Mega Doctor News
AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott today announced $5 million in state grants for the Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program, expanding support for mental healthcare across Texas.
“Texas remains steadfast in increasing access to mental healthcare across our state,” said Governor Abbott. “These grants will create opportunities for our renowed higher education institutions to develop the next generation of healthcare leaders. I thank the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for their continued work to expand and improve mental health services that will benefit Texans in every community.”
“Higher education institutions will better serve Texans in regions across the state through this grant funding which state leaders and lawmakers provided in the budget,” said Higher Education Commissioner Wynn Rosser. “All nine recipients highlighted innovative programs and strong collaboration with other institutions in their grant applications, demonstrating a shared commitment to make Texas a national leader in forensic psychiatry.”
Nine Texas medical training centers will receive grant funding for forensic psychiatry fellowships for licensed physicians pursuing mental health careers in Texas. Forensic psychiatry is a subspecialty that applies to psychiatric expertise in civil, criminal, and administrative legal proceedings and includes evaluations, treatment, and research related to safety and risk mitigation. The institutions will use these grants to develop, expand, or administer accredited one-year forensic psychiatry fellowship programs.
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) administers these grants in alignment with the governor’s vision to boost access and funding for mental healthcare across the state. This funding strengthens Texas’ physician workforce by supporting advanced training for licensed physicians pursuing specialization in forensic psychiatry, ultimately increasing access to critical mental health services for individuals involved in legal proceedings and those requiring forensic evaluation and treatment.
The list of grant recipients is below; each institution will receive $555,555:
- Baylor College of Medicine (Houston)
- Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (Lubbock)
- Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso
- The University of Texas at Austin
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler
- The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
- The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas)
More information about this grant program can be found at Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship Program – Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
