Texas awards $555,555 to UT Austin as part of $5 million forensic psychiatry fellowship program

April 1, 2026

Texas awarded $5 million to nine universities to establish a Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program, Governor Greg Abbott announced on March 23. The University of Texas at Austin will receive $555,555 to support a one-year fellowship position aimed at licensed physicians.

State officials framed the grants as part of an effort to expand access to mental healthcare and to build workforce capacity within higher education. The fellowship is intended to train doctors who will work at the intersection of psychiatry and the legal system, serving courts, corrections and related settings.

William Reid, professor of psychiatry and behavioral health at Dell Medical School, said forensic psychiatry remains a small specialty, with about 3,000 practitioners across the United States. He said a strong fellowship should give trainees substantial hands-on experience alongside seasoned forensic psychiatrists.

Those experienced clinicians often work with lawyers, judges, prisons, jails and law enforcement, Reid said, and they sometimes consult on patients in general hospitals. Forensic psychiatrists evaluate mental state, competency and related issues that can shape criminal and civil legal outcomes.

Assessments by forensic psychiatrists can influence whether a defendant intended to commit a crime or whether severe mental illness affected their understanding of right and wrong. Reid noted that in many states, including Texas, severely mentally ill defendants may be found not guilty by reason of insanity when evidence supports that conclusion.

Reid also warned that popular media overstates the frequency of forensic cases. High-profile court testimony appears often on television, but he said most civil and criminal matters do not involve serious mental health questions.

Program backers say the new fellowships will help develop clinicians who can navigate both clinical care and legal processes, potentially improving outcomes for people with severe mental illness who intersect with the justice system. UT Austin’s awarded funds will finance a one-year position meant to expand hands-on training in this subspecialty.