faculty that know your work. All letters of recommendation must address your clinical knowledge and skills as listed above. Letters should be sent directly from the writer to elizabeth.adair@pinerest.org.
• Curriculum Vitae
• Personal Statement
• One Additional Writing Sample (de-identified forensic report or psychiatric evaluation, published manuscript of which you are the first author, etc.)
• USMLE (including Step III) or COMLEX (Including level 3) scores, which must be passed prior to starting the fellowship

The Common Application Checklist can be found here: www.pinerest.org/media/ADFPF-Common-Application-Checklist.pdf  

Decisions regarding candidate selection for the program are made by the Forensic Fellowship Selection and Evaluation Committee, based on the applicant’s academic record; clinical, research, and other work experience; letters of recommendation; interviews with departmental faculty and other staff; and demonstration of personal characteristics that may be pertinent to training in and the practice of Forensic Psychiatry.

Applicants who meet program requirements will be considered for interview with departmental faculty based on the number of interview slots available and their academic competitiveness with other candidates.

Following interviews, the Selection and Evaluation Committee will review candidates’ application materials and comments of faculty and staff who have interacted with the candidates